The nature of the IB Visual Arts Programme is student-centred focusing on the creative development of the individual.  

Students should look for every opportunity to:

• Develop their aesthetic, imaginative and creative faculties.

• Stimulate and train visual awareness.

• Pursue quality through questioning, asking for assistance, individually experimenting and persistent endeavour.

• Adopt a lively, enthusiastic and informed attitude towards Art in all its forms, both historically and today.

Visual Art in Context

This involves a cycle of inquiry, considering and comparing work from a variety of cultures, historical, social contexts.

Visual Arts Processes

Experimenting with techniques, media, processes, developing a body of work, self review and critique, documented in a Visual Arts journal.

Presenting Visual Arts

This has to do with understanding what makes an effective exhibition and selecting and presenting the students own work.

External Assessment 60%

Art-making inquiries portfolio (32 marks) 40% (of 60%)

This is an SL and HL task focused on the student’s art-making as inquiry.

The student selects and organizes visual evidence of their personal investigations, discoveries and creations, supported by critical reflections, all in a portfolio. They provide curated evidence of their art-making as inquiry in a variety of art-making forms and creative strategies.

The portfolio demonstrates how the student developed and refined their visual language through one or more lines of inquiry and must explicitly include the inquiry questions or generative statements they worked with.

SL students submit two mandatory files.

• One PDF file of up to 15 screens including visual evidence accompanied by written materials. The total word count must not exceed 3,000 words.

• One separate text file listing the sources.

Connections study (24 marks) 20% (of 60%)

This is an SL-only task focused on the student situating in context one of their resolved artworks, chosen from the five they submit for IA.

The study presents curated visual and written evidence to demonstrate the connections between the student’s chosen resolved artwork and their own context(s), and between the chosen artwork and at least two artworks by different artists. The connections must be informed by research, and the study must demonstrate understanding of the cultural significance of the two artworks by different artists.

SL students submit two mandatory files.

• One PDF file of up to 10 screens including visual evidence and supporting written materials. The total word count must not exceed 2,500 words.

• One separate text file listing the sources.

Internal assessment 40%

Resolved artworks (32 marks)

This is an SL-only task focused on the student’s ability to create a coherent body of work. Each student submits five resolved artworks to demonstrate their best achievements in communicating their artistic intentions coherently.

The student provides evidence of synthesis of concept and form, and of their competence in resolving artworks. They also write a rationale to articulate their artistic intentions and the choices that informed the making of their coherent body of artworks.

SL students submit six mandatory files.

• Five image or video files (each up to three minutes long) of artworks—each accompanied by a title and details on medium and size. Two optional supporting image files per artwork can be submitted to show details or additional views.

• One PDF file of up to two screens for the rationale (which must not exceed 700 words).

For more information:

Speak to Mr. Place or Mr. Cruz

Music is an essential part of the human experience and a unique mode of creativity, expression and communication. Music’s many rich histories continue to evolve through individual and collaborative contributions. In the past, as in our contemporary and increasingly digital world, music responds to, and is shaped by, new and emerging technologies and approaches. The study of music encourages inquiry into creative practices and performance processes. Music study develops listening, creative and analytical skills, as well as encouraging cultural understanding and international-mindedness. In this way, music is a catalyst for expanding critical thinking—a crucial life skill. When we understand others and ourselves through music, we are empowered to make positive and effective change in the world.

In this course, students and teachers engage in a journey of imagination and discovery through partnership and collaboration. Students develop and affirm their unique musical identities while expanding and refining their musicianship. Throughout, students are encouraged to explore music in varied and sometimes unfamiliar contexts. Additionally, by experimenting with music, students gain hands-on experience while honing musical skills. Through realizing and presenting samples of their musical work with others, students also learn to communicate critical and artistic intentions and purpose. As students develop as young musicians, the course challenges them to engage practically with music as researchers, performers and creators, and to be driven by their unique passions and interests while also broadening their musical and artistic perspectives.

Musical processes are an important aspect of learning and teaching in the music course. The music course identifies three integrated musical processes—exploring, experimenting and presenting—through which students engage in relevant practical activities. Students analyse diverse musical material, identify musical prompts relevant to their own work as researchers, creators and performers, justify their musical choices and prepare music for presentation. Through engagement with these processes, students develop their understanding of how musicians work, and deepen their knowledge and understanding of diverse musical material from personal, local and global contexts. The components of this course are:

Exploring music in context (focus on research)

Students will learn how to engage with a diverse range of music that will broaden their musical horizons and provide stimuli to expand their own music-making. Students will demonstrate diversity and breadth in their exploration by engaging with music from the areas of inquiry in personal, local and global contexts.

Experimenting with music (focus on composition)

Students connect theoretical studies to practical work and gain a deeper understanding of the music they engage with. Through this theoretical and practical work as researchers, creators and performers, students will learn to experiment with a range of musical material and stimuli from the areas of inquiry across local and global contexts.

Presenting music (focus on performance)

Students learn to practise and prepare finished pieces that will be performed or presented to an audience. In working towards completed musical works, students expand their musical identity, demonstrate their level of musicianship, and learn to share and communicate their music as researchers, creators and performers.

The contemporary music maker (HL only)

Music at higher level (HL) builds on the learning of musical competencies and challenges students to engage with the musical processes in settings of contemporary music-making. For the HL component, students plan and collaboratively create a project that draws on the competencies, skills and processes in all of the musical roles of the music course, and is inspired by real-life practices of music-making.

For more information:

Speak to Mr. Place