Assessment of learning and the allocation of credits according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System is no longer an educational tool which concerns professors, but it has become a statutory duty that sees conservatories of music part of a network of relationships. This study highlights the situation of Higher Music Education in Italy: we will consider the assessment models in their context of use and on the basis of ideal values that support them; we will examine the famous case of Giuseppe Verdi, rejected in its entrance exam to the Conservatory of Milan, which represents, paradoxically, the weaknesses of the assessment system, providing a historical perspective; we will propose an examination of the practical and legal aspects of the national assessment system; finally, we will offer an example of good practice that shows how to contextualize some important aspects of this problem.