Preparing finished works

• You practise and prepare completed musical works to perform or present.
• External assessment includes presenting music: a diverse programme of created and performed works.
• You show breadth (variety across the areas of inquiry and contexts) and depth (polished, communicative work).

What you control on stage

• Dynamics (forte, piano, crescendo, diminuendo) for shape and drama.
• Articulation (legato smooth, staccato detached, accents).
• Tempo and rubato (expressive push and pull of time).
• Phrasing — shaping melodic lines with breath and direction.
• Timbre — how you produce the sound.
• Ensemble — listening, blend, balance and timing with others.

Name that technique

Making the music yours

Interpretation is the expressive choices that make a performance yours: how you shape dynamics, tempo, articulation and phrasing to communicate the music’s character and context.

Two performers can play the same notes very differently. IB rewards informed, communicative, stylistically aware interpretation.

Which kind of craft?

Tap a task, then the kind of craft it shows.

From draft to finished work

Turning drafts into finished created works:

• Fix the structure — clear form, effective transitions and a satisfying ending (often a strong cadence).
• Check harmony and voice-leading; make textures clear.
• Consider timbre and instrumentation and dynamics.
• Notate or record clearly so others can realise or assess it.

Read the marking

Building a diverse set

A strong presented programme shows range:

• Contrast of styles, tempos, moods and areas of inquiry.
• A mix of created and performed works.
• Thoughtful ordering — open strong, contrast in the middle, end memorably.
• Each work polished, rather than many left rough.

Stagecraft and connection

Presenting is communication: energy and commitment, recovering from slips, and (where relevant) framing the context of the music for the audience.

Even in a recorded submission, communicative intent comes through in your expressive choices.

Ensemble skills

Match the term to its meaning

Tap a description on the left, then its matching term on the right.

Practice that actually works

• Slow, deliberate practice; isolate the hard passages.
• Record yourself and listen critically.
• Rehearse under performance conditions (run-throughs, from memory if needed).
• For ensembles, agree cues, tempos and dynamics together.

What is a diverse programme?

Presenting with identity

Your programme should express your musical identity — the traditions, sounds and ideas that matter to you — presented with technical control and expressive intent.

Curate, polish and communicate.

The big ideas to know

You have covered Presenting music. Press Finish to see your score.