Beyond Assessments: Making a Joyful Noise in Music

The national push for accountability in the classroom has resulted in a shift in focus for many music programs. The need to produce quantitative data has caused an increased reliance on assessment tools which cannot measure the qualitative aspects that are gained from the study of music. The impact of these requirements can be seen and felt across the country as teachers are now focused on measuring student achievement, often disregarding the aesthetics and joy of making music.