| As the assessment of performing arts emerges as a growing area of interest in education, there is a need for the development of valid instruments and procedures to identify students with potential, as well as demonstrated musical talent. The identification of talented students in music will, understandably, require the assessment of a student's musical performance. The purpose of this study is to develop criteria and procedural guidelines for the assessment of potential talent in the musical behavior/performance. These guidelines can serve as a research-based reference framework for the future development of musical talent identification instruments.;Qualitative inquiry with experts, administrators, and teachers across the music and gifted fields provided additional ideas and recommendations regarding effective procedures for the identification of potential musical talent in student behavior/performance. Interviews with experts in the fields of music, music psychology, music research, and gifted education afforded different perspectives of potential talent assessment. A group interview with musicians, teachers and administrators, representing a purposeful sample of the survey respondents, contributed information regarding pragmatic implementation of the identification procedures.;Findings from the background content analysis, literature review, survey, and interviews were summarized and synthesized to create the study's resulting Framework for the Identification of Musically Gifted and Talented Students.;The study began with a review of the literature and content analysis of a sample of existing identification instruments and procedures used in gifted programs and in specialized arts programs or schools across the country. This review and the analysis served as the basis for the development of a survey form. The form contained the rating scales of categorized characteristics of potential musical talent, criteria of musical performance, and current music performance assessment procedures. The survey was distributed to a sample of music educators, private studio teachers, gifted/arts specialists, performing arts school specialists, and professional musicians representing thirty states. The survey responses were statistically analyzed and summarized, resulting in lists of behavioral characteristics, music performance criteria, and music performance assessment procedures found to be most effective for the identification of potential talent by the survey respondents. |
