Music

This practical course fosters students’ musicianship and shapes their musical identities as researchers, creators and performers. The course defines musicianship as comprising three, intrinsically connected aspects.

1. Knowledge and understanding of diverse musical material

2. Engagement with the musical processes of exploring, experimenting and presenting

3. Competencies and skill in the musical roles of researchers, creators and performers

The course encourages the acquisition of knowledge and understanding of diverse musical material, and development of musical competencies and related musical skills in the roles of researchers, creators and performers through the practical processes of exploring, experimenting and presenting.

Throughout the music course, students at SL and HL:

• engage with diverse musical material

• understand and practise three musical processes

• develop skills and competencies in three musical roles.

The syllabus gives students the chance to focus on their own interests and experience, and to develop their own style in performance and composition. Students are expected to approach the course with enthusiasism, energy and a genuine desire to develop their own musicality. Therefore, participation in any form of music making is strongly encouraged, and involvement in musical groups outside of the normal timetable, whether in or out of school, is expected.

For HL and SL students submit work on the following components:

• Experimenting with music

• Exploring music

• Presenting music

HL students also complete a collaborative project: The Contemporary Music Maker

Within each component students work within the following roles:

• researcher

• creator

• performer

Four Areas of Inquiry are covered :

• Music for sociocultural and political expression

• Music for listening and performance

• Music for dramatic impact, movement and entertainment

• Music technology in the electronic and digital age

Students broaden their knowledge by engaging with diverse musical material from personal, local and global contexts.

ASSESSMENT

EXPLORING MUSIC IN CONTEXT (30% SL, 20% HL - EXTERNALLY ASSESSED)

Students select samples of their work for a portfolio submission (maximum 2,400 words). Student submit:

a. written work demonstrating engagement with, and understanding of, diverse musical material

b. practical exercises:

• creating: one creating exercise (score maximum 32 bars and/or audio 1 minute as appropriate to style)

• performing: one performed adaptation of music from a local or global context for the student’s own instrument (maximum 2 minutes)

c. supporting audio material (not assessed).

EXPERIMENTING WITH MUSIC (30% SL, 20% HL - INTERNALLY ASSESSED)

Students submit an experimentation report with evidence of their musical processes in creating and performing in two areas of inquiry in a local and/or global context. The report provides a rationale and commentary for each process. Students submit:

a. a written experimentation report that supports the experimentation (maximum 1,500 words)

b. practical musical evidence of the experimentation process

• three related excerpts of creating (total maximum 5 minutes)

• three related excerpts of performing (total maximum 5 minutes)

PRESENTING MUSIC (40% SL, 30% HL EXTERNALLY ASSESSED)

Students submit a collection of works demonstrating engagement with diverse musical material from four areas of inquiry. The submission contains:

a. Presenting as a researcher

• programme notes (maximum 600 words)

b. Presenting as a creator

• composition and/or improvisation (maximum 6 minutes)

c. Presenting as a performer

• solo and/or ensemble (maximum 12 minutes)

• excerpts, where applicable (maximum 2 minutes)

THE CONTEMPORARY MUSIC MAKER (HL only 30% INTERNALLY ASSESSED)

Students submit a continuous multimedia presentation documenting their real-life project. Students submit multimedia presentation (maximum 15 minutes), evidencing:

a. the project proposal

b. the process and evaluation

c. the realized project, or curated selections of it.