Formative Assessment in Music Education: Research on the Transfer of Knowledge During a Short Training Course By

This article summarises the main results of French research focused on teacher assessment in music in secondary schools, conducted between 1999-2004. The enquiry suggests reasons why short courses do not change established ideas about assessment in music. Increased time for reflection and self-criticism during training courses would facilitate the development of greater understanding and modification of practice. Knowing what the participants expect from the course may help to predict the extent of the transfer of information. The present research describes conceptions that music teachers have of assessment while in training (before, during and after the training course). The training course is a short course, with a specific goal, limited in time and content. The first level is entitled: “Formative assessment in music teaching. ” It is important to state that this research will not study the training itself but the conception the trainees have. The reactions of this cross-section of students form the core of this work. We have attempted to describe the music teachers ’ perceptions according to a questionnaire. More specifically, our reflection aims at understanding the paradox that music teachers face when assessing their students ’ musical performance. Indeed, in previous research, we had noticed that teachers aim at being objective by using many criteria for assessment and markings, but rely more often than not on subjective judgments (accuracy, musicality, and interpretation). 1 Moreover, “assessment ” is often associated with “test ” (De Ketele, 1997). How 2 do music teachers assess performance? Do they mark it 14.5 or 16 out of 20? Is an error in musical interpretation considered a fault? (Astolfi, 1997). Specific writings on musical assessment are rare in French. Therefore, we attempted to find the specific meaning of assessment in music teaching through the perceptions of teachers who attended a training course. We studied the specific questions of musical assessment i