Essay Tests in Music Education

Most music education testing is performance based or objective multiple choice tests.  However, when studying music as an undergraduate student, my music history tests were often essay tests.  I think essay tests can be effective in the music discipline because they require students to analyze, interpret, and synthesize the knowledge they've accumulated throughout the course.  Effective essay tests call for the transfer of the knowledge that one has learned through the communication of his or her thoughts and ideas about the topic. By regurgitating information within the framework of one's own thoughts and ideas, the student can demonstrate mastery of content at a deeper level than simply memorizing facts for a multiple choice test.  The end of the year final in my high school music classes incorporates short answer portions in addition to the multiple choice questions so that I can get a glimpse into my students minds and see if they have really mastered the musical concepts we've covered in class.