Sergey Tkachenko Assessment April 26, 2014 Assignment 9 Design a critical thinking assignment for music students in one

of your classes.
In groups of 4/5 come up with some issues a high school choir might encounter when learning a piece in a foreign language. Share with the class, collectively elaborate on each criterion. -Pronunciation (i.e. stressed vs. unstressed syllables, unfamiliar vowel and/or consonant sounds, written out English transliteration) -Meaning (word for word translation, poetic translation, syntax and grammer, punctuation) -Interpretation of Language -Cultural/Historical considerations (time period, cultural/social norms of the time, how they relate to now. What is the importance of this text in this culture?) -Language as it relates to music (composer's setting: melodic, harmonic, metric considerations) -Interpretation of musical setting of language (Do you agree or disagree with the composer's decisions?) Select one of the following choral pieces and conduct individual investigative work to address the issues listed above. Share your findings with people that chose same piece. Group presentation to follow. -Cantique de Jean Racine, Op. 11, by Gabriel Faur FRENCH -Travelling Song, by Mikhail Glinka RUSSIAN -Lux Aurumque, by Eric Whitacre LATIN -Verleih uns Frieden, by Felix Mendelssohn GERMAN !

Determine what is appropriate to assess, and how you would assess student learning. Note: Additive rubrics of rating scales (check all aspects that are present in the performance) may be more appropriate than multi-dimensional rubrics.
Additive Rubric based on student-determined criterions Check all that apply: ! Identified specific vowels/consonants/words that are unfamiliar or difficult to pronounce. ! Determined a word-for-word and poetic translation of text ! Provided personal interpretation of text ! Addressed cultural/historical aspects as related to text and composition ! Made connections between the language and its musical setting by identifying specific melodic, harmonic, metric decisions the composer made. ! Reflected by agreeing and/or disagreeing with composer's musical decisions in setting the text. ! !

Prepare a written summary of your conclusions (what you learned) about designing this task and identify what you would change in the future.
I had trouble coming up with a critical thinking assignment because it was so open ended. First I had to determine whether I was going to focus on choral or general music. After, I had to choose a topic. I chose the topic of singing choral works in foreign languages because I am currently teaching Faur's Cantique de Jean Racine at Pennsbury. Unfortunately, I only get 1520 minutes of time with the choir and almost all of it goes to running, rehearsing, and addressing issues in the music. There is little to no time for critical thinking as in depth as the assignment above. I designed this assignment as a way to give students a chance to conduct some of the investigative research that a conductor has to do when preparing a score in a foreign language. This assignment could be stretched out over the course of a few days, culminating in class presentations. Students will determine their own assessment. They are the ones that will come up with the criterions and they will be responsible for addressing during presentations. After these presentions we will sing one or two of these pieces and reflect on how our perspectives have changed. Additionally, having the students identify the sounds of words, syllables, consonants or vowels they are insecure about will make students take ownership of their learning. Pinpointing trouble spots will also save time during rehearsal.