Music Assessment in Australian Higher Education

Abstract

This chapter provides a description of assessment practices in Australian higher music education along with its regulatory context. The work of Australian scholars in this field is included as part of the broader assessment literature, using Australian examples of practice. The development of a shared understanding of the standards that are applied to student work in the Australian context is discussed, not just in higher music education but also in pretertiary and extracurricular music. Australian examples of summative and formative assessment practices are described in formal and informal contexts, leading to the assessment musical performance, the characteristic assessment for higher music education institutions that are focused on developing high levels of musical performance in their students.