In Alfie Kohn's article "The Trouble With Rubrics" he describes rubrics as "a tool to promote standardization, to turn teachers into grading machines or at least allow them to pretend that what they’re doing is exact and objective." I agree that, if used incorrectly, rubrics can inhibit true learning. If students learn that getting the A is the most important thing, then students will learn to do whatever it takes to get that A, even if they do not actually learn the material. I feel that teachers who not enthusiastic about what they teach often use rubric to sort out their students and assign grades based on predetermined standards. If the teacher does not care about each individual student's success then how can we expect students to care about their own success. Rubrics can be misused to set unachievable standards for some students, and the teacher might not even know it. How can we measure the learning of all students collectively with only one rubric? Kohn states that "observers criticize rubrics because they can never deliver the promised precision; judgments ultimately turn on adjectives that are murky and end up being left to the teacher’s discretion...and in order to be successful...we need check our judgment at the door, so we can all learn to give a 4 to exactly the same things." Every teacher has their own unique personality and they have their own life experiences which can reflect in their interpretations of rubrics and ultimately their grading. I agree that teachers need to make sure they are being conscious of their own judgements and that they refrain from giving grades from an opinion based approach.
This can relate to our music ensemble classrooms; how can we as music teachers grade every student fairly and know that if we had another music teacher come in and grade the class, that he would give the same grades? If we used the same rubric we could narrow our differences but what would still be different? It is difficult to grade students who have diverse musical backgrounds. How do grade the all-state violinist who took private lessons his entire life and the violist who only knows what she learned in school and had to switch from violin because there weren't enough violas in the orchestra? That's a dangerous dichotomy which music teachers will have to compare and grade from the same rubric. While the violinist excels the violist may be struggling with learning a new clef which may prevent her from excelling. If you have near music prodigies as well as students who can barely read music in your ensembles, how do you go about grading them. Does it become a matter of effort vs. music talent. I do not believe I could honestly give someone a grade based on their musical talent. The violinist may be good, but if he does not apply himself in class and is disruptive and tardy then maybe his effort should determine his grade. I know he can play the instrument, but how will he apply what he knows to better the ensemble. If he lead the section, helped others learn their parts, took on new challenges and difficult repertoire, then I could give him a good grade for his effort and his commitment to success. If the violist does not both to learn alto clef and pretends to play during rehearsal then she might not deserve a good grade because she is not putting in any effort to become successful. If she tried to learn the clef, did drills online, practiced scales, stayed after for help on technique, then I could visibly see that she was attempting to achieve a higher level of learning which would warrant a good grade. Even if she still has trouble playing correct notes in orchestra, without any effort then there would never be any progress.
Overall it seem that music teachers need to find a common ground that every student can be graded on fairly despite their musical backgrounds. Everyone will be at different levels and it is not fair to grade only on raw talent. It should be based on how students apply what they know and how they learn from doing so.
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