Sean Keasling

Final Evaluation Project

EdTech 505
Dr. Tutty, Instructor

Hoisington Music Department

Summative Evaluation

Introduction

Sean Keasling, director of instrumental music at Hoisington U.S.D. 431, hired

my evaluation company, Ozobsmk Evaluation Corp., to do a summative evaluation
of one portion of the music department. During our first interview, Mr. Keasling
outlined the reasons as to why he decided a summative evaluation was necessary.
In the interview, Mr. Keasling informed me that in his fifth grade band, he noticed
that on numerous occasions many of the students had problems with the musical
concepts of notes names and note values. Mr. Keasling stated that during fifth
grade band class, it seemed like many students was having a hard time
demonstrating mastery of reading notes on the music staff in addition to playing
correct note rhythm values. Throughout class, Mr. Keasling said that he would
have to re-teach and reinforce these concepts on almost a daily basis at the
beginning of the school year. Consequently, Mr. Keasling was left to wonder how
come these students did not know these musical concepts by the time they came
into his class at the fifth grade level.

Evaluation Tools

Interviews with all of the music instructors where needed in order to gauge
which grade level(s) the concepts of note rhythms and note names were being
taught in, and how these concepts were being taught. Furthermore, test score
results over these concepts will be collected in order to help determine if the
students are actually demonstrating mastery of these musical concepts. Finally,
our evaluation company will take a look at the teaching materials, methods,
supplemental materials, and activities that are used to teach the musical concepts
in question.

K – 2 grade music teacher

The music teacher of the Kindergarten through second grade classes told me
that the main teaching technique that she uses to teach the concepts of note values
and note names is teaching recorders at the first grade level. A method book
entitled Recorder Karate by Barb Philipak is used to help teach the playing of the
recorders in addition to introducing the concepts of note values and note names. In
this method book, each page has a song the students will begin to learn how to
play. At the bottom of the page, new concepts are introduced and written out for
the students to see and learn. New notes are written out on the music staff in a big
font that is easy to see and read. New notes rhythms are also on the bottom of the
page with the note count values written out to the side of each new rhythm. Once
a new note name or note value is introduced into the song, each new concept is
covered on the bottom of the page.
Another way the K – 2 music instructor helps reinforce these concepts is that
while the students are singing songs, she will stop at random times to discuss the
rhythms that are being used in the song. For example, the instructor would ask
questions such as, “In measure two, how many counts does the first note get?” If
the instructor wants to review note names she will ask “In measure four, what is
the name of the first note” or, “We have to hold out this last note for four counts.”
Consequently, these musical concepts are being reinforced on a consistent basis.
Finally, during my discussion with the K – 2 grade music teacher, she did
inform me that bass clef note names were not covered in the grade levels she
teaches.

3 – 4 grade music teacher

During the interview with the 3 – 4 grade music teacher, she outlined a
couple of activities that she uses on almost a daily basis in her class to help the
students learn the concepts of note names and note values. The following activities
are used in her classes:

− Daily rhythm patterns on the board

− Using quiet claps the students clap the rhythms that are written on the board
− Discussion about feeling the pulse of a note
− Even when they have a rest they are required to feel the beat
− Board examples
− Four measures of rhythms are written on the board and the students have to
write out the counting below the written example.
− Counting is written below the music staff, and then the students have to
write out the rhythms.
− Note name sayings
− Work hard on getting the students to memorize the pneumonic device to
learn the names of the lines and spaces in treble and bass clef.
− Treble Clef (lines = Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge, spaces = Funny
Airplanes Can’t Elevate)
− Bass Clef (lines = Good Boys Deserve Fudge Always, spaces = All Cows
Eat Grass)

Testing has been done over the concepts of rhythms on a couple of occasions
in the third and fourth grade music classes. Test score results for each of the
quizzes are as follows:
Clapping and counting rhythms test

3rd grade test scores

20 points possible

Class A - Average score 19.6

Highest score 20
Lowest score 19

Class B - Average score 19.5

Highest score 20
Lowest score 18

4th grade test scores

20 points possible

Class A - Average score 19.7

Highest score 20
Lowest score 18

Class B - Average score 19.6

Highest score 20
Lowest score 16

Treble clef note names test

3rd grade test scores

10 points possible

Class A - Average score 9.1

Highest score 10
Lowest score 1

Class B - Average score 9.4

Highest score 10
Lowest score 5

4th grade test scores

10 points possible

Class A - Average score 8.4

Highest score 10
Lowest score 1

Class B - Average score 8.4

Highest score 10
Lowest score 4
 Finally, one important thing that was discovered in this evaluation was that
this was the first year the concept of bass clef notes names was covered in the third
and fourth grade classes. Leading up to this year, bass clef note names were not
covered at all in the third and fourth grade. In addition, even though the bass clef
note names are being taught this year, testing has not yet begun over this concept.
(Please note: at the time of this summative evaluation, school year was not yet
over and the instructor expressed that she wanted to test the students over this
information before the end of the school year).

Fifth grade band teacher

The last person that I spoke to was the person who asked my company to
perform this summative evaluation, Mr. Keasling the fifth grade band instructor. In
my interview with Mr. Keasling he informed me that he has done numerous
activities to help reinforce the concepts of note values and note names. Once he
found out that extra reinforcement was needed in these areas, Mr. Keasling created
two quizzes over the note names that each student was using in his class. In
addition, during class time, Mr. Keasling would on a daily basis ask questions of the
students that would help reinforce the concepts. Mr. Keasling would ask leading
questions like the ones listed above that were used by the K – 2 grade music
teacher.
Mr. Keasling created two quizzes that were over the concepts of treble clef
and bass clef note names. The students in his class that played in treble clef took a
test over treble clef note names, and the students who played in bass clef took a
test over bass clef note names. One quiz was administered towards the very
beginning on the school year with the final quiz being administered towards to end
of the fall semester. Results from both of these quizzes are as follows:

Reading the notes quiz #1

25 points possible

Treble clef test

- Average score 24.3
- Highest score 25
- Lowest score24

Bass clef test

- Average score 15.5
- Highest score 17
- Lowest score 14

Reading the notes quiz #2

25 points possible

Treble clef test

- Average score 24.2
- Highest score 25
- Lowest score 18
Bass clef test
- Average score 23
- Highest score 24
- Lowest score 23

Final Summary

One of the major points that were found in this evaluation was that the
concept of bass clef notes names was not taught in the K – 4 music classes up until
this school year. In addition, it was found out that being that bass clef note names
were not covered until fifth grade band, those students who took tests over reading
the bass clef notes were far lower than those students who took tests over the
treble clef notes. The average score of those students who took the treble clef
quiz in fifth grade band was about nine points higher than the average score of
those students who took the bass clef quiz. Eventually, as demonstrated by the
second fifth grade band reading the notes quiz, those students who played in the
bass clef eventually gained more experience with the bass clef notes and the test
scores were on average eight points higher than the first test.
In conclusion, now that the concept of bass clef note names are now being
taught in the third and fourth grade music classes, all the students entering fifth
grade band will be at a more even level of knowledge. Due to the concept of bass
clef note names not being taught up until this year, the fifth grade band students
who play in the bass clef was starting the school year with zero prior knowledge of
the concept. For note values, from what the test scores demonstrate in the third
and fourth grade, all the students seem to have a good working knowledge of note
rhythms and note values. Minor reinforcement might still be needed at the first of
the school year in fifth grade band class in order to remind the students of this
concept.

Summative Evaluation Fee

Daily fee 3 days at $250 a day $750

Materials fee Copies, pencils, note cards $15

____________________________________________________

Total evaluation fee $715

John M. Doe
Ozobsmk Evaluation Corporation
Great Bend, KS 67530