A Facet-Factorial Approach to Rating High School Choral Music Performance

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to construct and test a rating scale for the evaluation of high school choral music performance, using a facet-factoria I approach. A scale was developed by collecting descriptions of high school choral performances, transforming them into items, and pairing them with a Likert-type scale. Fifty judges used the scale to rate one hundred high school choral performances. The ratings were factor analyzed and inter-judge reliability estimates were obtained. Two criterion-related studies, using a global performance rating and the NIMAC adjudication scale as criteria, were completed. Seven factors of choral performance were produced by the analysis: diction, precision, dynamics, tone control, tempo, balance/blend, and interpretation/musical effect. Thirty-six criteria (dimensions-items) were selected to form subscales to measure these seven factors. The final scale achieved high inter-judge reliability and high criterion-related validity.