IB MYP Music (Middle Years Programme) is a pedagogical framework that sits over national and international curricula.  Students construct their own knowledge and understanding through inquiry based learning that is documented through process journals. Students are taught how to become better people through the Learner Profile and they are taught to become better students through the Approaches to Learning Skills. 

If you already know what IB MYP Music is, use the menu below to jump to your favourite topic.

A somewhat brief summation from a 14+ year veteran of the IB MYP Music programme:

1. IB MYP Music teaches students to be better people by emphasizing its Learner Profile. It’s the idea that everyone should be caring, balanced, an inquirer, knowledgeable, reflective, principled, open-minded, courageous, a thinker, and a good communicator. IB MYP Music walks away from the ideal of standardised testing and its raw data and instead looks at students as people. What type of person do we want our students to be? 

Collage of learner profile posters

2. Students learn how to become better at learning by improving their research, thinking, social, communication, and self-management skills. These are called the “Approaches to Learning” or ATL skills.

Infographic of icons related to thinking springing from man’s head, representing thinking skills.
A magnifying class in front of a laptop showing a graph, representing research skills.
An open laptop depicting a cartoon conference call, representing communication skills.
Two groups of people talking with cartoon speech bubbles, representing social skills.
Cartoon clock has appointments attached to times, representing self-management Approaches to Learning skills.

3. IB MYP Music wants students to focus on big, over-arching ideas (concepts) that could be applicable to any class, but which are taught in one class (or, in an interdisciplinary unit, actually within many classes).  For example, a big idea could be, “Communication is an essential part of persuasion.”  

4. There’s a huge focus on process work. Do you remember that unit you did in grade 3 on dinosaurs? Neither do I. The IB recognises that the learning skills you pick-up in the process of learning will stay with you, even if you forget the difference between a brachiosaurus and a brontosaurus. This process work is documented through the process journal.

5. There’s an even bigger focus on student agency (student voice & choice). By co-constructing their learning, students can emotionally engage with the material better. 

For information on IB MYP Music, directly from the source, here’s the IBO Website.

What does it actually look like? (Heads Up - It's a beautiful thing to behold)

I walked into our Design Centre and saw students giving feedback on each other’s work.  They were working on a persuasion unit and were creating videos on social issues. Three students were sitting together, with a laptop open. The middle student was quickly nodding, asking clarifying questions, and typing. You see, the other two were offering very specific, helpful, and kind feedback on his project.  All three were really intent. It was beautiful to me because it seemed like there were no egos involved. The Design Centre offered a kind and supportive environment, and the MYP assessment criteria asks for responses to feedback given. This accumulated in a beautiful situation in which students were really open and receptive to constructive criticism from their peers. I was seeing Approaches to Learning skills developing in real time. 

Same thing in an IB MYP Music class.

I tell my students, “Please produce a performance that demonstrates your understanding of music as a persuasive tool.”  Some perform as soloists, others in small groups, and others in a large group. They are making progress videos and critiquing their own work. Midway through the creative cycle, they watch each other’s performances and give feedback. When finished, the group respectfully listens to the performance and then offers kind, specific, and help constructive criticism and praise that serves to help the musicians through their next creative cycle.

Perfect for my son.

When I see the type of students who graduate from IB MYP Music classes, I know this is what I want for my own son. MYP students are hard-working, flexible-thinkers who are happy to take feedback in their journeys to become life-long learners.

This is not because they memorise all melodic minor scales and can name every major composer from the Renaissance era; it’s because they’ve learned how to learn in a supportive, inquiry-based, failing-forward environment.