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R ehe arsal Br e ak
Rehearsal Break

Assessments in Responding concerts I have seen, or otherwise engaging music like
Responding is a strand that integrates well into as- unaccompanied vocal mashups. The journal document
sessment strategies of the other strands, offering many itself includes prompts, specific questions, and sentence
“two for one” assessments (Table 4 on the next page). stems as scaffolding tools to guide their thoughts. I rec-
The Responding content of sight-reading, for example, ommend the journal be a cloud-based digital docu-
can also be used as the content for the previously dis- ment to keep it readily available, organized, and easy
cussed singing checks. Although listening skills can be to submit; again, Google Docs is a great option.
assessed with ensemble skills and even composition and Although worksheets and handouts are common
improvisation, I chose to focus on the context of ana- formal assessment tools to determine music literacy
lyzing musical recordings to broaden students’ musical and knowledge of music theory, many students pre-
experiences, as well as to learn how to study and discuss fer games. Educational online games and applications
their own rehearsals and performances. are often fun and simple while connecting directly to
A guided listening journal has proven to be a sim- appropriate knowledge and content. They also lend
ple and efficient assessment method. I often use it as themselves nicely to serve as substitute plans or activi-
the starter during a unit or grading term and choose ties for extension or review. Consider game services like
excerpts or songs that are appropriate for the singers’ Blooket, Gimkit, or Kahoot (links available at the end
age, interest, and ability. Frequently, I select recordings of this article). Similar to Sight Reading Factory, some
of music from my choral library, selections from other games might be able to be integrated into your district’s

Table 3. Speed Dating or “Speed Sharing” (Comprehensible Classroom, 2014)

SPEED SHARING

Round 1 Round 2 Round 3
At the end of each
round, the last
1 A 1 E 1 D
student in the blue
line moves to the

front of the line, and 2 B 2 A 2 E
the entire line shifts,
forming new pairs. 3 C 3 B 3 A

Students in the 4 D 4 C 4 B

orange line
do NOT move. 5 E 5 D 5 C

@comprehensibleclassroom

44 CHORAL JOURNAL October 2025 Volume 66 Number 3