A Comparison of Faculty, Peer, and Self-Evaluation of Applied Brass Jury Performances

Abstract

Authorities agree that peer evaluation and self-evaluation can help improve teaching performance. Evaluation of applied music skills, however, remains heavily teacher-centered. In this investigation, I explored the efficacy of peer and self-evaluation of applied brass jury performances. In three episodes at two locations, university faculty members evaluated live brass jury performances using an author-constructed Brass Performance Rating Scale (BPRS). Also using the BPRS, students rated these same performances (one of which was theirs) on videotape. To control for adjudicators' prior knowledge of performers, a fourth panel of adjudicators unfamiliar with the performers evaluated one episodes performances. Interjudge reliability for faculty and peer evaluation panels generally was high, with total score correlations ranging from .83 to .89 ( p < .01). Correlations among faculty and peer-group evaluations also were high, with total score r ranging from .86 to .91 ( p < .01). Consonant with prior investigations, self-evaluation generally correlated poorly with faculty and peer evaluation. The effect of videotape seemed minimal; scoring discrepancies between live and videotaped performances were low. In this investigation, prior knowledge of performers did not seem to affect evaluations.