Assessment in Music at KS3

Making it musical…

Ingrid McLean
Head of Music, Wellsway School, Keynsham

imclean@wellswayschool.com

@wellswaymusic
• Music teachers during the survey were struggling to
find workable ways to collect assessment
information and to meet whole-school requirements
for data, especially where these were excessive. For
example, in the most extreme cases, the music
department was expected to provide assessments every
half-term in relation to sub-divided National Curriculum
levels. However, such sub-divisions did not take
account of the National Curriculum guidance about
progress within levels being seen in terms of
increasing confidence, ownership and independence
and so they ended up being based on arbitrary
degrees of competence in separate and specific
components of music.
• Making more of music, (2009) paragraph 103.
 Wider, and wider still
• While it is important to demonstrate, measure,
track and challenge students’ progress through
comparison of their work and achievement over
time, this led to frequent instances of teachers
artificially and inaccurately dividing the
levels into sub-grades or assessing isolated
areas of musical activity, rather than
considering students’ musical responses
holistically.
• Paragraph 96, 2012
 My first year of teaching
• ‘What level am I Miss?
• Approximately 60 statements which
students would trafffic light during KS3. All
linked to levels.

• Students keen to colour green! Little

evidence from practical musicianship.
 What have schools expected
from Music in the past?
• 50 words to be written on each pupil at the end of
each topic.
• 30 words to be written on each pupil, followed by
pupil responding to this feedback.
• A sticker with a sentence at the end of each unit.
• Written feedback to be given on each homework. A
termly book scrutiny. WHAT BOOK?!
• NC level, with sub-level, to be given at the end of
each 6 week topic.
 A teacher’s experience
• 12 KS3 classes.
• Lessons 1 hour long.
• Year 7 and 9 – 2 lessons a fortnight
• Year 8 – 3 lessons a fortnight.
• 360 KS3 pupils seen a week.

• KS4 (57 pupils) and KS5 classes

• A show in February, school orchestra,
whole school choir…
 The classic KS3 model
• 6 week topic.
• Students work towards an end goal.
• The ASSESSMENT lesson.
• Level/grade given.
 Robin Hammerton blog
HMI in Music 2014
• A powerful creative act cannot be
contained by a neat spreadsheet of
numbers and letters. As national
curriculum levels disappear, I’d ask you
respectfully not to replace them with
another set of numbers.
 What do we mean by ‘assess’
or ‘assessment’?
• An exam - summative.
• Important – more important than a piece of
work which isn’t assessed?
• Judgements are being made.
• Nerve-wracking?
• Knowledge and understanding
• Who is assessment for? Students?
Parents? Teachers? SLT?
 2010 – Head of Department
• Wanted to delve deeper into what we were
assessing, why we were assessing and
the impact that assessment had on
students.
• Approached SLT.
 How do musicians learn?
• 10,000 hours to become an expert.
• Practice, repetition, consolidation.
• One to one learning with a teacher.
• Teacher - listen, model, respond, play, sings.
• Learner – play, listen, respond, play again,
and again…listen again and again.
• Exam might happen once a year.
• How do we take this model into the
classroom.
 OFSTED are coming in, we
need the work of the following
students
• What does Music hand in?
 Life without Levels #1
• Students would have 6 statements to
‘achieve’ throughout a topic.
• 3 linked to musical skills, 3 linked to
musical understanding.
• Typical two statements (Yr9 Flim Music):
• To use effective musical devices in my composition.
Including tritone, diminished 7th, chromatic scales etc.
• To be able to explain how the music in a film scene
reflects the changing action on screen.
Life beyond Levels #2
 Problems
• More paper!
• Less time spent on Music.
• Students keen to get certain aspects
ticked off, rather than really exploring what
they need to improve on.
 And yet…
• We were still giving Levels, including sub-
levels for each students in progress
checks.
• This is what parents would see.
 Robin Hammerton blog
HMI in Music 2014
• A powerful creative act cannot be
contained by a neat spreadsheet of
numbers and letters. As national
curriculum levels disappear, I’d ask you
respectfully not to replace them with
another set of numbers.
 Robin Hammerton 2014
• But pupils’musical work does need
assessing. This should be simply
constructed and ideally in sound - the
music itself - not mainly about what pupils
produce on paper.
Audio and video…
 The use of Soundcloud
• Students listen at home.
• Parents listen at home.
• Feedback can be recorded and included
on soundcloud.
• A bank of recording – informs my teaching
week by week.
• Clear evidence of progress.
• Not perfect – still searching for the perfect
system…
 Robin Hammerton blog…
• But pupils’ musical work does need assessing. This should be simply
constructed and ideally in sound - the music itself - not mainly about what
pupils produce on paper. Our report, Music in schools: wider, still and wider
of 2011 suggested this:

• The most effective assessment practice observed helped students to

listen more accurately to their own work, helped them identify for themselves
where improvements were needed, and showed them how to improve
through expert musical modelling by the teacher… A well-ordered
catalogue of recordings over time, supported by commentaries and scores,
provides a very effective and compelling way to demonstrate students’
musical progress.

• Such an approach, based on formative assessment, is likely to be much

more useful and rigorous. It values, challenges and develops pupils’
musical efforts. Modern digital recording makes this manageable.
 ISM framework
Dr Alison Daubney and Professor Martin Fautley 2014

• 5 key processes which should be

assessed:
1.Singing
2.Playing
3.Improvising
4.Composing
5.Listening
6.Social (blog suggestion from Dr F)
 Developing 1-4
• Students will sing with their group but may lack the
refinement expected. When composing, students will
use the harmonic and rhythmic devices suggested by the
teacher. During improvisation tasks, students will use
simple ideas effectively. It may well be repetitive.
Students will play an instrument with enjoyment, and will
perform when supported by the teacher. Students will
be able to ask for help and feedback but may struggle to
act upon this feedback. Students will use ideas, both as
a composer and when giving feedback, modelled by the
teacher rather than developing their own creative voice.
 Secure – 5-6
• Students will sing confidently with musical expression in
their groups and may attempt harmonies. When
composing, students will attempt to use harmonic
techniques and structures which have been explored
throughout KS3. During improvisation tasks, students
will use appropriate phrasing, either vocally or on an
instrument, which may in turn be used in composition.
Students will play an independent part on an instrument
in an ensemble with increasing confidence and fluency.
Students will be able to identify areas for improvement,
using musical keywords. Students will be motivated and
will engage in purposeful rehearsal techniques. They
will show an emerging personal creative voice, which
might not always be ‘musically correct’.
 Extending 7-9
• Students will sing with confidence as a soloist, or creating
effective harmonies, without support from the teacher. When
composing, students will use a range of effective techniques,
some of which they will have picked up from their own
experience of performance, and listening. During improvisation
tasks, students will demonstrate an awareness of mood and
intended effect. Students will lead ensembles and create
convincing cover versions of songs we study, putting their own
creative, personal stamp on each piece. Students will discuss
and critique their own work in a musical manner and
demonstrate a range of creative responses to musical starting
points. They will be actively involved in extra-curricular
activities both in, and out side school, and will use their musical
experience within their work in the classroom.
 Assessment for Musical Futures
(MuFu)
Extending (7-9 A*) Secure (6-4) B/C
• You will perform the song • You will perform chord
convincingly and in a structure, bass line,
suitable style. guitar part or with small
• You may attempt to add mistakes but you don’t
an solo/instrumental or stop!
improvisation. • You will be able to
• You will be able to help explain how your version
others in the group and is different from the
respond to their mistakes. original.
• You may listen to musical • You will be able to sing
examples outside school the song accurately
which might impact on whilst another band
your performance. accompany.
• You will consistently • You will be able to
tackle the challenge rehearse and identify
tasks, and play a wide where you need to
range of instruments. improve.
• You will rehearse
sensibly in a group, and
Developing (1-3) E/D
• You will be able to
play the chords or
tab of your song on
your own.
• You will sing the
song with the class
whilst others
accompany
• You may not always
perform in time with
your group.
• You need help from
a teacher in order to
improve.
• You do not select
instrumental parts
which challenge you.
• You find it hard to
work sensibly.
 Research into assessing in
Music
• www.drfautley/wordpress.com/2013/11/25/
assessing-without-levels-i/ (Goodle Martin
Fautley wordpress)
• http://www.ism.org/images/files/ISM_A_Fr
amework_for_Curriculum,_Pedagogy_and
_Assessment_KS3_Music_WEB.pdf
(Google Ally Daubney ISM KS3)
• Robin Hammerton ‘Music in schools:
where words finish, music beings’ 2014,
TES. (Google Robin Hammerton TES)