Design and assessment of entrance auditions to music teacher education. : The 23rd conference of Nordic Network for Research in Music Education. NNMPF. Oslo, Hurdal: Nowegian Academy of Music, 12-15 February, 2018.

• The overall aim of the study is to produce knowledge about the principles of assessment design and criteria for student selection to music teacher education. Although the qualification require-ments and principles of selection based on entrance auditions are often decisive for admission to music teacher education programmes, the field has been scantily researched. In particular, there is a lack of studies of the design and usefulness and value of the tests, as well as of Swedish studies and studies of other genres than classical music. The prognostic value of the tests, as well as its value to music and other education programmes are called in question. When assess-ment in music education is used, there are problems with subjective interpretations and implicit criteria. With the increasing focus in education on issues of assessment, equality and broadened recruitment, it is important to study how entrance auditions are legitimated and assessed. The aim of the study is to investigate entrance auditions to music teacher education with regard to the assessment criteria applied, legitimacy claim, and approach to knowledge. A multimodal social semiotic approach is adopted to study how individuals use linguistic, mate-rial and bodily sign systems in order to represent and perform their understanding of, attitude to and interpretation of various phenomena in the world, and how these representations constantly transform. On a micro level the concept discourse is to study how applicants, through using sign systems such as notes, music instruments, singing and gestures, represent their ability and musical knowledge, and to identify the representations of quality and knowledge that the jury members construct in their assessments of the applicants’ performances. The concept discourse is also used to find out which versions of available constructions are used, and how these are used when the jury members justify their standpoints and selections. On a macro level the con-cept discourse is used to elucidate how assessment, legitimization and selection in the local prac-tice are related to dominant approaches to musical conventions, shaped by musical education institutions. Data will consist of video documented entrance auditions, and focus group conversations, in-cluding stimulated recall interviews with jury members. Together, these methods offer opportu-nities to talk about how qualitative aspects of musical performance can be assessed and legiti-mated. Data will be collected from four music teacher education institutions and consist of a total of eight days of video documented instrumental entrance auditions in various genres, and one recorded focus group conversation with each jury. After the entrance auditions, the teachers on the jury panel and one of the researchers will discuss the applicants’ performances on the basis of selected sequences from the video documented auditions as stimulus material. A pilot study with focus on entrance auditions in the genre folk music, classical music and rhythmical improvised music was carried out last year, with the aim to test the chosen theory and method. Both the theory and the method were considered to be enrichening and fruitful. The preliminary result of these analysis shows that the representations for and understandings of quality and knowledge constructed in the conversations can be seen as assessments of the appli-cants’ singing and playing skills; musical and bodily expression ability; singing and playing in accordance with the style of the period; and ensemble interaction. All of these aspects were as-sessed in relation to the traditions and idioms of the genres. According to the teachers’ stand points on assessments and how these are justified, micro-level discourses were displayed, high-lighting the importance of genre fidelity, genre cutting edge, and genre experience. In contrast to these discourses, other discourses on genre violation, genre breadth and genre unfamiliarity, for instance, are indicated to be acceptable, at least in some of the jury groups. These tensions in attitudes reflect a polemic between various assessments of musical quality and knowledge.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

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