At all grade levels and in all disciplines, educators are increasingly asked to demonstrate or prove their students’ progress. Arts educators are not immune from this trend. For band and orchestra teachers, the new expectations create many challenges – and many opportunities. This summer, Paul Kimpton and Delwyn Harnisch will present a four-day workshop for music educators through Interlochen College of Creative Arts. The course will help music educators rethink their curriculum and develop a comprehensive system to measure and demonstrate student achievement – and the value of their program to the school.
In their new book, “Scale your Way to Music Assessment,” Kimpton and Harnisch introduce new methods to track students’ progress over time. “In many school settings, there is a perception that the band and orchestra classes are just ‘playing,’” explained Kimpton. “But a successful music assessment plan allows educators to show that they are a ‘real’ subject by measuring progress and documenting student growth.”
Kimpton and Harnisch also encourage educators to integrate concepts from music theory into their rehearsals. In their workshop, they will provide strategies to help educators accomplish this important step, which also leads to positive results for performance. “Discussing these higher level ideas in class helps students develop into more mature, well-rounded musicians. When you consistently make these ideas part of your class, it is amazing how much improvement you will see, not only in the administrative aspects of your program, but in the criteria that matter most to band and orchestra directors: the quality of their performance.”
The workshop will be held on the Interlochen campus this summer from June 20 to 23. Learn more or register for the workshop.