Music Education for the Pre-service Generalist Primary Teacher: The Question of Assessment

Abstract

This paper discusses assessment tasks in music education subjects in two undergraduate teacher education courses, one in Queensland, the other in new South Wales. The aim is to begin discussion amongst tertiary educators about assessment tasks in music courses in teacher education programs. This dialogue is more vital than ever with the impact of so much 'change' affecting university courses, such as revised and changing courses, reduced face-to-face teaching hours, increasing class sizes and constantly changing curriculum documents, which ultimately impact on music education subjects and assessment in these subjects. In this paper a number of assessment tasks are outlined and discussed, indicating the rationale behind the tasks, and how and why these tasks have been modified over time.