Playing test.

During my music class we worked on a song. 'funkytown' (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LARjYfqDbXQ)

It was a very fun song. We were divided into different groups and we had to play it using all different music instruments. I was playing the drums, but in my group also 3 people played the piano and one boy was singing.

A couple of weeks ago we had to perform it to our class. We had to grade each other. Here is how I thought about grading the other groups:

1. What did you find interesting or remarkable?

I really notices the different way all the groups were playing. The group of Andrew and Jelle was playing all kinds of music loudly through each other, my group was all doing a little bit and the group of Aisha was with a large piano solo.

2. Was it difficult to judge other people? Could you be objective?

Yes, I thought it was hard. Because I also didn't want to give bad grades. Firstly I filled in everything very positively. Later when I had to hand it in I noticed that I graded too high, thus I lowered my grades a bit. I did try to be as objective as possible.

3. Did you listen and watch more closely than you usually do?

Yes, I really payed attention to everybody individually and how they played together.

I listened if there were made any mistakes and if the rhythm was ok.

4. How did it feel to have "power" over grading?

Because it are your peers you don't want to grade them too low. In overall I do like grading. You don't really need to do a lot, you just need to sit and pay attention for a while. You don't have to perform and you are not being graded.

5. Do you think that you were fair in your grading?

Yes I think. First I wasn't fair because I was too positive, but when I looked at my grades again I changed them. I started to think if the rubrics actually said what they were doing. This wasn't the case thus I made the grades lower.

6. Do you think that your classmates were fair to you and your group?

Yes I think so. In the end we got a grade I think we deserved. I was really happy with my grade. The rubrics my peers and me used was a rubric where there was mostly looked at the effort put the your music. Personally I put a lot of effort in my work. I tried really hard to be a good drummer, although this didn't go good the whole time.

7. Did the rubric work well? Was it easy to use? Was it accurate in determining the success level of each group?
Yes, I think the rubric worked well. Maybe because it was a rubric that my group made, haha. But I did think the rubric was good. Because it was not only based on how well you play, but also on how motivated you are and how much effort you had. This I think was very good because the level of music experience in our class differs a lot and this way a group with less children that know how to play an music instrument also got a chance to get a good grade.