Singing Rubric: Pre-K through 1st Grade

First and Last Name:_________________________________ Class:__________________________________

Song:_____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________

Directions: Highlight or circle the statements that represent the student’s singing. Decide which score best fits the evaluation.
Category Expert Proficient Apprentice Beginner
Confidence/Participation I show high enthusiasm for I regularly participate in I hesitate to sing. I rarely participate in
singing. singing. singing.
Singing vs. Speaking I always use my singing I can use my singing voice I can manipulate my I do not use my singing
voice when needed and can when needed but it may be speaking voice to create voice; I always speak.
access a wide range of limited in range. pitches; I am learning how
pitches. to use my singing voice.
Pitch Matching I always match the given I sing within a half step of I sing within a minor third I sing pitches that are not
(1- to 3-note motives) pitch(es). the given pitch(es). of the given pitch(es). close to the given pitch(es).
Singing in Tune I stay in the same key I sing intervals accurately I sing the correct melodic I do not establish a tonal
(4-note or longer during an entire song and but in a different key than direction but not the center and/or do not match
melodies) sing all intervals accurately. given. correct intervals. melodic direction.
Posture I always stand and sit up I stand and sit up straight I stand or sit up straight I slouch while singing.
straight while singing. most of the time while while singing when I am
singing. reminded.
Breathing I take deep breaths, keep I use good breath support I try to use good breath My breathing is shallow and
my shoulders down, and most of the time. support when I am frequent.
can sustain phrases. reminded.
Tone My tone is consistently My tone is consistent. My tone varies. My tone is inconsistent or
clear and light. inappropriate for singing.

Result: Mostly Expert Mostly Proficient Mostly Apprentice Mostly Beginner

This document ©2013 Mallory Martin. Permission is granted for purchasing teacher to modify as necessary for his or her own students.
 Singing Rubric: 2nd – 6th Grade
First and Last Name:_________________________________ Class:__________________________________
Song:_____________________________________________ Date:__________________________________

Directions: Highlight or circle the statements that represent your singing abilities. Decide which score best fits your evaluation.
Category Expert Proficient Apprentice Beginner
Confidence/Participation I show high enthusiasm for I regularly participate in I hesitate to sing. I rarely participate in
singing. singing. singing.
Vocal Register (Head I always sing in the I usually sing in the I can access both my heavy I only use one vocal register
Voice and Chest Voice, appropriate register. I can appropriate register; I may and light registers but may or I am unaware of which
Blended Register) switch between registers have trouble switching have trouble using them at register I use.
during a song and may even registers during a song. the appropriate times.
use my blended register.
Pitch Matching I always match the given I sing within a half step of I sing within a minor third I sing pitches that are not
(1- to 3-note motives) pitch(es). the given pitch(es). of the given pitch(es). close to the given pitch(es).
Singing in Tune I stay in the same key I sing intervals accurately I sing the correct melodic I do not establish a tonal
(4-note or longer during an entire song and but in a different key than direction but not the center and/or do not match
melodies) sing all intervals accurately. given. correct intervals. melodic direction.
Posture I always stand and sit up I stand and sit up straight I stand or sit up straight I slouch while singing.
straight while singing. most of the time while while singing when I am
singing. reminded.
Breathing I take deep breaths, keep I use good breath support I try to use good breath My breathing is shallow and
my shoulders down, and most of the time. support when I am frequent.
can sustain phrases. reminded.
Tone My tone is consistently My tone is consistent. My tone varies. My tone is inconsistent or
clear. inappropriate for singing.
Vowel Shape I always sing with my I usually sing with my I need someone to remind My mouth opening is small
mouth wide open. mouth wide open and fix it me to sing with my mouth when I sing, or I don’t open
if I forget. wide open. my mouth any wider for
singing than for speaking.
Enunciation I pronounce every word I pronounce most of the I pronounce some of the I do not pronounce any
clearly. words clearly. words clearly. words clearly.

Result: Mostly Expert Mostly Proficient Mostly Apprentice Mostly Beginner

This document ©2013 Mallory Martin. Permission is granted for purchasing teacher to modify as necessary for his or her own students.
 Notes to Teacher
 Singing is an extremely personal experience. When a person sings, he or she is opening him- or herself up for deeply personal criticism. You
MUST keep a positive classroom environment regarding singing and always use positive language when discussing a child’s singing voice.
One instance of negative feedback can turn off a person’s desire to sing for the rest of his or her life. This rubric is designed to allow for
accurate feedback without damaging the child singer’s fragile self-confidence.
 The skills are written in a way that attributes power to the student. When a child reads these sentences, he or she realizes that he or she is
in complete control of his or her own success.
 The skills are written in a way that is child-friendly. You will not see advanced vocabulary or abstract terms. Some concepts, such as vowel
shape, have been simplified to make it easier for students to understand.
 That being said, this is provided as a Word document so you have the flexibility to change the categories or modify the language in a way
that suits you and your students. You do have permission to “tweak” the document so long as you still give credit to Mallory Martin.
 If you need a numerical score for data collection purposes, award 4 points for each circle in the Expert column, 3 for Proficient, 2 for
Apprentice, and 1 for Beginner. You would then either add the points or find the average.

How to Use the Rubric

 Go over the document with students before implementing it. Many of the terms or meanings that are familiar to you will be unknown to
them. It is only a fair and accurate assessment if they know how they are going to be assessed.
 Listen to each child sing, either by walking around the room during group singing or by setting up a supportive environment for solo singing.
 Circle the descriptor in each column that matches the student’s performance.
 Find the average of the circles to determine the overall score. If the average ends in “.5,” round up to the next higher score.
 If you need to assign a pass or fail, use a score of “Expert” or “Proficient” as passing and a score of “Apprentice” or “Beginner” as failing.
(But really, we should NEVER use the word “fail” or any synonym when discussing a child’s singing voice!)
 Use singing games or echo songs so students feel comfortable singing alone in a fun atmosphere. When students know a game well, you can
sit off to the side and do the assessments as the students play the game on their own.
o Here is an idea for a fun solo singing game. Seat the students in a circle. With their eyes closed, the teacher chooses a student to go
hide. The class sings a known song but stops singing for part of the song. While the class is quiet, the student sings that portion of
the song. The class opens their eyes and guesses who is missing and where he or she is hiding.
o Example: the song “Rocky Mountain.” Two students hide. The class sings, “Rocky mountain, rocky mountain, rocky mountain high!
When you’re on that rocky mountain, hang your head and cry.” The first student sings from his or her hiding spot, “Do, do, do, do,”
the class sings, “Do remember me,” the second student sings from his or her hiding spot, “Do, do, do, do,” and the class finishes, “Do
remember me.” The class members raise their hands to guess who was the first singer and who was the second singer.

This document ©2013 Mallory Martin. Permission is granted for purchasing teacher to modify as necessary for his or her own students.
 Ideas to Save Time
 Distribute copies to students in grade 2 and higher; have the students assess themselves before you assess them.
 Copy a stack for an entire class and fill out the student names and other information before class begins…
 …Or set up a merge with a spreadsheet file and have the computer fill in the student names for you.
 Keep a folder or binder handy that contains rubrics for each student. There may be times when you didn’t plan to assess singing but the
opportunity presents itself.
 Assess only a few students during a class period.
 Assess only one category at a time.
 Use the same piece of paper but a different colored pen for multiple assessments of the same child.

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Thank you!
Mallory Martin
http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/MrsMartin

This document ©2013 Mallory Martin. Permission is granted for purchasing teacher to modify as necessary for his or her own students.