Basischeck Voice – a Diagnosis Tool

Abstract

The «Basic Check Voice» gives information about the student's vocal condition. It serves as a diagnostic tool to improve the teaching preparation and to provide individualized feedback from teacher to student. It is meant for the lower secondary school, where the vocal change takes place and where singing skills have to be re-established physically and mentally. The student first records his spoken voice and then sings a song three times: together with a singer, only with piano accompaniment and lastly with a rhythm pattern. After that the assessment sheet will be filled out by the teacher. The theoretical background has different starting points. Hoene and Thurmann (2011) emphasize the importance of diagnosis in music teaching in heterogeneous classes. In our first explorative study pupils had to send a recorded song to find out what teaching methods and which content would fit most. The encouraging results led to the idea of the «Basic Check Voice». Hasselhorn (2015) has validated a competency model for musical skills. The six levels of the vocal skills in his model build the only validated part of the first version of the new check. Fuchs (2015) mentioned the importance of observation of the youthful voice by the teacher. A couple of ideas in the check were taken from his recommendations. Overall, the «Basic Check Voice» is a typical «Assessment for Learning»-Tool. The first version of the check is currently in a validation phase. More than 100 pupils and students record their test. Singers and teachers fill out the assessment sheet for each test person. By comparing the results, it becomes clear which parameters of the test can be validly assessed. It is the goal to create a handy tool for music teachers, which helps to create a basis for individual feedback and the preparation of singing lessons.