Rehearse. Record. Reflect. Repeat: Data in the Band Room
- jenniferhaden01
- Jun 30
- 6 min read
As band directors we are constantly listening and adjusting levels for balance, for tone, and for growth. Often times we rely on our ears, years of experience, or a quick intuition check to guide our rehearsals with our students. However, when it comes to understanding how our students are individually progressing, nothing beats the clarity that data brings. In the band hall data doesn't just live through SLO's, spreadsheets, and gradebooks. Data comes to life through digital assessments, recordings, and reflections. Whether it's a round of Ningenius, a Canvas recording, or a Makemusic pass-off, each tool offers a unique way to track progress, adjust our instruction, and celebrate the growth of young musicians. In this post I'll walk through how we use each of these tools not just to evaluate, but to empower our students! When students record, reflect, and repeat our students become better musicians, and more connected to their own learning.
Why Data Matters in the Band Hall
With schools and districts being inundated with testing and assessing, interpreting data is becoming critical in designing curriculum to improve academics. (Ghinelli, 2024) One of the biggest challenges band directors face is being able to listen to individual players when we have class sizes of 50+ students. Even breaking down into section rehearsals before and after school only allows us to divide into groups of 20 students- which is still a lot of students to listen to individually. Not only is this time consuming, it also decreases student engagement in rehearsal. Unfortunately, without listening to individual students perform, our ensembles will not be as successful as they could be. Each student matters in band- there is no sitting on the bench! When we listen to individual students perform we can better adjust our instruction to hit on the things that are being missed- for example: missed key signatures, missed rhythms, tone quality, etc. By having our students record their music we can listen to these recordings at a time that is convenient for us, while not wasting class time! We can leave students individual and meaningful feedback and adjust our lesson plans as needed.
SmartMusic and Canvas – Different Tools, Shared Purpose
We have two different ways for students to record themselves and receive feedback. One method we use is to have students record in Canvas as a class assignment. When students use this method they set up their camera on their chromebook to be facing them while they perform. They turn on their metronome (students lose 15 points for not performing with a metronome. This is critical for their rhythmic development!) and we must be able to see their foot tap in their recording, as well as their embouchure and hand position. In Canvas you can set up a rubric and frequently used comments to help speed up the grading process, and you can also write individual comments, as well. I like to use the Canvas recordings at the beginning of the year with our beginner band students as it is a low pressure situation. I also preach the idea of getting SOMETHING turned in. I tell our students that they won't fail in the gradebook, as long as they have something for me to grade. The recording process is more about receiving feedback than actually earning a grade. I try to write one thing that each student needs to improve on, and then list 2 or 3 things that the student is doing well to build confidence and enthusiasm for playing their instruments.
The other method we use is Makemusic recordings. This is a completely different set up, and we use this from the second semester of beginning band through the rest of their years in the program. Makemusic sets students up with a practice track so students can follow the cursor as they play to make sure they are rhythmically accurate. Makemusic can grade the performance given by the student and students can try to record as many times as they want to so they can earn the grade they want. In order to complete pass-offs we request students make a 95 or higher before we allow them to pass-off their music for a band director in section rehearsals or in class. This has sped up our pass-off process immensely! Students feel more successful when they play in front of their peers if they know that they have already received a good grade on their music once, and it builds self-confidence as we move into contest season. I highly recommend this method- but beware...you must be an organized teacher to know who has turned in what videos and what grades are above a 95. Make sure you have a system set up for this! A google sheet works wonders for this! When students complete their pass-off they get to color in their pass-off chart in the band hall, which motivates themselves and the rest of the ensemble to get their pass-offs completed. As more pass-offs get completed, the ensemble sounds better and better!
Both of these methods have their advantages, and help us to adjust and guide instruction in the classroom. These recordings motivate students to practice their music at home and motivates students to prepare for rehearsals. We have seen a major improvement in playing ability since starting these recordings and plan to continue these recordings into the 2025-2026 school year.
Pre-UIL Recordings – Guiding the Final Push to Performance
While recording individuals in the ensemble is a great way to guide instruction, we also have to record our full ensembles, as well. Typically this is done at our Pre-UIL contests. UIL is the band version of the STAAR test, so we use these Pre-UIL recordings as a benchmark for our upcoming assessments. During this assessment Students must know exactly what to listen for and how to respond to what they hear (Burch-Pessess, 2012). In order for students to learn what to listen to, we must be able to hear recordings of the full ensemble and guide their ears to the melody, counter melody, harmony, and percussion parts. These recordings highlight key issues such as balance and blend, phrasing, and tempo issues. We use the UIL Concert and Sightreading rubric to help guide our listening and to create upcoming rehearsal plans. When we receive these recordings we listen together and reflect on what we have performed well, what we still need to adjust, and the plan for the focus of future rehearsals. This process helps prepare students musically and mentally for the stage.
Tracking Musicianship with Readymade Music, Ningenius & Google Forms
Not only do we track our student's instrumental playing, but it is critical to track their music literacy, as well. Students cannot be successful on their instruments if they don't understand basic music theory, such as note names, rhythmic concepts, and key signatures. Every Wednesday our students watch what we affectionately call "Lil' Robbie". These are short music theory videos from the one and only Rob Chilton and his program called Readymade music. If you are a band director and you have not watched these videos, it's time you get to it! We have seen a DRASTIC improvement in our students' music literacy since starting this program. There are about 40 videos and each video has a short worksheet that accompanies it. Additionally, on Fridays we spend the first 10 minutes of class playing Ningenius, which is a music theory game where students earn belts based on their music theory knowledge. Each student plays individually and it helps differentiate instruction for all of our students! We give google quizzes to track to the data of this music literacy and have seen increases in music theory knowledge each year.
Data as a Conductor’s Baton
Believe it or not, data is a silent partner in the band hall. It helps us teach smarter, not harder! I highly recommend that band directors find digital tools that save them time in rehearsal, simplify their lives, assess students, and allow for individual feedback. This cycle of recording and reflecting helps students grow in their self-confidence. Tracking music literacy is also something that helps us guide instruction in our classroom. By using data we are able to make the best use of our time with our students, and create beautiful performances!
References: Burch-Pesses, M. (2012, February 3). How students should listen. The Instrumentalist. https://theinstrumentalist.com/february-2012/how-students-should-listen/
Ghinelli, R. (2024, April 26). Data-driven decisions for your music program. Band Directors Talk Shop. https://banddirectorstalkshop.com/data-driven-decisions-for-your-music-program/ Technology Mentioned:
Canvas: https://www.instructure.com/ MakeMusic: https://www.makemusic.com/
Ningenius: https://www.ningeniusmusic.com/
Readymade Music: https://www.readymademusic.net/
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