Teaching Assessments

Loch Lomond by Frank Ticheli

Outcome: Students will produce a wide range of dynamics and expand their
current dynamic range both within and outside of this piece.
Assessment: Rubric
Piano
Volume
Forte
Volume

Tone
Quality
Intonatio
n

Dynamic
Changes

1
Piano dynamic is
inaudible or very
loud
Forte dynamic is
quiet, or
extremely loud
and very
uncontrolled
Tone quality is
not good, clear
or consistent
Pitch is
inconsistent
(moves between
sharp and flat),
or is consistently
very flat or very
sharp
Crescendos and
decrescendos
are sudden
changes in
volume with
little change in
the middle

2
Piano dynamic is
medium normal
talking level in
normal ranges
Forte dynamic is
medium normal
talking level in
normal ranges

3
Piano dynamic is
quiet, but
audible in
normal ranges
Forte dynamic is
loud, but
controlled in
normal ranges

4
Piano dynamic is
very quiet, but
audible in all
ranges
Forte dynamic is
very loud, but
controlled in all
ranges

Tone is mostly
clear with
inconsistent
breath support
Pitch is mostly
consistent, but
wavers sharp or
flat sometimes
in some dynamic
or pitch ranges

Tone is clear in
normal ranges
with consistent
breath support
Pitch is
consistent and in
tune (not sharp
or flat) in all
dynamics in
normal ranges

Tone is clear in
all ranges with
all levels of
dynamics
Pitch is
consistent and
perfectly in tune
in all dynamics
in all ranges

Crescendos and
decrescendos
are somewhat
smooth, but
have some more
sudden changes
in volume

Crescendos and
decrescendos
are smooth and
constant (no
sudden changes)

Extreme
crescendos and
decrescendos
(pp to ff or ff to
pp) are smooth
and consistent in
all ranges

Interpretation: On this rubric the expectation is that students achieve a

score of 3. A score of a 3 would mean that students have met this outcome.
A 4 exceeds the expectation and a 2 is just below the expectation, meaning
the student is close to where they need to be, but not quite there. A score of
1 means the student is very far below where they should be and either I
need to do something different to teach them, or they need to put in some
extra work.
Explanation: Students will play just a single note at a piano and a forte
dynamic level. Then they will play a scale, crescendo on the way up and
decrescendo on the way down. Then they will play a short example from
their music to demonstrate their ability to apply this concept within their

music. The scoring on the rubric will be based on a combination of all of the
above.
Outcome: Students will discover folksongs from both their culture and other
cultures.
Assessment: Paper-and-pencil Test (Short Answer)
1. List two countries/areas of the world with unique folksong styles or
musical aspects that we have talked about in class or you have
researched on your own. Also list at least one folksong associated with
each region.

2. For each of the regions you listed in #1, briefly describe two unique
musical characteristics associated with that area.

3. What was one thing you found interesting while listening to and
learning about folksongs from different parts of the world? (sounds you
heard, musical styles, facts about certain traditions or folksongs, etc.)

Answers: Anything that is coherent, accurate (for 1 and 2), and makes
sense would be considered a good response. For #2 and #3, a little more
description is required (not just one word). I would accept answers that were
not discussed in class, especially if the students had done their own
research.
Explanation: Short answer gives students the opportunity to think about
what they learned and effectively communicate that. I gave them the choice
to only discuss two parts of the world, which then gives them the opportunity
to talk about what they could remember the best, which is hopefully
whatever they found the most interesting. This should encourage students to
like what they are doing because then they can see that the more interesting
they make it for themselves, the easier it will be for them.

Outcome: Students will create their own story or song lyrics to accompany
Loch Lomond based on the feelings or images created by listening to this
piece and their own experiences associated with these emotions or images.
Assessment: Journal
Prompt 1: After discussing the emotions expressed through the music in
Loch Lomond and looking at the original lyrics to the folksong, use your own
ideas and experiences to create a new short story (one paragraph)
describing what is happening in the piece, or write song lyrics that express
the music.
Prompt 2: Write a paragraph describing your reaction to creating your own
lyrics or short story to go with the music of Loch Lomond. What was difficult?
Easy? Fun? Would you want to do it again with a different piece? Did this
experience make you look at and hear the music in a new way?
Interpretation: For prompt one, the outcome will have been met if students
create a thoughtful story or lyrics that matches some of the emotions,
feelings, and senses created by the music. If the story or lyrics does not
make sense with the music, then this would be considered not meeting the
outcome. For prompt two, students should show that they have taken time
and put some thought into what they wrote. It should be more than one or
two sentences, it should make sense, and it should demonstrate that the
student has created a story or lyrics and what that process felt like to them.
Explanation: Depending on what activities we did as a class before the
assessment, the final assessment for this outcome might have to be prompt
1, actually writing a story or lyrics to Loch Lomond. It would be very hard to
accomplish this outcome if a story or lyrics were never written by the
students. However if the students created a story before the assessment,
whether in groups or individually, prompt 2 could be used as an assessment
for this outcome because it wraps up what the students have done and gives
them an opportunity to self-reflect on their work.