The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of specific assessment strategies that band directors incorporate in their rehearsals and the effectiveness of those strategies in preparation for performance at the Ohio Music Education Association Large Group Adjudicated Event. Phase I of the study was conducted in 3 randomly selected districts from the 17 districts that make up the Ohio Music Education Association. The researcher developed a questionnaire from the list of band director-reported assessment strategies based on the frequency of usage reported in Phase I. Phase II included testing and evaluation of the survey instrument. In Phase III, 134 responses were collected from high school band directors on a researcher-developed survey instrument.
“Class participation” and “students play individually” were the most frequently used assessment methods/strategies. However, a majority of the band directors reported using recorded rehearsals, guests/short clinic, and written tests.
For each type of assessment, the significance value was greater than the alpha level concluding that the relationship between frequency of assessment type and rating was not statistically significant.
Additional analysis was conducted to determine relationships between band director demographics and rating at a large group adjudicated event. The strongest predictor of the relationship of rating at a large group adjudicated event was age (31-47 years old).
Implications for music education, and suggestions for further research are included.