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Abstract
The primary objective of this study is to review and characterize research-based music assessments
that might be used to guide and assist teachers and students in transforming their attitudes and
perceptions, ability to express their ideas and concepts during the assessment process openly. This
study employed descriptive and autoethnographic methods to elicit information about current
conditions and practices through the library approach and literature review. The identified
music assessment techniques were used to determine how well students comprehend important
points in a session. It includes the Music Concept Memory Exercise and Instrumental and Vocal
Schematic Processing for music lesson instructions and the Five-Letter Name Pitch Memory Test
and Three-Chord Familiarization Assessment for basic instrumental music instructions. They are
used as a core component deliberately designed to expose classroom teachers and prospective
teachers to the essentials for effective instructional practices. Effective evaluation ensures that
learners’ knowledge, understanding, and skills are transferred effectively in future contexts.
How to Cite: Tabuena, A. C., Morales, G. S., & Perez, M. L. A. C. (2021). Music Assessment Techniques for Evaluating
the Students’ Musical Learning and Performance in the Philippine K-12 Basic Education Curriculum. Harmonia: Journal of
Arts Research And Education, 21(2), 192-203
192
Almighty C. Tabuena, et al., Music Assessment Techniques for Evaluating the Students’ 193
Pitch Memory Test, and Three-Chord Fa- aching to take place while learning is still
miliarization Assessment. progressing.
The data and music assessment
techniques were analyzed using a techni- The Philosophy and Objectives of Music
que known as explanatory synthesis (Mur- Education
ray, 2006), a written discussion that draws According to the preface of the Phi-
on one or more sources and then divides lippine Society for Music Education’s
the subject into its parts and presents them (PSME) Curriculum Guide, the under-
to the reader in a clear and orderly manner. lying philosophy of the music education
Four criteria were used to analyze the re- program is primarily aesthetic education,
views: instruction, category, type, and as- aimed at developing a learner’s sensitivity
sessment. Further, this procedure, referred to the communicative qualities of music,
to as meta-analysis, describes and clarifies but also at recognizing the ethical, social,
previously reported important results that physical, psychological, and other values
study the same phenomenon (Zeng et al., inherent in music (Atabug, 1975). This is
2014; Aburayya et al., 2020). Stanley (2001) aligned with the fundamental principle of
stated that meta-analyses acknowledge the music education articulated at the PSME
impact of various data components and convocation on the goals of music edu-
procedures on the given results. cation held on November 7-9, 1975 at the
Development Academy of the Philippines,
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION which described music education’s pur-
pose and function in the curriculum as the
Music Assessment Techniques in Evalu- most beneficial to national development
ating Musical Learning due to its emphasis on musical (rather than
Assessment of student learning is extra-musical) values.
central to effective teaching. By identifying This laid the foundations for the ge-
student performance, identifying what neral goals of music education in the Phi-
went well and what needs improvement, lippines at all educational levels, namely:
and providing specific feedback or res- (1) a progressive curriculum for music li-
ponses to students, Hamlin (2017) asserts teracy; (2) a diverse and inclusive opportu-
that it can significantly improve the music nity for the creation, recreation, and mea-
program. Assessment data can be a criti- ningful appreciation of music for all; (3)
cal component of improving any music comprehensive and effective teacher pre-
program, provided it focuses on clear lear- paration; and (4) a genuine appreciation
ning outcomes and the most significant for Philippine Music as a whole. In cont-
qualities of student performance, which rast, effective assessment is involved in
it does not. Given that Black and Wiliam ensuring learners’ success in transitioning
(1998) introduced the dynamic of class- from guided to a self-directed presentation
room assessment to a broader audience in of knowledge, comprehension, and skills
order to develop students’ achievement, and their ability to transfer this knowled-
an additional study has been undertaken ge, understanding, and skill set successful-
on its practical uses and aims. Leahy et al. ly to future scenarios.
(2005) provided teachers with a variety Moreover, this perspective acknow-
of instructions and outcome-based activi- ledges the diversity of learners inside the
ties to let them improve their classroom classroom, the necessity for numerous
evaluation practices. These researchers measures of their varying talents and lear-
identified around 50 assessment appro- ning potentials, and the learners’ position
aches based on teacher demonstrations. as co-participants in the assessment pro-
The commonality of these strategies is that cess. Evaluative processes must be holisti-
they help bridge the disparity between as- cally and culturally appropriate, and their
sessment and instruction, allowing for te- selection must be guided by the instruc-
196 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 21 (2) (2021): 192-203
tional program’s objectives (Strickland & their guardians and parents, with infor-
Morrow, 1989). If programs for individual mation about their development. Teachers
students are to be sensitive to their deve- are constantly confronted with the difficul-
lopmental needs, the following standards ty of evaluating both their pupils’ growth
must be enforced when developing cor- and their competence as teachers (DepEd,
responding assessment procedures: (a) 2003). Assessment decisions have the po-
objectives must transcend all domains; tential to increase students’ performance
(b) curriculum and assessment objectives over time significantly; advise teachers in
must connect; and (c) current, continuous, improving the teaching-learning process;
and wide-ranging strategies must develop and assist policymakers in strengthening
through cultural and developmental con- the educational system (Santos, 2007). In
siderations. response to this situation, the researchers
determined that formative evaluation, spe-
Classroom Assessments in the K-12 Basic cifically the music assessment techniques,
Education Program could help students enhance their musical
Assessment and evaluation of lear- ability. A teacher can incorporate a variety
ning at a high level can generate extensive of different sorts of musical learning as-
and valid data about students’ performan- sessments.
ce and provide insight into the efficiency of The primary goal of classroom assess-
teachers’ practices. Teachers that include ment is to empower the students and te-
formative evaluation in their classroom achers, to enhance the quality of learning
practices have been shown to achieve sig- by utilizing a learner-centered, teacher-di-
nificant academic improvements. Stronge rected, mutually advantageous, formative,
(2010) highlighted a study of research context-specific, and steadfastly anchored
conducted by Black and Wiliam (1998) to in good practice approach (Angelo & Cross,
determine whether developments in clas- 1993). A teacher must frequently evaluate
sroom evaluations can result in improve- in order to detect individual learners’ and
ments in learning. They discovered that in- the class’ diverse learning deficiencies (Ta-
formed evaluation significantly influences buena & Morales, 2021). Angelo and Cross
student success, ranging between 0.3 and (1993) defined fifty classroom assessment
0.7 standard deviations. They found that procedures as straightforward devices for
formative evaluation is more helpful for gathering data on students’ basic cognitive
low achievers than other learners, thereby processes in order to enhance them. Clas-
closing an achievement gap while simulta- sroom assessments are simple to develop,
neously boosting total achievement. deliver, and analyze, and they have the
The DepEd (2002) believes that as- added benefit of engaging learners in their
sessment should be utilized primarily as educational experience. They are often un-
a quality assurance tool to measure stu- graded, anonymous in-class activities that
dents’ progress toward meeting standards, are included in the class’ normal work.
foster self-reflection and personal accoun- The fifty classroom assessment techniques
tability for one’s learning, and serve as the are classified as follows: (a) course-related
foundation for student performance profi- knowledge and skills; (b) learner attitudes,
ling. Classroom assessment is a necessary self-awareness, and values; and (c) learner
component of curriculum implementation, responses to instruction. Grieve (2003) de-
as stated in the Department of Education’s fined classroom assessment as an ongoing
Policy Guidelines on Classroom Assess- advanced feedback system with specific
ment for the K to 12 Basic Education Pro- ramifications and indications for the te-
gram (DepEd, 2015). It enables educators to aching-learning process. Assessment de-
monitor and assess students’ progress and cisions have the potential to significantly
shift instruction consequently. Classroom increase students’ performance over time;
assessment provides students, as well as advise teachers in improving the teaching-
Almighty C. Tabuena, et al., Music Assessment Techniques for Evaluating the Students’ 197
learning process; and assist policymakers these techniques may be employed as part
in strengthening the educational system of an integral area in a classroom (Tabue-
(Santos, 2007). na, 2021b; Tabuena, 2019).
Figure 1. Matching Exercise Sample Instruc- Figure 3. African Musical Instruments, Instru-
tion mental Schematic Processing Sample Instruc-
tion
Figure 2 shows another sample les-
son proper with a major concept in Con- Figure 4 shows another sample les-
temporary African Music and a sub-con- son proper with a major concept in Con-
cept in Maracatu using the Short Answer temporary Philippine Music and a sub-
Exercise instruction as one of the Music concept in Traditional Composers as one
Concept Memory Exercises. of the Vocal Schematic Processing inclu-
ding a Musical Phrase Analysis (top) and a
Music Notation Analysis (bottom).
an exemplar of the Five-Letter Name Pitch tions (step-by-step procedure): (a) The te-
Memory Test under the Piano Music Clas- acher will first integrate the lesson aligned
sroom Assessment Techniques Instruc- to piano music; (b) In this case, the teacher
tions (step-by-step procedure): (a) The te- might already introduce the assessment;
acher will first integrate the lesson aligned (c) After the lesson, the teacher will ask to
to piano music; (b) After the lesson, the play three (basic) chords successively on
teacher will ask to play five pitches succes- the student’s dummy keyboard, with pro-
sively on the student’s dummy keyboard; per finger positions; (d) This assessment
(c) This assessment technique should not technique should not exceed thirty se-
exceed twenty seconds for each student to conds for each student to cater to the large
cater to the large class size; (d) Each pitch class size; (e) The first two chords could be
should not be followed by its previous or followed by their previous or next chord
next pitch (e.g. if the letter name is A, the (e.g. C [major] chord; the next chord could
following letter name should not be G - the be B minor chord, its previous chord, or D
previous pitch, and B - the next pitch); (e) minor chord, the next chord); (f) The third
Further, the teacher could create an un- chord should not be followed by its pre-
defined or defined word using the letter vious or next chord (e.g. if the third chord
name for better pitch memory recogniti- is E minor, the next chord should not be D
on of the student/s; (f) Repeat the process minor - its previous chord, or F [major] - its
with each student before the examination next chord); (g) Further, the teacher could
proper; (g) In this case, the remaining time create an undefined or defined word using
could be the introduction to a three-chord the letter name for better pitch memory
familiarization assessment; (h) End of class recognition of the student/s (e.g. BEG - B
routine. minor, E minor, and G [major]; ACE - A
minor, C [major], and E minor); (h) Repe-
Three-Chord Familiarization Assessment at the process with each student before the
Three-Chord Familiarization Assess- examination proper; (i) In this case, stu-
ment is a piano-based classroom assess- dents are familiarized with the three [ba-
ment technique in which students play sic] chords in a major scale; (j) End of class
three chords sequentially as instructed routine.
by the teacher/s (researchers), with the
proper finger position (of the students); Discussion
during this process, they become familiar The aforementioned research-based
with the actual playing of the chords on music assessment techniques, such as the
the piano before the examination (perio- (a) Music Concept Memory Exercise, (b)
dical test or quarterly assessment). In this Instrumental Schematic Processing, (c) Fi-
assessment technique, the following is an ve-Letter Name Pitch Memory Test, and (d)
exemplar of the Five-Letter Name Pitch Three-Chord Familiarization Assessment,
Memory Test under the Piano Music Clas- can be used and facilitate understanding
sroom Assessment Techniques Instruc- through measurement and evaluation met-
200 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 21 (2) (2021): 192-203
hods in music education, both for students mining the efficacy of selected learning
and teachers. These music assessments activities. With increasing demands on te-
could also be used as a core component of achers, such as the need to keep up with
an essential scope in the assessment and rapid technological change, the adoption
evaluation of musical learning, deliberate- of learner-centric methods, and differenti-
ly designed to expose classroom teachers ated learning approaches necessary to de-
and prospective teachers to the essentials velop 21st-century student competencies,
for effective instructional practices (Tabu- it is critical to explore new ways to strengt-
ena, 2021b; Tabuena, 2021c). Learning and hen pedagogical practices in order to meet
teaching pedagogy approaches have been these evolving needs (Allela et al., 2020).
shifting from teacher-centered to student-
centered learning even though the teacher CONCLUSION
is no longer the only competent and skilled
authority but a facilitator of learning (Ta- The objective and philosophy of mu-
nyanyiwa & Madobi, 2021). sic education establish a clear direction,
The foundation for assessment and outcome, and purpose for assessment in
evaluation of learning and teaching is general instructions to guarantee that ap-
critical to effective teaching, a systematic propriate assessment is used across a va-
process that involves the analysis and in- riety of activities and learning outcomes
terpretation of data obtained through spe- for each learner’s holistic growth (Tabu-
cific measures to guide the instructional ena, 2020). Additionally, planning class-
process (Linn & Gronlund, 2000). These room assessments requires determining
research-based music assessment techni- what will be measured and then precisely
ques can also assist teachers in identifying defining it so that tasks can be constructed
the most effective ways for their learners that require the desired knowledge, skills,
to learn as well as notify teachers when a and understanding, all while the assess-
certain technique is not performing pro- ment process is underway, as it reflects
perly. Additional advantages include various relevant measures in music-re-
adaptability and timeliness. Many, but not lated learning outcomes. The identified
all, of the research-based music classroom music assessment procedures were used
assessment strategies, can be employed in to determine how well students compre-
a variety of ways and formats. They can be hended important points in a session or
customized to accommodate big or small course; these are the instructions for music
class numbers or to fit the subject matter lessons, including the Music Concept Me-
being taught; they can be used to measure mory Exercise and Instrumental and Vo-
students’ recall or critical thinking abilities cal Schematic Processing, and instructions
(Miller, 2016). for basic instrumental music including the
According to Genesee and Upshur Five-Letter Name Pitch Memory Test and
(1996), it is vital to understand the factors Three-Chord Familiarization Assessment.
that influence student performance in the Essentially, students might utilize the pia-
class to organize and deliver appropriate no, flute, or any other accessible musical
teaching for individual students or groups instrument to create instrumental music.
of students. This entails going beyond The specified research-based music clas-
achievement evaluation. According to sroom assessment techniques guide and
Chastain (1988), teachers must regularly assist teachers in music education’s assess-
evaluate their instruction based on stu- ment and evaluation processes.
dent reaction, interest, motivation, prepa- Classroom assessment is a collabo-
redness, involvement, perseverance, and rative process that involves both teachers
achievement. The conclusions generated and students. It is a vital aspect of teaching
from such an evaluation serve as their and learning. Teachers conduct sufficient
primary source of information for deter- assessment when they attempt to holisti-
Almighty C. Tabuena, et al., Music Assessment Techniques for Evaluating the Students’ 201
cally assess learners’ existing and develo- Atabug, A. C. (1975). A philosophical ba-
ping capacities while allowing them to take sis for music in teacher education. The
ownership of the process. This perspective Philippine Society for Music Educa-
recognizes the diversity of learners inside tion Retrospect (Philippine Society
the classroom, the necessity for numero- for Music Education), Manila, Phil-
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students’ learning and the effectiveness surance (QA) in Philippine higher edu-
of teaching practices; additionally, it is cation through an outcomes-based and
recommended that educators assess and typology-based QA. Commission on
evaluate other research-based classroom Higher Education, Quezon City,
assessment techniques in music and ot- Philippines.
her disciplines that may aid in improving Department of Education (2016). K to 12
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process. grade 10). Department of Education,
Pasig City.
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