I designed this rubric as part of my action research thesis work with cooperative learning strategies. I practiced using this rubric during my student teaching at the Idaho Arts Charter School in Nampa, Idaho in the fall of 2015. This was the rubric in which I graded the small ensembles as they did their playing tests. Normally, each student would perform individually and a grade would be assigned individually, but in line with the cooperative learning theory I based my research on, the students in this case were graded as a group. They were graded on correct notes and rhythms, as well as blend, balance, and intonation, as these are the five umbrella components of music.

This particular artifact is an example of a graded playing test with my feedback and comments. I took special care to listen to the entire recording and give both positive feedback as well as constructive criticism for every member in the group.

Not only is this rubric helpful for my students as a benchmark for where they are at and where they can go to improve, it is also helpful for me as an educator. I can use these playing test results as live data for my classroom, and build my daily lessons and unit plans off of my ensemble's areas of weakness. I noticed throughout this unit that balance and blend were our weakest areas of musicality, so I often focused my lesson on style and the importance of working together to make one sound.