I have several reasons for wanting to have band exams.
My goals are:
 TO
HEAR EACH STUDENT INDIVIDUALLY
- I want to listen to one person rather than
70-some.
- I like to hear the student showoff for me.
- It is important to periodically give personal,
immediate feedback on student's strengths and
weaknesses.
- It gives me a chance to coach each student on how to handle being nervous, which is something that happens to all of us in MANY different situations (not just music).
TO
PUT ON SOME "PRACTICE PRESSURE"
- Students often think, "It's graded and alone; I've
got to practice!"
- Often exams get kids going who otherwise don't
practice much. They then sometimes decide the music is
more fun when they can play it well -- practicing pays
off!
- This process can create new practice habits.
- Or, at least it creates two times per year that
everyone practices!
TO
COMMUNICATE WITH PARENTS ABOUT A SPECIFIC
PERFORMANCE
- I want parents to see an assessment for a specific
performance with all its strengths and weaknesses. The
parents will be able to compare my assessment of the
student's performance with the student's assessment of
the performance.
- I ask for feedback from parents as well as
giving feedback to parents
- I want the parents to have a sense of where his / her
child stands on the overall continuum of musical
progress
- I want to remind parents of grading criteria in band
so that they can better understand the program and better
help their child succeed.
TO
MAKE THE KIDS NERVOUS! (yes, this
really is one of my goals for exams!!)
- Everyone's body reacts differently to nerves. I want
each student to specifically focus on, "How does my body react?"
- Then, we can talk about what techniques can the
student can use to overcome the nerves.
- And of course, every time you do something like this,
it is practice in overcoming the effects of nerves!
Parents!! Contact
me if your young musician is panicked or having trouble
with the exam material.
This exam is not intended to see who is good enough and who
isn't; its purpose is to assess the musician's current progress and determine what is going well and
what he/she should be focusing on next.
If the material is too difficult, an alternative
assignment
can be supplied at no loss of points.
I want to hear the child's BEST! :-)
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