Assessing, Extending, or Disregarding? Building on Elementary Music Skills in Sixth Grade Ensembles
Author: Martinez, Jonathan
Date: 2017-00-00
Type: Journal Articles
Subjects: Grade 6,Music Education,Musical Instruments,Middle School Students,Elementary Education,Music Teachers,Elementary School Teachers,Middle School Teachers,Elementary School Students,Educational Objectives,Music Techniques,Skill Development,Teacher Collaboration,Teacher Surveys,Teacher Attitudes,Rating Scales

Sixth-grade band, orchestra, and choir directors face a complex challenge when starting their new ensembles in the fall. Sixth-grade students are diverse; some come from strong music programs with adequate resources and others from weaker music programs with fewer resources. In addition, student populations are often ethnically and socio-economically diverse. While most students entering middle school have had five or six years of some form of elementary music instruction, the content may differ greatly from school to school. Elementary music skills may also prove difficult to assess because teachers may impart knowledge of music and notation using a variety of approaches. Elementary music educators may have specific musical objectives for their students that may or may not be directly related to priorities of a middle school ensemble director. The purpose of this study was to determine how elementary music educators and middle school music ensemble teachers assess music notation skills and understanding of their students. Specifically, the authors sought to determine answers about vertical alignment and assessment of skills and knowledge of students exiting fifth grade and those entering sixth grade ensembles by asking the following questions: (1) Do middle school music teachers assess and consequently build on the skills developed in elementary schools or do they start over when teaching music notation; and (2) Do middle school ensemble directors and elementary music educators communicate with each other about their respective programs and the targeted skills and musical goals they have for their students? To determine answers to these questions, two similar surveys were developed: one for middle school ensemble directors, and one for elementary music educators. The surveys were posted on national professional social media pages designed for music educators. The elementary survey was posted on a private social media page entitled &quot;Elementary Music Teachers&quot; and the middle school survey was posted on a private social media page entitled &quot;Band Directors Group&quot; which also attracts middle school choral and orchestra directors. Results from the survey data of the elementary (n =54) and middle school teachers' (n = 43) assessments of their students' skills were analyzed. Findings illustrate that elementary music educators rate the skills of their fifth graders much higher than middle school educators rate similar skills of their entering sixth graders. Researchers found little collaboration between elementary and middle school music educators. A majority of the respondents in this survey did not report collaborating with teachers in other levels in their district to promote a smoother transfer of skills and knowledge for students moving from elementary and middle school. Insufficient time was expressed as a major reason for this lack of collaboration. Attrition of student participation in middle and high school music programs is a concern. Findings of this study indicate that increased communication between teachers and more assessment of skills would be helpful.