Assessment Tools for Growing Musicians in the EHS Choral Room

Funded Jan 4, 2024

From the minute we received the white boards and markers we were to get to work! I was able to assess student learning instantly. Every student has a board that is usable; every student has a marker that works! I SEE their work and it is thrilling. Students are excited to get their own board and show their own understanding. The frustration level of having to share or work with inadequate materials is gone!

The hooks you helped purchase were used to display posters to increase music literacy. "Music literacy is reading, writing, and playing of music, as well an understanding of cultural practice and historical and social contexts," https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_literacy. Students have been taught to sing using solfege and Curwen hand signs. Posters to help them remember are posted now. Posters of note duration, pitches on a staff, time signatures, etc. are posted for student reference and continual student learning and application. Motivation has increased; everyone feels prepared to put new concepts into practice.

The posters of famous musicians will be used after our final concert. We will go into a unit highlighting the impact jazz, R & B, and blues has had on American music and its influence in pop culture. Having visuals of the artists will help students see the human side of the artist and perhaps help them visualize themselves as musicians who can impact their own generation.

Thank you again for supporting these students!”

With gratitude,

Mrs. Cook