Are Exams Necessary?
Exams are beneficial to teachers and schools because it gives them a way to evaluate students and establish benchmarks for what’s working and what isn’t. Whether you call it a test, an evaluation, an exam, or anything else, it’s all essentially the same thing. Though the tests and methods of scoring may vary, they all have these in common: requirements and a score. When it comes to academics, exams are important. We are taught this from early childhood. If there is no exam, a student will never be driven to study. Even though nobody enjoys pressure, that same pressure drives motivation and comes from exams.
In some cases, exams are absolutely necessary when it entails certification. For instance, a surgeon absolutely needs to pass their exam because, otherwise, they’d be a threat to anyone who steps (or rolls) into their operating room. Similarly, drivers must take a test to obtain their driver’s license, or else be a hazard to themselves and everyone else on the road. In other cases, exams serve only as competition. Whether it’s an entrance exam, a trial to break a record, or for parents to judge their children against each other, some tests exist only to create a hierarchy.
But what about music exams?
Can arts even be accurately evaluated in the first place? What’s the difference between motivation and forcing a student? In truth, there’s really no objective answer to these questions, as it really depends on what we want to get out of it. Some occupations require certifications, and some do not. Even putting careers aside, we need to address why the student wants to learn music in the first place. Do they just want to have fun playing an instrument, or is it more serious than that? Music exams definitely bring some potential pit falls with them. What if a student loses the joy of playing or stops understanding what they are learning because their entire focus is on the test? Or, what if they only want to impress their teacher or examiner instead of create music that they actually like? Finally, since all exams entail a degree of stress, what level of stress is acceptable when it comes to learning music? If we do decide to do away with exams, there are still goals for students to reach towards and find motivation, such as writing songs or playing concerts and recitals. Further, students can also learn and practice methods that cannot be tested, such as improvisation.
Here are the available music occupations available in Singapore
Occupation
Band conductor
MOE music teacher
Classical music teacher
SSO player
Jazz music teacher
Lounge pianist
Composer
Recording sessionist
Recording artiste
Touring musician
Club musician
Wedding performer
Freelance DJ
Lyricist
Music producer
Music director
Music agent
Music therapist
Music school owner
Basker
Record label owner
Sales of instruments
Record engineer
Record producer
Sound technicians
Tour managers
Event managers
Need certifications?
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
Yes/No
Yes/No
No
Yes
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
It really comes down to this one question: why are you learning music?
If your goal is to enter university, to become a music teacher, or to play in a professional symphony, then you will, indeed, need a certification. Exams are the only way forward in this case. However, if you just want to enjoy playing music for yourself, your friends, and your family, or even if you want to be a professional songwriter or a lounge pianist, then there is no need to go through the stress of taking music exams.
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