Quality Continum

A rubric must define the range of possible performance levels.  Within this range are different levels of performance which are organized from the lowest level to the highest level of performance.  Usually, a scale of possible points is associated with the continuum where the highest level receives the greatest number of points and the lowest level of performance receives the fewest points.

Continua of quality are quite common to music.  Virtually every adjudicated music performance festival uses one.

The following is the rubric used by the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) in assessing the performances of soloists.

 

Evaluation	Score
Outstanding	26-28
Excellent	21-25
Good	16-20
Satisfactory	11-15
Fair	6-10
Needs Improvement	0-5

Most students can expect their final rating to be Excellent, Good or Satisfactory.  The rating of Outstanding is awarded only when the level of performance exceeds the normal range of expected achievement.  The Outstanding rating is received for students whose performance displays an unusual degree of talent and artistry.

Descriptors

Each level of performance should have descriptors which clearly indicate what is necessary to achieve that level of performance.  The descriptors in the NYSSMA rubric above are commonly used throughout the country.  Unfortunately, they do not give much information about what is expected.  The description underneath the NYSSMA scale does provide additional information for both adjudicator, teacher and student in determining how to use and how to interpret the various scores.

It should be noted that this rubric is to be applied to all soloists regardless of what instrument they play.  So, it cannot be expected that much greater specificity can be applied.  Such broad-based rubrics are called holistic rubrics.

If you consider one performance instrument, say the voice.  A number of different rubrics can be applied.  For instance, posture, breath support, intonation, phrasing, and musicianship could all have their own rubrics.  Where multiple rubrics are used, the term analytic rubrics is frequently applied.  Each of the rubrics that make up the analytic system should be an independent aspect of the musical performance being assessed.