Assessment & Composition

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"There is a long standing dichotomy in music education as to whether the process of composing is assessed, or whether assessment is that of the product which results,' states Fautley and Savage in their research report for the ABRSM titled "Assessment of Composing at Key Stages 3 & 4 in English Secondary Schools." (The full article can be accessed here)

This is an interesting research study and while it examines in particular KS 3&4, there are many parallels which can be drawn with the approaches to teaching and assessing composition work through the Broad General Education and in to National Qualifications.

The report examines many aspects of composing in the classroom and including the positives and negatives of working under specific assessment criteria. The national curriculum levels which underpin the English curriculum are broad statements and are not suitable as an assessment tool for individual pieces of music. This, in many ways is mirrored in the Scottish Education system with our current learning statements which outline the core learning which need to be present in order that a young person is deemed to be 'secure,' at a particular level. These statements are fairly generic however:

"Produce a composition/ improvisation folio demonstrating use of melody, rhythm, harmony, timbre, structure, dynamics and music technology. Compositions/improvisations will demonstrate skills acquired through performance."(3rd level statement - Education Scotland 2014)

This statement is broad, but I also feel lacks any creative direction where young people are asked to "produce," pieces of work. This is the summation of several years of learning, but does not reflect a true progression of skills.

The progression framework above has recently been superseded by Education Scotland's 'Benchmarks for Assessment'(Scottish Government, 2017). The benchmarks are designed to provided more specificity when making holistic assessment judgements. An equivalent statement of the one outlined above states that the learner:

"Uses voice, instruments and technology to create music, showing understanding of musical structure, for example, creates in simple verse chorus form, creates short sequenced pieces using technology, creates short 16 bar music in binary form, experiments with voices/instruments to create sound effects."(3rd level benchmark - Education Scotland, 2017)

I think the key word in this statement is 'understanding.' Through understanding structure learners can then apply these to their next projects. It would be easy to look at this statement and ensure learners can compose music in binary form over 16 bars but without developing the associated skills and understanding to make this learning transferable and progressive.

Which brings me to the next point, what are the skills associated with composing music? and how can we ensure progression in skills? Fautley and Savage assert that, "this research quite clearly shows that the skills and understanding needed to engage with and develop pupils' compositional ability are not really recognised or understood by the majority of teachers." This is a concerning statement and one which would benefit from further exploration. However, the resultant effect of this lack of understanding is often formulaic, tick box exercises which focus on an end product as oppossed to skills development.

It would be interesting to parallel this with learning and development in performance. While it is common place to assess the end point of a performance, it is clear what skills need to be developed through the learning process, from tone and timbre to individual technique. One participant in the research states:

"we teach according to genre, a lot of the time and there are big problems in that because I think they tend to get the skills that you're looking for, and composition tends to get pigeon holed within those genres, and then it just becomes a kind of, almost tick box mentality of what is stylistic of this genre and therefore, we're just doing this because the criteria says so."

When moving into KS4, examination bodies tend to prescribe what styles are composed by specifying whole areas of study. This leads to several issues.

Firstly, learners are not composing in a style they are familiar with, or indeed bears relevance to their own instrumental experiences. One teacher in the study speaks very strongly about their class being expected to compose a Viennese Waltz. In our equivalent National 5 qualification, anecdotal evidence suggests that learners work towards composing in a style set by the teacher. This may be to ensure that the practitioner is confident learners meet the assessment requirements expected by the Scottish Qualifications Authority. This coming year sees a change in the assessment of composition through National Qualifications with composition now attracting a grade as opposed to the pass or fail unit in previous years. The SQA, however, are trying to ensure and encourage flexibility through a more open approach to assessment.

As a practitioner, the level of support required, and the conversations undertaken with learners will vary greatly depending on the needs and background of the individual. Some may need to be shown all the tools from which they can select, others may need the breadcrumb trail with regular interventions. However, from a pedagogical standpoint, asking all pupils to complete the same task will in no way meet the needs of all learners, it may benefit some, but the likelihood would be not many.

The research study also poses the age old question.....Should we be teaching staff notation? And if so, is this to be used in the development of composition?

This is not a question with a right or wrong answer. This is a question which practitioners do feel strongly about. My standpoint....I feel it is important to develop an awareness of staff notation, for some learners it is very important, for others not so much. However, I feel the skill level required to use notation to write down music is very high. Particularly when working in the field of syncopated rhythms, which form the basis of much of our pop music. The danger of expecting all learners to write down their music is that compositions may end up being based around simplistic rhythms and lead to a frustration that melodies fall short of what the pupil may hear in their head. Score writing packages are also brought in to be used to enhance composition. Again, they have there place, but not as a creative tool, which sometimes they are used in the classroom for.

The research study looks at the use of ICT for composing music. It raises some interesting points, again around teacher confidence, and the application of some of the software packages that are used. The point is raised that ICT is maybe used inappropriately, and that software packages are purchased which are not suited for the task they are meant to be doing. The study also points to the fact that often learners are accessing packages and apps outwith school to create music with and that teachers may have to work more consistently at keeping up with emerging technologies if music education is to remain relevant for the 21st century learner.

This was a useful study and has highlighted the area of skills progression as a key area where understaning might be lacking. The rubrics I use in a class environment intend to have a skills focus, with the assumption being that the skills may not change, but the level of depth, understanding and application of those skills will. From copying and imitating, to creativity and originality.

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