| Re: Excerpt Lists - Are they needed?
To add an "educator" point of view, although not necessarily relevant. When we think about assessment, an audition for instance, there is a significant movement towards standardization of test materials and criteria. Although there are many negative aspects of this sort of widespead evaluation, there are also some positive notes. In a world where everyone complains about "fairness", providing audition lists means that every applicant gets the same chance, or "test", so to speak.
The question really becomes of ethics. Do you subscribe to the idea that everyone should get a fair and equal chance, or that those who have the greatest musical abilities should be able to show it? There is also the perspective that the "great" will always rise above. Is this always true in a norm-referenced system, where even the lowest common denominator has a chance? Yet, is it "fair" to not give the norm the same chance as everyone else? Maybe that's what the first round is for...
The topic is so much greater than this little chunk of it. Although I like to maintain a level of objectivity, I definately am willing to admit that "fairness" often boggles my mind. Again, that is why we have some sort of due process, even if it means only at the first round. |