185 Development of Assessment Instrument for Singing Skills and Playing Musical Instrument for The Music Teacher Candidates of General Schools Udi Utomo, Abdul Rachman, Moch. Usman Wafa Department of Drama, Dance, and Music, Faculty of Languages and Arts, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Indonesia Received: September 19, 2019. Revised: November 6, 2019. Accepted: December 29, 2019 Abstract The competences of music teacher candidates in teaching singing practice and playing a musi- cal instrument are needed in the teaching-learning process at general schools. Hence, the pro- cess needs a comprehensive preparation for both competences. The objective of this study is to prepare an assessment instrument of singing practice and playing a musical instrument which is needed to assess the competences of music teacher candidates. The study used mix-method approach. The combination of qualitative and quantitative is required as the two methods are interrelated for both in the process of preparing assessment instruments and testing the instru- ment. The instruments consist of nine assignments. The six of which are the instruments for reading melodic and rhythmic notation and the other three instruments are to assess the skills to accompany songs. Based on the result, it can be found that the coefficient of instrument reliability is 0.817 in the type of consistency definition and 0.810 in the type of absolute agreement defini- tions. It can be concluded that the instrument made by using the analytic rubric of coefficient the reliability is better compared to the instrument made by a holistic rubric. Keywords: Assessment; Skills; Singing; Playing Musical Instrument How to Cite: Utomo, U., Rachman, A. & Wafa, M. U. (2019). Development of Assessment Instrument for Singing Skills and Playing Musical Instrument for The Music Teacher Candidates of General Schools. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research And Education, 19(2), 185-192. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 19 (2) (2019), 185-192 Available online at http://journal.unnes.ac.id/nju/index.php/harmonia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v19i2.23616 lum improvement, while the professional aspect is done through the development of the teaching profession. Furthermo- re, through the education management aspects, efforts to improve the quality of education are carried out by developing the role of decision-making centers and educational control at a level closer to the teaching-learning process (Zamroni, 2000). Efforts to develop the professiona- lism of teachers have basically started when teacher candidates take education (pre-service) and continue when teachers INTRODUCTION Improving the quality of education as an effort to pursue progress and face global competition at this time is an ine- vitable demand for our nation. Education quality improvement can be done through three pillars of education, namely through regulatory aspects (curriculum), professio- nal aspects (teachers), and education ma- nagement aspects. Through the regulatory aspect, improving the quality of education is done by emphasizing aspects of curricu- Corresponding author: E-mail: udiutomo@mail.unnes.ac.id p-ISSN 2541-1683|e-ISSN 2541-2426 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 19 (2) (2019): 185-192186 occupy these positions (in-service). In the context of education, the implementation strategy is carried out both through imp- rovements in content standards, process standards, and assessment standards. Re- lated to the assessment problem, adjus- ting the model and content of the teacher competency standard assessment as a con- sequence of an outcome needs to be done (Fitzsimons, 1997). For example in the Uni- ted States in the interests of education ac- creditation NCATE (National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education) has revised existing standards into a new stan- dard that emphasizes aspects of knowled- ge and practice, performance, new forms of assessment, inter-school collaboration, technology, and the diversity of program evaluations in various contexts on an on- going basis. In a different context, there is also an example that in New Zealand the enforcement of teacher competency stan- dards includes efforts to (1) assist the go- vernment in the management of education; (2) teacher assessment; (3) improvement of instructors, and (4) improvement in stu- dent achievement standards and quality of learning. Previous studies have shown that learning music in public schools is not entirely as expected. The use of teacher- centered lecture and drill methods is still very dominant, so it does not prepare stu- dents to develop critical, appreciative, cre- ative, imaginative, and innovative abilities that support further education and life in society (Yoseph, 2009; Sinaga et al., 2010). In order for the implementation of music learning in schools to be a meaningful pro- cess for students, the implementation must be done through musical experience. As a form, every form of learning activity must be carried out through integrated activities that include musical activities as one of its components (action learning). These musi- cal activities can be in the form of listening to music, responding to music with rhyth- mic movements, singing, reading music notation, playing musical instruments, cre- ating music, analyzing music, recording music and others (Jamalus, 1988; Regelski, 1981). The process of learning music in public schools has the main characteristic of flexibility, which means learning music must be able to accommodate the broad differences between student interests, learning styles, abilities, and flexibility in accommodating social changes that occur in society. The statement is in accordance with the basic philosophy of high school, namely: (1) as an important agent in the transmission and modification of culture; (2) fostering individuals to learn as early as possible in order to be able to develop rapidly over time and maturity; (3) imple- menting various techniques to help early teens become problem solvers and creative thinkers; (4) providing a balance in edu- cational experience; (5) utilizing various patterns of learning organizations; (6) in- tegrating all efforts and responsibilities of school personnel in developing educatio- nal programs; and (7) developing various technological assistance (Regelski, 1981). Music as one of the learning materials in schools is a branch of art in the form of sound which contains elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and timbre (Reed, & Sidnell, 1978). Rhythm in music is a simp- le or double metric count which forms the basic pattern of melodic movements, whe- reas melody is a series of notes that form musical motifs and sentences. Harmony as part of the musical element is the harmony of sound, and timbre is the color or cha- racter of the sound. Complementing this understanding, Jamalus (1988) states that music is the result of sound art in the form of songs or musical compositions, which express the thoughts and feelings of the creator through the elements of music, na- mely rhythm, melody, harmony, form or structure song, and expression in a single unit. Action-based music learning as an alternative comprehensively can only be achieved if the teacher is able to organize learning that can directly provide experi- ences to students (learning by doing). The- refore, as one of the efforts in developing teacher professionalism, this research aims Udi Utomo, Abdul Rachman, Moch. Usman Wafa, Development of Assessment Instrument 187 to develop instruments for evaluating singing skills and playing musical instru- ments for music teacher candidates in pub- lic schools. Previous research conducted by rese- archers revealed that, in the implementati- on of music learning in elementary schools, teachers experienced difficulties and ob- stacles in various ways, such as: (1) ability to translate the contents of competency- based educational unit curricula (KTSP); (2) the ability to optimize children’s po- tential (active and creative); (3) applying appropriate learning methods; (4) utilizing the means and media of music learning; (5) utilizing the potential of the natural and cultural environment; and (6) developing forms of assessment that are appropriate to the characteristics of music learning (Utomo, 2013). These findings are not much diffe- rent from what happened in music teach- ers in junior high schools which showed that among music teachers there were still differences in priorities in setting goals and learning outcomes for their students. 20% of teachers think that students’ skills in playing a musical instrument or singing become the main priority to be achieved in learning the art of music. While some ot- her teachers that think the importance of music knowledge and its relation to vario- us aspects of culture are 30%. Even so, the majority (50%) of teachers prioritize that the aim and results of learning the music are mastery of musical concepts and sym- bols obtained through various musical ex- periences (Utomo, 2013). This finding was also strengthened when the researcher conducted a needs analysis activity in the development of teaching materials in the subject of music education study programs in the context of action learning-based. In this study, two important data were obtained: (1) the competencies needed by music teacher candidates; and (2) obstacles experienced by junior high school teachers in carrying out music learning in schools. The results of these studies indicate that an increase in the professionalism of music teachers conducted both when taking education (pre-service) or when after occupying the position of the teacher (in-service) is very necessary. In the context of educational in- stitutions, Latifah’s findings revealed that the learning process of existing musical instruments did not fully meet the needs of music teacher candidates in schools (Uto- mo, 2013; Latifah, 2012). METHODS The process of collecting data is done by interviews, questionnaires, assessment sheets and suggestions, task items, guide- lines for observation and measurement. Data analysis was performed by combi- ning qualitative and quantitative methods (Creswell, 2003; Tashskkori & Teddlie, 2010). Qualitative technique was used to analyze and describe the data obtained through interviews, questionnaires, as- sessment sheets and suggestions obtained at the time of the study. While the quan- titative analysis technique was carried out by the researcher when analyzing the data obtained through an assessment sheet and suggestions as well as the trial results of the developed assessment instruments. The quantitative analysis used to analyze the reliability of the instruments develo- ped was the Intraclass Correlation Coeffi- cient (ICC) test in the type of consistency definition and absolute agreement definiti- on conducted using the SPSS program. This research was conducted with a development research approach that was adapted from a design model developed by (Borg & Gall, 1989) and (Cenamo & Kalk, 2005). The research phase consists of two stages, namely: (1) the development phase in which consists of the activities of planning the assessment instrument mo- del, designing, and testing of the develo- ped assessment instruments; and (2) the dissemination stage carried out through seminar activities. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Descriptions and Task Items of As- Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 19 (2) (2019): 185-192188 sion notation with a drum set; (4) accom- panying the song with a harmony musi- cal instrument (keyboard or guitar); and (5) accompanying songs with percussion instruments (drum sets and drums). Based on the description of the task, the task items needed in the assessment of teacher competency consist of nine assignments. The formulation of the assignment items is sequentially described in the following table. Based on Table 1 it can be explained that the task items number 1, 2, 3, 5a, 5b, and 5c are task items that emphasize the ability to read music notation in the form of number notation, and beam notation using vocal, melodic musical instruments, and sessment Instruments of Music Teacher Candidates Competency in Singing and Playing Musical Instruments The assessment instrument for teach- er candidates’ competency in singing and playing musical instruments developed in this study was a performance assessment model with a practice test technique for singing and playing musical instruments (Russell, 2014). The object of the study is a performance process based on the spe- cified competency test material. The job description in this competency includes the teacher’s competence in (1) reading the song notation with vocals; (2) reading song notation with melody based on the chosen musical instrument; (3) reading percus- Table 1. Task Items of Assessment Instrument for Teachers’ Competency in Singing and Play- ing Musical Instruments. Task Item Task Item Formulation Description 1 Read the following song notation and sing it ac- cording to the song’s characteristics Notation marked with bar 3/4 along the 10 segments of the bars in number notation 2 Read the following song notation and sing it ac- cording to the song’s characteristics Notation marked with bar 4/4 along the 10 segments of the bars in beam notation 3 Read the following song notation and play using the melodic instrument of your choice according to the characteristics of the song The song notation G = 1 (1 #) marked bar 4/4 along 8 bars in beam notation. 4 Accompany the following song sentences using the harmony musical instrument (keyboard or guitar) in accordance with the characteristics of the song and the chord progressions. The song notation C=1 marked bar 4/4 along 9 bars in number notation accom- panied by cord progressions and audio recordings. 5a Read the following rhythmic notation and play using the drum set in accordance with the charac- teristics of the rhythmic pattern Rhythmic notation marked bar 4/4 along 4 bars. 5b Read the following rhythmic notation and play using the drum set in accordance with the charac- teristics of the rhythmic patterns. Rhythmic notation marked bar 3/4 along 4 bars. 5c Read the following rhythmic notation and play using the drum set in accordance with the charac- teristics of the rhythmic patterns. Rhythmic notation marked bar 2/4 along 4 bars. 6 Accompany the following song sentences using a rhythmic musical instrument (drum set) according to the characteristics of the song. The song notation C=1 (1 #) marked bar 4/4 along the 9 bars in the number notation with an audio recording. 7 Accompany the following song sentences using a rhythmic musical instrument (drum) in accor- dance with the characteristics of the song. The song notation G=1 (1 #) marked bar 4/4 along the 18 bars in the number notation with an audio recording. Udi Utomo, Abdul Rachman, Moch. Usman Wafa, Development of Assessment Instrument 189 rhythmic musical instrument. Whereas the task items number 4, 6, and 7 are task items which in addition to emphasizing the abi- lity of teacher candidates to read music notation, also requires listening skills, and the ability to create music. The difference in characteristics between the two groups of task items has implications for the form of the assessment rubric which is used as an alternative in the assessment process. Based on the results of the trial and the revision process that has been carried out, aspects or indicators, and the rubric type of the assessment instruments of the com- petency for singing and playing musical instruments developed are explained in the Table 2. Table 2 shows that the task items 1, 2, 3, 5a, 5b, and 5c which emphasize the abi- lity to read music notation, the assessment process is done using analytic rubrics. Whereas in task items 4, 6, and 7 with the Table 2. Task Item Formulation, Aspect or Indicator, and Types of Assessment Rubrics Task Item Task Item Formulation Aspect or Indicator Types of Rubric 1 Read the following song notation and sing it according to the song’s characteristics Accuracy of tone (pitch and duration). Fluency Analytic 2 Read the following song notation and sing it according to the song’s characteristics Accuracy of tone (pitch and duration). Fluency Analytic 3 Read the following song notation and play using the melodic instru- ment of your choice according to the characteristics of the song Accuracy of tone (pitch and duration). Fluency Analytic 5a Accompany the following song sen- tences using the harmony musical instrument (keyboard or guitar) in accordance with the characteristics of the song and the chord progres- sions. Accuracy of a beat. Fluency Analytic 5b Read the following rhythmic nota- tion and play using the drum set in accordance with the characteristics of the rhythmic pattern Accuracy of the beat. Fluency Analytic 5c Read the following rhythmic nota- tion and play using the drum set in accordance with the characteristics of the rhythmic patterns. Accuracy of beat. Fluency Analytic 4 Read the following rhythmic nota- tion and play using the drum set in accordance with the characteristics of the rhythmic patterns. Chord progression Chord tone; Beat and tempo Accompaniment pattern Variation; Improvisation Dynamic; Fluency Holistic 6 Accompany the following song sentences using a rhythmic musical instrument (drum set) according to the characteristics of the song. Accompaniment pattern Beat and tempo; Accom- paniment variation; Fill in Dynamic; Fluency Holistic 7 Accompany the following song sentences using a rhythmic musical instrument (drum) in accordance with the characteristics of the song. Accompaniment pattern Beat and tempo Accompaniment variation Sound variation Dynamic; Fluency Holistic Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 19 (2) (2019): 185-192190 many competency indicators available, the assessment process is more suitable to use a holistic rubric. The task items 1, 2, 3, 5a, 5b, and 5c each have two aspects that are assessed using a rubric that will produce two scores of observations. On the other hand, the items 4, 6, and 7 of the compe- tency indicators are assessed using a rubric holistic that will produce an observation score. Determination of aspects or indica- tors in the process of assessing music skills becomes an important decision in the pre- paration of the task items and rubric of the assessment. Because both of these repre- sent the purpose of the assessment that is considered important (Zdzinski & Barnes, 2002). The Difference in Accuracy in the As- sessment Process for Teacher Candidates in Singing and Playing Musical Instru- ments The complexity of the observation objects in the performance assessment is very influential on the rater’s accuracy and objectivity. Therefore, to have the right choice of the process of observing whether it should be analytic or holistic, it must pay attention to the characteristics of the obser- vation object. A very detailed observation is certainly very good for an assessment of a performance. However, the many per- formance indicators that must be observed in detail, with limited observation time, make the foresight of the rater very diffi- cult to maintain. The results of trials conducted on the assessment model of teacher candidate competency in singing and playing mu- sical instruments show that the results of observations of the performance process carried out with analytic models are more accurate when being compared with the holistic model. Analysis of the nine task items tested finds the reliability coefficient is 0.817 in the type of consistency defini- tion and 0.810 in the type of absolute ag- reement definition. However, analysis conducted separately between task items using analytic rubric models (1, 2, 3, 5a, 5b, and 5c) and holistic rubrics (4, 6, and 7) show that task items using analytic rubrics have the level of reliability better. The dif- ference can be seen in the Table 3. The data in Table 3 shows that the number of the reliability coefficient of task items number 1, 2, 3, 5a, 5b and 5c with the analysis of consistency definition and absolute agreement definition of the re- liability coefficient has fulfilled the speci- fied criteria; 0.836 and 0.821. On the other hand, the task item number 4, 6 and 7 in the reliability coefficient are still below the specified criteria. The result of the analy- sis in the consistency definition test is less than 0.70 and in absolute agreement defi- nition test is less than 0.60. The results of the analysis carried out separately on task items number 4, 6 and 7 show that the task item number 7 is a task item whose reli- ability coefficient does not meet the spe- cified criteria. The result of the analysis in the consistency definition test is 0.547 (less than 0.70) and in the absolute agreement definition test is 0.277 (less than 0.60). After evaluating the results of the Table 3. Reliability of Competency Test Instruments for Teachers Candidates in Singing and Playing Musical Instruments Based on Rubric Characteristics Task Item Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) Single Measures Average Measures Consistency Absolute Agreement Consistency Absolute Agreement 1, 2, 3, 5a, 5b dan 5c 0.836 0.821 0.939 0.932 4, 6, dan 7 0.629 0.529 0.836 0.771 4 0.725 0.707 0.888 0.879 6 0.770 0.733 0.909 0.892 7 0.547 0.277 0.784 0.534 Udi Utomo, Abdul Rachman, Moch. Usman Wafa, Development of Assessment Instrument 191 competency test with the rater and revi- sing the rubric of task item number 7, only then can achieve the expected results. Task number 7 which was originally the result of the consistency definition test was 0.547 and in the absolute agreement definition test was 0.277, it increased to 0.726 in the consistency definition test and 0.700 in the absolute agreement definition test. The increase in the reliability coeffi- cient of task item number 7 has an effect on the increase in the reliability coefficient of the task item group of the teacher com- petency in singing and playing musical instruments. It was proven before the rub- ric was improved, the reliability coefficient (single measures) of the task item group of the teacher competency in singing and playing musical instruments in the type of consistency definition test was 0.783 and in the type of absolute agreement definition test was 0.775. After the rubric has been improved on task number 7, the reliabili- ty coefficient increased to 0.817 in the type of consistency definition and 0.810 in the type of absolute agreement definition. The increase in the reliability coefficient of the task items of the teacher’s competency in singing and playing musical instruments is summarized in the Table 4. The difference in the level of consis- tency obtained based on the results of the reliability test between items using analy- tic rubric and holistic rubric is very reaso- nable. The level of complexity of aspects or indicators of competency in the skills of singing and playing musical instruments and measurement criteria are important components that need to be considered. Nevertheless, the preparation of an ade- quate rubric of the two types of task items can harmonize the results of the assess- ment conducted. So that the assessment instruments developed reliably and fairly (Carpente & Gattino, 2018; Guntur et al., 2014). CONCLUSION The instruments for evaluating the competency in singing and playing musi- cal instruments can be applied in an effort to increase the professionalism of music teachers in institutions that prepare edu- cational staff. Substantial and structured application can be integrated in relevant courses. The development of task items in singing and playing musical instruments for teacher candidates can be done by con- sidering the complexity of the objectives of the assessment and the observation ob- ject. Therefore, the performance process that is not complex and requires detailed information on every aspect can be done using analytic rubrics as a measurement guide. On the other hand, when observing every performance indicator in a complex performance process, it is suggested to use and implement holistic rubric as the me- asurement standard and guide. To develop the task items and as- sessment rubrics for singing and playing musical instrument skills, the reliability testing process can be carried out using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) test of the type of consistency definition and absolute agreement definition invol- ving three raters. Based on the results of trials that have been carried out through this analysis, it is obtained information that gives clues to the quality of the task Table 4. The Increase of Reliability Coefficient in the Task Item Group for Teach- ers’ Competency in singing and Playing Musical Instruments Measures Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) Prior Remedial After Remedial Consistency Absolute Agreement Consistency Absolute Agreement Single Measures 0.783 0.775 0.817 0.810 Average Measures 0.915 0.912 0.931 0.928 Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education 19 (2) (2019): 185-192192 items, aspects, indicators, scoring, and as- sessment criteria. As a follow-up, studies are still needed specifically to examine the characteristics of the task items, aspects, indicators, the range of scoring, and as- sessment criteria in performances in music learning in public schools. ACKNOWLEDGMENT This article is part of the findings of research funded by the Directorate of Re- search and Community Service (DRPM) Kemenristekdikti. Therefore, we express our gratitude because, through this rese- arch program we can conduct research in the field of assessment for the benefit of the professional development of the music te- acher at our institution. REFERENCES Borg, W. R. & Gall, M. (1989). Education Re- search: An Introduction (Fifth Edit). Lon- don: Longman. Carpente, J. A., & Gattino, G. S. (2018). Inter- rater Reliability on Individual Music- Centered Assessment Profil for Neuro- developmental Disorder (IMCAP-ND0 for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Nordic Journal of Music Therapy, 27(4), 297-311. Cenamo, K, & Kalk, D. (2005). Real World In- structional Design. Boston: Thomson Learning, Inc. Creswell, J. W. (2003). Research Design: Qualita- tive, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Ap- proaches (Second Edi). New York: SAGE Publications Ltd. Fitzsimons, P. (1997). 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