IA How strict are IB Music examiners?

[Hisham]

Hey all.

Im currently in my first year in DP, and will be testing in Music SL in a couple months. For my IA I am doing solo performance on the Violin (Canzonetta, Summer from Four Seasons) and Piano (moonlight sonata first movement). I will be recording my songs live in a week, and I am getting a little nervous on how strict the IB Music examiners are when it comes to the solo performance. Music is really subjective, and I'm worried that the examiner I get will be really strict. The criteria I am worried about is C and D (communication, and understanding of style), because I don't really know how it's possible to grade someone on how they understand the style of music... Also if there are a couple of wrong notes here and there, will that lower my score down to mediocore or poor? We're still high schoolers not professional musicians, so in general are the examiners really strict?

 

Thanks to all who answer!

[Tenika]

Well, I wouldn't know for sure as I'm basically the same as you except HL but I was talking to my music teacher, this is all speculation however, and he figures it'll be pretty okay; after all we aren't professionals and the nerves from the examination pressure and just the performance itself is pretty daunting. So HOPEFULLY, they'll spare us. I just hope so because I made quite a few blunders. Hope this eases your tension a bit.

[Guest]

"Understanding of style" I would assume is how the student conveys the style of whatever pieces they are performing, so as long as say you're playing a funk song and you do like tight articulations and swing 16th notes etc., then that's understanding of the style.

Also my music teacher told me that I can only do performances on one instrument, but perhaps he was wrong. Anyone else know anything about that?