That's a great idea. Directors tend to assume that everyone knows either nothing or everything. This will let you know where the biggest gaps in basic knowledge fall and then you can systematically patch them.

We gave our test tonight and the results were somewhat better than we'd hoped. Twenty people took the test resulting in a high of 100% (2 folks), a low of 30% (1 person) and a group average of 74%. It was done anonymously because the purpose was to discover what we need to teach this year, not identify the brightness of our bulbs. Based on results, the weakest area (far and away) is identifying key signatures. Time to roll out the Circle of Fifths somebody here mentioned the other day!

By 'real focus on their part', meaning their part of the responsibility. They have to have some awareness of the other parts (sections) as well. :)

Here's the list:

6 votes:
Ave Maria
4:
Amazing Grace
Silent Night
3:
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Hallelujah Chorus
Holy God We Praise Thy Name
O Salutaris Hostia
2:
Adeste Fidelis/O Come All Ye Faithful
Come Holy Ghost
Hail Holy Queen
Holy Holy Holy/Holy Holy
Lords Prayer/Our Father
National Anthem/Star Spangled Banner
O Lord I Am Not Worthy
Panis Angelicus
1:
All You on Earth
Alleluia The Strife Is Over
Angels We Have Heard On High
Beatitudes
Danny Boy
Gloria Patri
Here I Am Lord
Holy God Art Thou
How Great Thou Art
Immaculate Mary
Jesus Christ is Risen Today
Joyful Joyful We Adore You
Like a Deer
Lo How a Rose Ere Blooming
Lord I Am Not Worthy
Make Me A Channel of Your Peace
Mary's Child
Mother Dear Oh Pray For Me
No Greater Love
O Come All Ye Faithful
O Sacrament Most Holy
O Sanctissima
On Eagles Wings
On This Day Most Beautiful Mother
One Bread One Body
Only This I Want
Onward Christian Soldiers
Precious Lord
Shine Jesus Shine
Sing A New Song
Tantum Ergo
The Old Rugged Cross
There Is A Wideness in God's Mercy
We Believe
Were You There
When I Behold the Wondrous Cross

Amazing Grace, Battle Hymn of the Republic, Hallelujah Chorus, Star Spangled Banner...need I say more?

It could be worse. My pastor told me that when he was going to college in the 70's, at mass they would seeing "Leaving on a Jet Plane." Really.

Tom - Give it a whirl with your choir and see what results you get. I suspect if you've been teaching all along there's a good chance that your responses will differ. This 10 minute session is the first catechesis of its type that I've seen in any choir I've belonged to in half a century of singing; I suspect there's room for at least another 10 minutes for all of us. But I really would be interested in comparing notes.

"Leaving on a Jet Plane": I think that was for Ascension.

I gave my women's schola the music test and am happy to report an average score of 80%. It did point up a couple of things they didn't know - and that might affect their music reading, so we'll cover those. Especially because I thought the items were "common knowledge."

All but one of my group missed the relative minor. And the distinction between a tie and a slur seems unclear.

Donnaswan - Glad your group did well. I deliberately tossed in some tough questions to avoid complacency. ("We aced it. We don't need no stinking classes.") The d minor key was also our worst. Of those who got it right, all but one wrote in "or F major"; most of the rest selected "key of B flat" showing a misunderstanding of key signatures. Something to work on for the year, at the end of which they will likely be presented with a similar question about e minor.

mjballou - My understanding is that a slur is between notes of different pitches, reprsenting smoothness, whereas a tie is between notes of the same pitch indicating length. Our choir's not always to good on the smooth part ... nor the counting part, for that matter. It's turning the "knowledge" into the "applied" that becomes the true challenge.