Through the study of art movements or genres and artworks/performances, students come to understand and appreciate the arts. They use and further develop their research skills to draw on a range of sources, understanding that, in the arts, sources are not limited to texts; they can also include audio and video recordings, images and musical notation. All sources used must be referenced in accordance with the school’s academic integrity policy.

Students use and further develop information literacy skills to evaluate and select relevant information about the art movement or genre and artworks/performances. While contextual information should be included, the focus of the investigation is the art genre or movement and artworks/performances, not extensive biographical information about artists. Students learn how to critique the artworks/performances of others and to communicate in subject-specific language or terminology; this will be important in order to access the higher levels in criterion A ii. Using knowledge and understanding of the role of the arts in context, students inform their own work and artistic perspectives.

In order to achieve the aims of arts, students should be able to:

 i. investigate a movement or genre in their chosen arts discipline, related to the statement of inquiry

 ii. critique an artwork or performance from the chosen movement or genre.

Development of ideas through practical exploration provides the opportunity for active participation in the art form. Practical exploration requires students to acquire and develop skills/techniques and to experiment with the art form. Evidence of practical exploration cannot be limited to written form; for example, if a student is composing music, evidence should include musical notation and/or audio recordings; if a student is creating a piece of theatre, evidence should include script extracts and/or video recordings. To achieve the higher levels in criterion B i, students must evidence extensive and varied practical exploration and refinement of their idea(s). Students use both practical exploration and knowledge and understanding of art and artworks to purposefully inform artistic decisions.

In order to achieve the aims of arts, students should be able to:

i. practically explore ideas to inform development of a final artwork or performance

ii. present a clear artistic intention for the final artwork or performance in line with the statement of inquiry.

The acquisition and development of skills is evident in both process and outcome. Formative assessment supports students’ acquisition and development of skills and techniques in the process stage. The students’ command of skills and techniques is demonstrated through the creation or performance of a finalized artwork that is summatively assessed.

In order to achieve the aims of arts, students should be able to: 

i. create or perform an artwork.

MYP arts promote the development and application of reflection and critical-thinking skills so that students become reflective practitioners. Through reflecting on their work and on themselves, students become more aware of their own artistic development and the role that the arts play in their lives and in the world. When evaluating their own artwork or performance, students should consider elements, techniques and context. The arts process journal should be used throughout the process stage to keep a record of reflections that students can refer to when developing the final reflection. Development as an artist includes development of personal skills, such as affective skills and problem-solving skills, as well as development of artistic skills and techniques. Students’ reflections should answer the questions: “What have I learned that can be taken forward and applied to other projects?” and “What would I do differently if I did this project again?”

In order to achieve the aims of arts, students should be able to: 

i. appraise their own artwork or performance

ii. reflect on their development as an artist.