With my elementary band students, I only use two types of assessment which are formative and summative. The formative assessments that I use in my classes are the weekly playing test. When we are learning a new song I map out the more difficult sections of the music and require my students to practice those sections and be able to perform them by the end of the week. This is an ongoing struggle because with students that are in elementary school they are not focused on being a great musician. It would be a miracle if they even touched their instruments outside of school. This assessment has been working for me because either some of the students will practice at home or some don’t. My students are graded on if they can play the majority of
