CONSERVATORI

During the two years of IB

Supervisor's name: Maribel Virgili
Contact to supervisor: mvirgil6@xtec.cat
Learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7

📌 Conservatori de Música de Reus

Investigation: I have always been passionate in playing the flute and I did start the music school when I was six. I decided to continue with it, until this year (I have done the music school with the IB). During these two years, I have had diverse subjects: flute classes, harmony and analysis, history and band. I did want to drop out from the music school multiple times because of the stress of being able to do everything, but I completed my studies.

Preparation: I’ve always had a strong connection with music, especially the flute. I first picked it up at the age of seven, and what started as a small childhood hobby gradually became a defining part of my life. Over the years, music became my language of expression and a spot to calm myself. When I began IB, I made the conscious decision not to quit music school, although I felt like it. I wasn’t sure if I could come up with it: the endless flute lessons, harmony and analysis classes, music history, and the school band with the academic pressure of IB.

To be honest, I had multiple breaking points where I wanted to quit, but I didn't do it at the end because I thought all would be worth it. I set personal goals: attend all classes, maintain a decent performance level, and complete the journey I started.

My preparation was mental: developing resilience and building a mindset that I wasn’t going to let myself down. I continued practicing even when I was tired. I rehearsed band pieces after getting home from 9-hour school days. Most importantly, learning how to survive.

Action: Over these two years, I actively participated in the school council, performed, collaborated, and reflected. My weekly schedule would be peppered with 1-on-1 flute lessons where I would be expected to play at performance level. The harmony and analysis classes were like solving musical riddles and filling sudokus that I got surprisingly right. The band rehearsals demanded plenty of teamwork.

I was also involved in several performances, including solos. These were terrifying, and there were times when I was trembling before stepping onto the stage.

There were weeks where I seriously thought about dropping out. But I didn’t. Instead, I learned how to better manage my time, how to cut unnecessary distractions, and how to allow myself a break without guilt. 

Reflection: Completing music school during IB is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also extremely rewarding.

One of the biggest challenges was accepting that I couldn’t be perfect at everything. There were days when my flute playing suffered because I was very stressed. And there were nights when I chose to finish a harmony worksheet instead of revising for a school test. But rather than framing those moments as failures, I started seeing them as choices made under pressure.

Another good thing was the emotional maturity I developed. Playing music through stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue taught me how to express myself in a way words couldn’t. It became my therapy, my escape, and my strength. This whole journey changed how I see commitment: as a promise to my past self that I wouldn't give up, no matter how tempting it was.

Demonstration: Now that I’ve completed music school, I feel a sense of closure, as if I closed a chapter that’s been writing itself for over a decade. But more than that, I feel proud because I never gave up.

Through this project, I demonstrated commitment, perseverance, growth, skills and choice habilities.

This experience was deeply personal. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the nights I cried after rehearsals, or the small victories of making something good. I hope this shows that sometimes the most meaningful CAS projects aren’t the flashiest, but the most personal ones.

EVIDENCE