Assessment
Assessment gives us more information on how effective we are as teachers; do the students understand the concepts, and can the students apply the concepts to music? Application of knowledge is probably the most lacking area of education; information is not good unless it can be put to use.
Assessment Drives Instruction
Don't just assume everyone is 'getting it'. Students will acknowledge understanding something just to take attention away from themselves or just to move on. Assessing skills will help guide you in your instruction by showing you the areas that need growth and those areas where the skills have been mastered.
Informal Assessment
Informal assessment can take the form of aural questioning, such as, individuals telling you what they hear in the ensemble, their playing, or someone else's playing. Individuals might explain a concept or review for the class. Individuals might describe what is happening, why it is happening, and what a possible solution might be. These are all very telling methods of assessing and take very little time. There is also self and peer assessing; constructive comments on what went well, what could use improvement, and what the solution might be. And finally, individual playing of music down the line, as a section, or call and response.
Formal Assessment
Formal assessment is a bit more in-depth and is often used to determine the grade a student might earn. Nonetheless, it is still assessing teacher effectiveness and student understanding. This usually consists of individual playing, theory, or fingering tests. Participation in region band auditions, solo & ensemble, and any projects would be another form of formal assessment. Having students write critiques of recordings of their band rehearsals or of concert or contest recordings is very enlightening for the teacher. Are the students pointing out places in the music that you have been working on, are they using the terminology that you use in rehearsal, and are they listening for the same things that you are.
Intrinsic Success
When students begin to think for themselves, they take pride and begin to flourish as musicians. Students accept ownership and create legacies that make excellence a tradition and an expectation for future band members. Best of all, it is contagious! Students begin to realize that they are a partner in the process and they have the ability to extend and further develop the process. The reward, then, is in the making of music.
Knowledge without application is like a book never read.