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This course, taken in addition to Choir will focus on Music Theory, Western Music History, World Music, Musical Forms and Musical Analysis. The student will acquire the knowledge necessary for a better understanding of their own musical heritage through the study of Western Music History. With that understanding, students will gain the ability to appreciate other cultures through their music. This course, in conjunction with Choir will fulfill the Music SL Group Performance Requirements set forth by the IB.
Here are Important Reference Documents:
Here are Important Reference Documents:
Make Sure to download your digital textbooks
Make Sure to download your digital textbooks
All listening examples are found here
World Music: Traditions & Transformation - COMING
Musical Links Investigation Project
Musical Links Investigation Project
What is the MLI?
What is the MLI?
Before we dive in to the specifics, let’s make sure we’re on the same page about what the MLI really is:
An exploration of musical connections between 2 distinct musical cultures by considering one (or more) pieces from each culture
Through comparing and contrasting, we need to “demonstrate two or more significant musical links”
The IB Music MLI is a media script (interview, dramatization, website, blog, etc.) over no more than 2,000 words
Makes up 20% of your final grade in IB Music (this year it makes up 50%)
Step 1: Choosing your Cultures
Step 1: Choosing your Cultures
Arguably the most difficult and the most important step of writing your MLI is deciding on a good topic. If you can comfortably say that you can check off the following, you are on your way to finding a great topic!
The 2 musical cultures are truly distinct. Choosing ‘Rock n’ Roll and Jazz’ as your two cultures would be far from acceptable as they are too similar in their backgrounds! Even something like ‘Jazz and West African Music’ may be considered a poor choice of cultures as there is a direct cultural link from one to the other. Instead, choose 2 cultures that seemingly have no common background like ‘Chinese Folk Music and Brazilian Bossa Nova’ or ‘Hindustani Music and Argentine Tango’.
The pieces that you’ve chosen aren’t too long. In order to do a thorough exploration, it will benefit you to focus on a fragment of a larger piece, or finding a short piece of music to analyze. 2,000 words may sound like a lot before writing it, but in order to get into the nitty and gritty of musical analysis, it’s better to go narrow and deep rather than broad and shallow.
Step 2: Doing your Research
Step 2: Doing your Research
When you’ve got an idea of 2 cultures that are sufficiently distinct that you would be interested in exploring, it’s worth doing a deep dive into the ins-and-outs of that musical culture. ‘What are the common musical elements found in the genre? What are the distinguishing features of the genre? What is the purpose of the music? For whom was the music made and who performs it?’
Make sure to use both primary and secondary sources in this research. It is at this stage that you may notice some similarities between your 2 cultures. The whole point of the IB Music MLI is finding commonalities in musical genres that may sound completely different to the untrained ear, so don’t shy away from similarities that may seem too far-fetched. Then, go back to your pieces and see if you can hear the common musical elements that you’ve just researched in the pieces that you’ve chosen!
Step 3: Finding the Similarities and Differences
Step 3: Finding the Similarities and Differences
Make a list of all the similarities that you’ve found between your two chosen pieces after having done a deep dive on the two musical cultures and related that back to your pieces. If you’re struggling to find any similarities, always remember MeMeHaMeFoStyCo (medium, melody, harmony, meter, form, style, context)! Go through and make a list of some major differences as well. It will be easy to hear the overt differences in the pieces, but try to challenge yourself in, for example, analyzing how the melody serves a different purpose in the two pieces. - Use the links below with musical terms and concepts to guide your analysis.
Step 4: Choose your Format
Decide which format in which to present your MLI. Remember that you don’t get extra points for your format, so don’t spend too much time crafting the most authentic-looking newspaper article. That time can be better spent refining your musical analysis, which is where almost all the points lie. However, making sure your format lends itself to a clear and organized structure in which the similarities and differences that you aim to analyze are clear to the reader is key. Typically students choose one of two structures:
IntroductionPiece A (Analysis of Musical Element 1, Musical Element 2, Musical Element 3)Piece B (Analysis of Musical Element 1, Musical Element 2, Musical Element 3)ComparisonConclusion
IntroductionMusical Element 1 (Analysis of Piece A, Analysis of Piece B, Comparison)Then Musical Element 2 (Analysis of Piece A, Analysis of Piece B, Comparison)Then Musical Element 3 (Analysis of Piece A, Analysis of Piece B, Comparison)Conclusion
Step 5: Write!
Step 5: Write!
Use these following links to help guide your analysis:
ADVICE FROM I.B.
ADVICE FROM I.B.
Through the study of pieces from different musical cultures students are encouraged to explore, analyse
and examine the musical connections existing between two (or more) pieces of music from two distinct
musical cultures (see cultures below).
When investigating musical links students must develop depth of argument in demonstrating the links that exist. For instance, the mere citation of similar instrumentation in two (or more) pieces of music is not sufficient.
While establishing convincing musical links, students must also learn to take into consideration how these instruments are used (for example, melodically, harmonically, structurally, rhythmically) in order to present arguments of more depth.
SOURCES
Sources must be CLEARLY cited, and references WILL be checked before your final grade is posted. Wikipedia and previously published IB Music Investigations are NOT acceptable research sources. NOTE: Shared or sources not properly cited are subject to RUSD plagiarism penalties. THIS ALSO APPLIES TO MUSICAL SOURCES THAT MUST BE CITED IN A DISCOGRAPHY.
LINKS: GOOD AND BAD IDEAS
The links must be musical (that is to say, based on musical elements, not instruments/voices or functions of music).
Examples of inappropriate links include:
Both are dance music
Both use religious texts
Both are orchestras
Both are from the same musical era
Students need to develop the depth of argument by, for example, comparing the use of predominantly small intervals within an octave range and repetitious phrases in the two lullabies “Wiegenlied” (Brahms) and “Bånsull” (Norwegian).
CULTURES: the definition
(Excerpts from the IB Assessment Booklet).
Musical culture refers to a learned way of making and using music, which is shared by a group of people, and is usually passed down from generation to generation. Music plays different roles within a culture (for example, entertainment, ceremony, work). A single musical culture may spread widely across time and place, and many creative changes can be found within a single musical culture while maintaining its essence (this is known as musical style).
NOT DIFFERENT CULTURES
Changes within a culture:
The difference between ska and reggae is a creative change within a single musical culture (music of the Caribbean), hence two musical styles within a single musical culture.
Swing and be-bop styles (jazz) are part of a single distinct musical culture.
Renaissance and romantic (western art/classical music)
Musical culture is not necessarily defined by time or by geography:
Palestrina from the 16th century and Schoenberg from the 20th century are both composers of western art/classical music, and therefore part of the same musical culture.
Villa-Lobos from Brazil and Penderecki from Poland are both composers of western art/classical music, and therefore part of the same musical culture.
UNIQUE CHOICES
Musical style refers to particular characteristic musical features such as melodic structure, form, improvisation, harmony, articulation, duration, which are common to a set of musical pieces.
The two musical cultures chosen for study should be sufficiently distinct: the music pieces chosen should therefore be easily definable as belonging to a distinct musical culture.
Despite the fact that the two musical cultures must be distinct, one or more inherent links between the musical pieces is (are) needed for the investigation to be successful. Otherwise, the investigation may become merely an exercise in comparing the excerpts
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