General music teachers have long struggled with the issue of how to accurately and objectively assess the progress of their students. With this practical and much-needed book, Timothy S. Brophy, Ph.D., a rising leader in the music education field, tackles the issue head-on, giving practical insights and providing excellent practical suggestions and samples.
Assessing the Developing Child Musician leads the general music specialist through every step necessary to develop their own personal style of assessing students while working within the guidelines of local district standards and curriculum, state and national standards, varying educational philosophies, and the school's adopted music series.
From the foundations of assessment through development considerations, to assessing each child as a performing, creating, and critically thinking/responding musician, Brophy brings clear, in-depth explanations to the task, followed by easily referenced Chapter Summaries, Questions for Clarification, Questions for Discussion, Assessment Practice, as well as suggestions on developing scoring guides and assessment tasks. Music portfolios and profiles are also given ample attention, with real student samples included at the end of the book.
By looking at the state of general music education today, asking the right questions, and delivering practical suggestions, Dr. Brophy has written an indispensable resource guide for all teachers in the field of general music education.