Music Department Hosted Assessment Festival

The Westminster College Department of Music hosted an assessment festival March 7 for the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association.

During the daylong event, bands and orchestras from area school districts were critiqued to provide input for their future growth and an assessment of their performance.  In addition to the prepared music, each ensemble was required to sight-read a piece of music for an evaluation of the students' ability to understand the many elements of music.

Participating in this year's event were the symphonic band and wind ensemble from Hampton; Grove City High School's concert band; and the seventh-grade and eighth-grade bands from Quaker Valley.

Adjudicators were: Dr. R. Tad Greig, associate professor, director of bands, and chair of Westminster's Department of Music; Andrew Erb, Westminster adjunct music faculty; Dr. Marty Sharer, director of bands at California University of Pennsylvania; and Gary Taylor, director of bands in the Wilmington Area School District, who served as the sight-reading judge.

"These events are crucial for numerous reasons," Greig said.  "We provide input and analysis geared to the improvement of each group that performs, as well as assessment data geared toward music performance and musicianship.  Empirical data shows a strong correlation between music participation and higher academic performance.  Events like this allow music educators to offer results that demonstrate these skill sets."

Contact Greig at (724) 946-7279 or email for additional information.

More Stories