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5. IB in the Performing Ensemble

  • 5. IB in the Performing Ensemble

The Performing Ensemble and the IB 

This section is dedicated to the student whose primary focus of music instruction in the high school centers around the performing ensemble. In most cases, this would be school ensembles such as the string orchestra, wind band, or choir. But, it could also involve smaller ensembles usually derived from the large school groups, such as a jazz band, combo, madrigal, swing choir, chamber ensemble, or rock/pop band. 

Image: Manuel Nägeli via Unsplash
Students within this setting would usually take music at the standard level, but this should not deter one from taking the course at the higher level and developing a Contemporary Music Maker project. Such a student could become a valuable assistant for the school's music directors. 
The possibilities of this section are endless. Thoughts expressed in this chapter should be considered works in progress.  Please feel free to forward your thoughts and repertoire ideas in the comment section below. 

Diversity of Global Music Programs 

Developing an international music curriculum does have its' challenges. Different areas of the world have diverse cultural and social norms. Schools often need to adhere to state and national standards. Universities often ask far more complex entry requirements for students and these can significantly vary depending on the part of the world they are established. 

The structure of secondary school music programs certainly varies throughout the world. In certain parts of the world, such as Europe, classroom music is considered core and central to high school programs. Classes by and large are developed with listening, identifying, writing as well as performing music. 

In other parts of the world, namely schools in North America, secondary school performing ensembles such as high school bands, orchestras, and choirs provide the basis of a school music program. Still, other parts of the world offer music as part of their community and social fabric. 

There is no single domain or system that in itself is better or worse. They all have social, political, and historical reasons for evolving the way they do. 

This particular section will hopefully provide some insights and ideas for an ensemble student. 

Photo by Hobi industri on Unsplash

Linking DP Practice with the Performing Ensemble START HERE

Although this video pertains to a high school wind band, the concepts addressed should be easily applied to any type of performing ensemble including choirs, orchestras, combos, chamber ensembles, and more. Many of the ideas and concepts addressed in this video need to be applied regardless of the ensemble. 

A written synopsis of "Linking the HS Performing Ensemble to IB Practice 

Regardless of the ensemble's nature or size, these characteristics must be kept in mind for any student planning to use the group as the central core of their IB study. 

IB Practice has the potential to be applied to all types of performing ensembles regardless of size. 

The nature of music education will vary throughout different areas of the world.

The Ensemble Profile needs to reflect the IB Learner Profile (LPs). 

Not ALL need to be addressed in the ensemble, but care should be given to including LP thinking in your ensemble program. This concept is not exclusive to the IB.

Photo by Colin Lloyd on Unsplash

Create a healthy ensemble culture. 

Again this is not an exclusive IB concept. Learning skills such as research, social interaction, communication, self-management, and independent thinking need to be coupled with rehearsal practice. 

Approach to teaching the ensemble. 

This needs to include inquiry, formal and informal assessment, focus on concepts or ideas, and it needs to be collaborative. 

Repertoire selection.

The repertoire needs to be contextualized. It needs to address personal, local, and global contexts. Involve student ownership in repertoire selection. 

Include inquiry. 

Have students keep journals that regularly document their work both group and personal. Try to ask challenging "ungoogleable" questions as journal prompts. 

Make connections. 

Whereas the performing role of the student is self-inherent, in an ensemble, attempt to challenge student thinking with music creations (both written and improvised) and research. 

Assessment. 

When reviewing student work, attempt to familiarise students with terminology available in the IBDP Music Subject Guide. Values of criteria can be arbitrary, but dialogue, both formal and informal should utilize a common assessment terminology. 

Some Practical Notes on Using this Chapter

Time demands on high school students AND teachers have never been as demanding as they are now. This is especially true for any student enrolled in the IBDP Music Program. Meeting the requirements of the six IB coursework studies, plus the TOK, Extended Essay and CAS requirements will put incredible demands on a student's timetable. For some, it unfortunately means sacrificing some of the activities that would normally be a part of high school student life. 

Photo by Kazuo ota on Unsplash

Specifically, this has often led to students having to drop out of performing ensembles in high school. This would be particularly true of students from North American schools or International Schools that run an American-style curriculum. Such schools often consider the musical ensemble as the core foundation of a student's musical experience.

This chapter considers ways a student can combine the IBDP Music study within the performing ensemble. It needs to be seen as an ongoing study and hopefully will flex and adapt as new ideas are brought into catering to any school's specific needs. 

Notes on the Lesson Ideas Included in this Chapter

When looking through the lesson ideas, one may notice consistent approaches regardless of the ensemble. As presented in the video above, these ideas, or approaches need not be considered exclusive to the IB. Rather, one would hope these are healthy practices that inspire and motivate student thinking, learning, and presenting in music. One would further hope to see the CONNECTION music offers to countless aspects of an adolescent's life. Here are some points to consider when building IBDP music study within the ensemble that is evident in the lesson ideas. 

  • Guided Inquiry: You will notice that each lesson includes a section on journal prompts. Initially, these questions could be general, but as the study of a piece of music unfolds, the questions may become more specific. (See further:  Building a Culture of Inquiry)
  • Reinforce the PURPOSE of the Area of Inquiry (AoI): Again, inquiry-based learning may not be specific to the IB. The nature of questions or topics may be as diverse as one's imagination or the needs of the school, music program, or community. The IBDP Music Program though does address four Areas of Inquiry (See The Areas of Inquiry (AoIs). The lesson ideas ask students to look at a piece of music through the lens of an AoI. Such an approach would hopefully enhance a sense of PURPOSE as to why the music was created and being performed. Throughout the study, students will need to unpack the AoI and may need the director's mentorship. 
  • Define music context: Students need to have a feeling of ownership toward the work the ensemble is doing. There needs to be some sort of CONNECTION between the music being worked on in the ensemble and the students themselves. (See Musical Contexts)

Photo by Mariana Proença on Unsplash

  • Unit ideas need to promote critical thinking skills: Students will need to develop their own creating and performance adaptations of repertoire as they study a piece. They need to understand the core elements of the piece and how they might use these elements to foster their performance and the writing of music (See Critical and Creative Thinking  and A Tool for Music Analysis). 
  • TIME, TIME, TIME: There is NEVER enough time. There will always be the demand for upcoming concerts, contests, game performances, community events, etc. Rehearsal time is precious and usually hard to get. IB students within an ensemble will no doubt be confronted with this. Students will need to keep a journal and the journal needs to be developed in such a way as to feasibly address the submission requirements. (See Journaling and Using the Journal Effectively in the Ensemble )
  • Scheduling: This could be a workshop topic within itself. There will not be "one size fits all" when it comes to scheduling. Here are a couple of ideas that could help when including IB students within the ensemble:
    • Reinforce journal work: As rehearsal times are short this may be a responsibility that needs to be developed outside of class time. 
    • Breakout times for IB students: Some might have the luxury of a music team timetable in the ensemble. If this is the case, try to build in time for a team member to look over student journal work. Successful practice has been short but frequent breakouts. If this is not possible, consider a meeting time for IB students only outside of rehearsal time. Remember, it is the responsibility of the school to offer sufficient time for coursework should they be offering the IB diploma. 

Using the Section and Developing Your Approach

Share your Ideas and Repertoire

The repertoire selected for this section is random and may not apply to your performing ensemble situation. We anticipate this to be a chapter in ongoing progress as this website builds. When using this chapter, consider how the progress of developing the units of the selected works is carried out. The repertoire will certainly be diverse, but the approach to the ensemble will be consistent. 

We hope you find this section useful particularly if you are a school ensemble director. You are encouraged to contact us for further developments and ideas regarding the integration of IB study in the ensemble including specific repertoire needs of your specific school program. This is not a definitive text, but a dynamic ongoing project. 

Photo by Xingchen Yan on Unsplash

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