Student Grades for Concerts?

In this article, Shaw is right to point out the disconnect between concert performances and individual grading. When we issue grades, we are reporting how well an individual does (or does not) meet the standards for any content area. Grading students on whether or not they show up to an extra curricular performance has nothing to do with their mastery of your course objectives.

Shaw points out two notable areas that resonated with me: motivation and equity.

When we are dependent on extrinsic motivation such as punishing students (sometimes publicly) for missing performances, we are really trying to control them. Many teachers may employ punitive policies such as “make up” assignments such as: write a paper, or “perform your part in front of the class by yourself.” Are these extrinsic motivations really motivating to the student? And, do they really show us how students have mastered your course objectives?

Equity is also a big issue at play here. Shaw points out that “[t]here is no amount of ‘motivation’ that will enable students to overrule their parents, guardians, or other authority figures, and children are put in an impossible and stressful situation if they are asked to do so” (p. 32). There may be a myriad of external factors at play in a child’s home life that may prevent them from attending a concert performance. It may have nothing to do with their personal motivation (or, mastery of your course objectives). “A missed performance is not an indication of forgotten terminology or worsened technique” (p. 32).

When it comes to grading, we would do well to consider individual mastery of our state/national standards. More authentic opportunities could be considered, such as solo/ensemble preparation and performances in-class. I think these are great opportunities for building positive connections with our schools and communities when we have live musicians participating in local activities and events. Why not create a small army of chamber musicians in addition to your concerts? Make the time!

Shaw uses a colleague as an example: multiple duets are taught to the class as whole-group instruction, and students then partner with other instruments to prepare for a performance. They come to the chamber group experience front-loaded with the nuts and bolts of correct rhythm and pitch. Then, students practice authentic skills on their own such as starting and stopping together, blending with unique instrument groupings, stage presence, etc.

For any of my former students that may be reading this, all I can say is “I’M SORRY!”

Over a majority of my career, I certainly held students’ grades hostage as punishment for attending performances. I wish I was more successful in building the intrinsic motivation for 100% of students and their families to want to be a part of these performances without holding grades over their heads.

Toward the mid/end of my career as a high school band director, I started to have the right idea and better intentions when it came to grades and assessment. My students would learn solo or chamber repertoire to perform as a jury or small concert. I also started to identify essential skills for proficiency (such as technical etudes) and had students record or perform them individually for grades. These were not popular amongst the students who wanted to show up and expected an “Easy A”, but it sure did show me a lot about what they knew, and what they didn’t know!

I get it, this is a very difficult paradigm shift for many of us. But, we should be in the business of educational outcomes just as much as (if not more than) holistic program outcomes.