Group 6: The Arts
Music SL/HL
Music functions as a means of personal and communal identity and expression, and embodies the social and cultural values of individuals and communities. This scenario invites exciting exploration and sensitive study.
Music, and all of its associations, may vary considerably from one musical culture to another, but may share similarities. Such richness offers a variety of ways to encounter and engage with a constantly changing world. Music in the Diploma Programme fosters curiosity and openness to both familiar and unfamiliar musical worlds. We learn to hear relationships of pitch in sound, pattern in rhythm, and unfolding sonic structures, and explore the similarities, differences, and links in music from within our own culture and those of others across time. Informed and active musical engagement allows us to explore and discover relationships between lived human experience and specific sound combinations and technologies, thus informing us more fully of the world around us, and the nature of humanity.
The course also provides an appropriate foundation for further study in music at university level or in music career pathways. It also provides an enriching and valuable course of study for students who may pursue other careers. This course also provides students with the opportunity to engage in the world of music as lifelong participants.
Theatre SL/HL
The Theatre course is a study of four different yet interdependent components: theatre in the world, theatre in the making, theatre in performance, and an independent project supported by journal keeping throughout the course. The purpose of the course is to enable students to become familiar with different forms of theatre, as well as becoming knowledgeable through the inquiry and study of different theatre practices. This will inevitably lead students to create and explore their own theatre process. The course is a vehicle, foundation, and springboard not only for understanding the inspiration behind a play, but also in realizing the development of our modern theatre. Ultimately, this foundation is used to develop understanding and skills essential for staging a production in the role of an actor, a director, dramaturge, or technical designer.
Visual Art SL/HL
Teaching and learning in the Visual Art courses rely heavily on student-driven explorations of various media and genres, centered on a theme chosen by the student. Both visual and verbal communication skills are developed as the student is encouraged to explore a wide variety of approaches and contexts in their artwork.
Students will analyze works of art in terms of the elements of art, the principles of design and various contexts. They will learn basic and advanced techniques for a variety of media, explore the concept of personal relevance, and arrive at a theme around which they will create the majority of their finished works. Students will also examine a number of TOK links. After the first half of the first year, students will be expected to work on their individual projects based on their chosen themes.