Music guide

Only material relevant to Experimenting with

Music
First assessment 2022
 Syllabus components

Experimenting with music

Experimenting is a dynamic process that is fundamental to music-making. Experimenting is connected to
the musical processes of exploring and presenting. In experimenting, students connect theoretical studies
to practical work and gain deeper understanding of the music that they engage with.
In the process of experimenting with music, students engage more deeply with music to develop and refine
their musical decisions, practise their musical skills and develop musical works as they:
• select musical prompts or stimuli for their work and to inform their musical decisions. Students work
with selected relevant findings from diverse musical material
• apply their knowledge, conceptual understandings and skills to their work while experimenting with
musical material
• develop ideas and work as creators by experimenting with creating conventions and techniques, and
as performers by experimenting with performing practices and techniques
• practise through the processes of trialling, refining and revising musical material. Students learn to
control and personalize practical and technical skills in creating, producing and performing music
• evaluate/reflect critically on their music-making and consider how the use of their findings will affect
their work. Students discuss the challenges encountered—and any possible solutions.
Experimenting is experienced in the three roles of researcher, creator and performer. In these roles,
students will be experimenting with musical materials, musical findings, musical decisions and musical
skills. Experimenting is not an isolated, static or linear process, but a dynamic and interactive process that
informs and inspires the student’s work across each of the roles.
Informed musical decision-making is paramount, and including examples of the decision-making,
commentaries of inspirations and choices of musical material in students’ music journals is advised.
Thoughtful experimenting in the three roles will lead to effective and successful assessment in the course.
Reflection and evaluation is a key part of the musical decision-making and experimenting process. It is
used to judge the progress of the work and to analyse if, and how, the musical choices function together in
the student’s work. The experience and guidance of teachers will also be of utmost importance in guiding
students through their experimentation.
Throughout the course, students will learn to experiment with a range of musical material and stimuli. It is
recommended that all experimentation will be guided by, and connected to, the four areas of inquiry as this
will help students to focus their research and studies. Ensuring a balanced approach to experimenting with
all areas of inquiry will also help students to be best prepared for assessment tasks across the curriculum.

Notes about assessment

While candidates are free to choose the areas of inquiry for assessment, it is recommended that they focus
on areas of inquiry other than those chosen for their submission in the component “Exploring music in
context”. This will expand the student’s diverse musical experience and focus their choices. Teachers are
advised to guide students accordingly.

Experimenting as a researcher
Experimenting as researchers offers students the opportunity to investigate and analyse music, and apply
findings with direct practical relevance to their own work. At the same time, the musical work will prompt
research in order to find more information that is directly related to, and further informs, the work in
progress.
Informed by research, and through critical reflection, students continuously refine their work. By selecting
relevant information, techniques and concepts from their findings, they make musical decisions and
develop their ideas further.
The critical thinking and reflecting that leads to the sourcing and justified use of relevant musical
information is an important feature of experimenting.
Through experimenting as researchers, students gain deeper understanding about music by:

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Syllabus components

• analysing music to inform their own work

• reflecting on how the music they are studying will inform their own practice
• reflecting on how to develop the music they are working on
• making musical decisions in relation to their findings
• experimenting with musical material, musical findings and musical skills.
Through the course, students will experiment with a range of music from the four areas of inquiry across
diverse contexts. For the assessment submission, however, students will submit work that specifically
relates to musical material from a local and/or global context. Students will explain and justify their choices
in the assessment submission.

Note about assessment

Experimenting with diverse musical material
Submissions in this component (“Experimenting with music”) will feature experiments with musical
material from local and global contexts. Candidate submissions that evidence diversity by experimenting
with music from local and global contexts are most likely to score well in this component.

Students will learn to articulate a rationale for their practical experimentation in creating and in
performing based on their inquiry and practical work. The rationale will form the basis of an
experimentation report. The rationale justifies the choices of source material, including the choice of
context and area of inquiry, and will help students to spotlight specific aspects of their experimentation
leading to a more in-depth—rather than wide-ranging—engagement with the musical material in this
report.
Students will also learn to write commentaries, in which they explain the experimentation process and the
evolution of the experimentation stimuli, clearly evidencing the musical decision-making processes that
have guided the experimentation.

Note about assessment

For this component, students will submit an experimentation report. The report is based on the research
findings, musical stimuli, rationale and commentaries for the practical experiments in this component.
It is strongly recommended for students to develop and refine their writing of rationales and commentaries
throughout the course, and to log these exercises in their music journals.
The rationales will provide a clear guide for the writing of the experimentation report. Coherently
structured commentaries will explain the process of experimentation and its outcomes in relation to the
practical work.
When students are learning about the processes of experimenting, the teacher will guide, advise and
mentor their decisions. During the course, students will gain greater confidence in their musical decision-
making based on research. For assessment submissions, all decisions must be the student’s own decisions
and must be sufficiently justified based on musical research and findings.

Experimenting as a creator
Experimenting as a creator offers students the opportunity to trial and shape musical ideas, make artistic
choices and, in the process, develop less familiar or unfamiliar skills through composing, improvising and
arranging music.
When experimenting, students may also choose to arrange or remix music. The focus in arranging or
remixing is on the effective modification, manipulation and transformation of the musical elements and
qualities of an existing piece.
Through experimenting, students gain a deeper understanding of how music is constructed and
composed. They apply their findings to their own work, paying attention to:
• the intention and purpose of music in context

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 Syllabus components

• the use of musical elements, including, but not limited to, duration, dynamics, harmonic and/or
melodic developments, pitch, rhythm, structure and form, texture, timbre, tonality
• use of production elements and techniques.

Experimenting as a performer
Experimenting as a performer offers students opportunities to shape and develop the communication of
musical ideas, technical proficiency, interpretations and expression. It is important for teachers to guide
their students towards heightened awareness and conscious experimentation as performers.
Experimenting should not merely be intuitive and unpredictable, but specific and tied to inquiry and
reflection on the learning and development. Through regular practice and experimenting, students refine
their performing skills and develop an independent musical voice.
As performers, students should consider the intention, purpose and context of the music. They will
experiment with the ways in which music can be communicated, paying attention to:
• performance techniques
• the use of musical elements, including, but not limited to, duration, dynamics, ornamentation,
instrumental or vocal range, pitch, rhythm, texture, tempo, timbre
• interpretation(s), including, but not limited to, use of articulation, effects and other expressive and
productive techniques, phrasing.

Note about assessment

For this component, students will submit practical excerpts from creating and performing. These excerpts,
in conjunction with the research findings and musical stimuli on which they are based, will direct the
rationale and inform the commentaries in this component.
It is strongly recommended for students to try new approaches when creating and performing throughout
the course, and to log excerpts with relating rationales and commentaries in their music journals.

Music guide 33
Assessment

Assessment outline—SL and HL

First assessment 2022

External/ SL HL
internal

Experimenting with music Internal 30% 20%

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)

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 Internal assessment

Experimenting with music

Weighting: SL 30%; HL 20%
In this assessment component, students prepare a report explaining the processes for a series of musical
experiments in creating and in performing based on selected stimuli. Submissions will feature experiments
with unfamiliar musical material from local and global contexts. The focus of this assessment task is not
on preparing completed and polished works. Instead, the chosen excerpts are a demonstration of the
experimentation process. The table below shows an overview of the focus for the assessment and the
evidence collected.

The assessment task requires students to: This is evidenced in:

• submit a well-organized report that presents Experimentation report
the student’s work in a relevant and • a clear rationale to guide the writing
informative way
• a coherently structured commentary
• engage with less familiar or unfamiliar music explaining the process of experimentation and
(for example, through choosing different areas its outcomes in relation to the practical work.
of inquiry and considering local and/or global
contexts)
• identify how their musical findings relate to
the practical work and integrate them.
• identify and respond to musical prompts and Musical excerpts
stimuli • three excerpts of the student’s
• experiment with unfamiliar elements experimentation as a creator
• apply findings to inform the experimentation • three excerpts of the student’s
process experimentation as a performer.
• make musical decisions to develop practical
work.

As researchers, students investigate and analyse musical material to identify and select relevant
information that informs the process of musical experimentation. Students think critically about how the
findings inform their practical work. In the rationale, students justify the chosen experimentations and
source materials, including the choice of contexts. In the commentary, students explain the
experimentation. Students will reference additional evidence and source materials, as needed, to support
the explanations (for example, images, diagrams, screenshots, scores).
As creators and performers, students demonstrate their process of experimentation with diverse musical
material from local and/or global contexts. As evidence, candidates select from their music journals three
related creating excerpts and three related performing excerpts that exemplify their decision-making and
the process of developing ideas from musical stimuli . Experimenting with music from different areas of
inquiry will allow students to be more diverse in their experimentations, and this will be reflected in their
report. All decisions must be the student’s own decisions and must be sufficiently justified based on musical
research and findings.

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Internal assessment

The practical excerpts must be clearly referenced in the written work. Relevant excerpts from scores will be
embedded into the written text and referred to using bars/measures, beats, parts/voices or other. as
appropriate; audio excerpts will be referenced with timings and uploaded separately in the relevant upload
slot.

Submission requirements
For submission, students prepare a report that presents their work in a relevant, accessible and informative
way. The report is supported by examples from their music journals, which evidence:
• in-depth understanding of music from local and/or global contexts
• a selection of musical findings that is relevant to their practical work and informs the
experimentation process
• experimentation with unfamiliar elements in response to musical prompts and stimuli
• musical decision-making to develop practical work.

Upload 1: Experimentation report

A written report of maximum 1,500 words in two sections: “Creating” and “Performing”. Each section
contains:
• a rationale for the experimentation
• a commentary on the musical decision-making, with clear and accurate reference to the excerpts in
upload 2.

The following are not included in the word count.

• Visual evidence integrated and referred to in the written text, including:
▪ images, diagrams, screenshots, scores for analysed works (as appropriate to the style)
▪ images, diagrams, screenshots, scores for experiments in creating and performing (as
appropriate to the style)
• A track list specifying the contents of the audio file in upload 2 with exact timings and labels of the
excerpts
• Appropriate citations in the text and a list of all source and stimulus material in the bibliography

Packaging upload 1
• All written and visual information must be packaged into a single document (maximum
1,500 words).
• The file must be compiled in the following order.
▪ Section 1: Experimentation report—creating
▪ Section 2: Experimentation report—performing
▪ Section 3: Track list
• Section 4: Bibliography (not included in the word count)

Upload 2: Audio evidence

Audio evidence of total maximum 10 minutes, containing:
• three related excerpts of the experiments in creating (maximum 5 minutes)
• three related excerpts of the experiments in performing (maximum 5 minutes).

Packaging upload 2
• All practical evidence must be packaged into a single audio file (maximum 10 minutes).
• The quality of the audio file must allow for a full understanding of the created and/or performed
exercises.

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 Internal assessment

Packaging upload 2
• The file should be compiled in the following order.
▪ Section 1: Three related excerpts of the student’s experiments in creating
• Section 2: Three related excerpts of the student’s experiments in performing

Authenticating student work

For all submissions, the teacher must authenticate that the work submitted is the student’s own work. This
is done using the Music—coursework authentication form (6/MCAF).

Assessment criteria
Overview

Name of criterion Marks allocated

A Rationale and commentary for musical experiments in creating 6
B Practical musical experiments in creating 8
C Rationale and commentary for musical experiments in performing 6
D Practical musical experiments in performing 8
Total 28

Criterion A: Rationale and commentary for musical experiments in creating

This criterion focuses on the articulation of a persuasive and logical rationale for musical experiments in
creating supported by a relevant selection of stimuli for experimentation. The commentary should clearly
evidence and explain the musical decision-making processes that have guided the experimentation. For the
purpose of this task, students provide:
• a rationale that justifies the choices of source material, including the choice of contexts and areas of
inquiry
• a commentary that explains the experimentation process and the evolution of the experimentation
stimuli.

Guiding questions
How well has the student justified their proposed experimentation and supported this with relevant source
material and musical stimuli?
Is the explanation of the experimentation process and of musical decision-making convincing?

Marks Level descriptors Possible

characteristics
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2 • The student’s rationale for musical experiments in creating is Ineffective
ineffective. Inaccurate
• The student outlines the experimentation process with rudimentary Rudimentary
musical decision-making.
Limited
Superficial
3–4 • The student’s rationale for musical experiments in creating is suitable. Inconsistent
• The student describes the experimentation process with reasonable Formulaic
musical decision-making. Sufficient

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Internal assessment

Marks Level descriptors Possible

characteristics
Suitable
Reasonable
5–6 • The student’s rationale for musical experiments in creating is Accurate
purposeful. Proficient
• The student explains the experimentation process with relevant Purposeful
musical decision-making.
Relevant
Competent

Criterion B: Practical musical experiments in creating

This criterion focuses on the processes of musical experimentation in creating that generate innovative
musical ideas with personal intent and purpose, resulting from informed musical decision-making.

Guiding questions
How effectively has the student conducted a series of purposeful musical experiments?
Is there practical evidence of informed musical decision-making in the musical experimentation process?

Marks Level descriptors Possible

characteristics
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2 • The student reiterates source material, and the development of musical Ineffective
ideas is limited. Inaccurate
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is superficial. Rudimentary
Limited
Superficial
3–4 • The student recreates source material, and the development of musical Inconsistent
ideas is formulaic. Formulaic
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is inconsistent. Sufficient
Suitable
Reasonable
5–6 • The student adapts source materials, and the development of musical Accurate
ideas is purposeful. Proficient
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is proficient. Purposeful
Relevant
Competent
7–8 • The student transforms source material, and the development of Imaginative
musical ideas is imaginative. Resourceful
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is compelling. Compelling
Accomplished
Excellent

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 Internal assessment

Criterion C: Rationale and commentary for musical experiments in performing

This criterion focuses on the articulation of a persuasive and logical rationale for musical experiments in
performing supported by a relevant selection of stimuli for experimentation. The commentary should
clearly evidence and explain the musical decision-making processes that have guided the experimentation.
For the purpose of this task, students provide:
• a rationale that justifies the choices of source material, including the choice of contexts and areas of
inquiry
• a commentary that explains the experimentation process and the evolution of the experimentation
stimuli.

Guiding questions
How well has the student justified their proposed experimentation and supported this with relevant source
material and musical stimuli?
Is the explanation of the experimentation process and of musical decision-making convincing?

Marks Level descriptors Possible

characteristics
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2 • The student’s rationale for musical experiments in performing is Ineffective
ineffective. Inaccurate
• The student outlines the experimentation process with rudimentary Rudimentary
musical decision-making.
Limited
Superficial
3–4 • The student’s rationale for musical experiments in performing is Inconsistent
suitable. Formulaic
• The student describes the experimentation process with reasonable Sufficient
musical decision-making.
Suitable
Reasonable
5–6 • The student’s rationale for musical experiments in performing is Accurate
purposeful. Proficient
• The student explains the experimentation process with relevant Purposeful
musical decision-making.
Relevant
Competent

Criterion D: Practical musical experiments in performing

This criterion focuses on the processes of musical experimentation in performing that generate innovative
musical ideas with personal intent and purpose, resulting from informed musical decision-making.

Guiding questions
How effectively has the student conducted a purposeful series of musical experiments?
Is there practical evidence of informed musical decision-making in the musical experimentation process?

Marks Level descriptors Possible

characteristics
0 The work does not reach a standard described by the descriptors below.
1–2 • The student reiterates source material, and the development of Ineffective
musical ideas is limited. Inaccurate

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Internal assessment

Marks Level descriptors Possible

characteristics
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is superficial. Rudimentary
Limited
Superficial
3–4 • The student recreates source material, and the development of Inconsistent
musical ideas is formulaic. Formulaic
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is inconsistent. Sufficient
Suitable
Reasonable
5–6 • The student adapts source materials, and the development of musical Accurate
ideas is purposeful. Proficient
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is proficient. Purposeful
Relevant
Competent
7–8 • The student transforms source material, and the development of Imaginative
musical ideas is imaginative. Resourceful
• Practical evidence of musical decision-making is compelling. Compelling
Accomplished
Excellent

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Music teacher support material
Only Material Relevant to
Experimenting with Music
Musical processes

Experimenting with music

Required learning
What the examiner is looking for The ability to:
• compare and contrast excerpts
• develop and refine musical works over time through regular
practice and work in performing and creating
• evaluate, reflect and refine
• identify, select and apply relevant stimuli and prompts
• identify and apply unfamiliar musical material, techniques
and skills
• identify challenges and successes
• identify and implement strategies for improvement.
Demonstrated in: • Practical work for experimenting (C2)
(evidence for assessment)

Examples of potential content and teaching and learning tasks

Teaching prompts Teaching prompts include, but are not limited to:
• reflecting on, and evaluating, work in progress
• identifying challenges and areas for improvement
• identifying strategies for improvement.
Teaching ideas • Discuss with students how to effectively and critically
evaluate their work in progress.
• Introduce constructive ways to practise.
• Teach students to pinpoint specific technical challenges.
• Discuss with students how these technical challenges could
be practised and resolved.
• Encourage students to think of ways to expand their practice
techniques.
Learning tasks Students:
• critically think about their work to identify areas for
improvement
• think of new and innovative strategies to solve problems
• take risks and try out new techniques, musical material and
skills
• regularly check and align their usual practice and work
routines with their end goals
• record/collect their work in progress
• log commentaries, resources and inspirations for future
reference.

28 Music teacher support material

Assessment

Experimenting with music

Preparing the submission

For this component, students submit a report in which they select and present relevant findings from the
extra-musical and musical research that informed their practical work, and evidence their ability to apply
this research to their practical work. The examiner will be looking for justified musical choices and a clear
explanation of the process of experimentation, accompanied by an imaginative and resourceful set of
experiments in creating and performing.
In this context, it is important to remember that it is not only the greatest successes that lead to the best
learning and development of musical works; sometimes the greatest challenges bring forth the most
imaginative solutions. It may be appropriate to include and evidence such challenges in the submission,
along with an effective evaluation to explain how they affected the development of a piece of work.
All musical information must be precisely located and specified. The student should guide the examiner
through the connections between research and practical work, and through the processes of
experimentation evidenced in the practical excerpts themselves. The report should be supported by
relevant and accurate use of musical terminology.
• The experimentation report should have any scores or notated examples included in the main text of
the document as images.
• Creating and performing are to be compiled into two separate audio files.
◦ All three excerpts of creating work need to be compiled into a single audio file in chronological
order.
◦ All three excerpts of performing work need to be compiled into another single audio file in
chronological order.
• Timings for the beginning of each excerpt should be included on the coversheet.

78 Music teacher support material