Submitted by: Todd Tinsley
Collaborators: Joy McDonald, ITRT
School: Hungary Creek Middle
Summary
This lesson is designed to students become better listeners and evaluators of their music performance through small group collaboration. Instrumental musicians will act as performance evaluation judges for their peers while using the VBODA (Virginia Band and Orchestra Director’s Association) judging rubric that is used for performance adjudication each March. Judge’s scores are entered and shared via a Google form, which serves as a launch-pad for discussion points as the whole class analyzes the data shared by peer judges. 
Students used musical selections that they had previous experience with and thus, research was not a natural component of this lesson. 
(Approaching): Students worked in student selected teams (sectionals) to evaluate music performances, using the state-approved VBODA rubric that performance adjudication judges use for performance evaluations each March. They determined how to accomplish the job of one judge as a team of judges and had to devise strategies to bring the group to a consensus, because only one evaluation was put forth per team. Students then used an electronic form to share their evaluations with the class so that they may analyze the collective data to project what a performance adjudication judge would (likely) rate their performance.) 
(Approaching):Students had to evaluate musical performances using a complex, real-world rubric that was designed for adult, experienced music judges (VBODA’s performance rubric). As each team performed this task, they had to justify their decisions in a short narrative that was shared in the electronic data collection tool (google form). As a means of facilitating this process, students used digital music production tools, which provided repeated playback of the recording for analysis purposes.
(Approaching): Students used critical thinking and listening skills to refine and create original group performances. With each trial, and with each subsequent artistic revision, their performances improved.
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