CAS @ MLC SCHOOL

CAS Reflection Form

Activity Name: LmusA Violin Exam
CAS element(s) involved:
C

YES

Group

Is this activity completed or ongoing?

Completed
Activity Reflection: Comment only on those learning outcomes listed below that are
relevant to this activity.
You may want to comment on:
What you wanted to achieve by doing this activity and what you did actually
achieve.
What you struggled with or found frustrating and how you managed that.
What you have learnt about working with others. What you learnt about yourself?
How this activity will inform your future CAS activities.

Increased awareness of my own strengths and areas for growth

Undertaken new challenges
Planned and initiated activities
Worked collaboratively with others
Shown perseverance and commitment
Engages with issues of global importance
Considered the ethical implications of my actions
Developed new skills

I started playing the violin at age 5 and I have developed a love for music
because of this. I therefore wanted to use this activity in CAS because I felt that it
would be nice to combine one of my extra-curricular activities with my school
work. I also thought that because I enjoy music, this would make CAS much
more easy and effective for me. By doing this activity, I aimed to develop an
increased awareness of my own strengths and areas for growth, show
perseverance and commitment, and develop new skills. I believe that I achieved
in all three areas and I feel that I have come out of this activity a much more
mature and learned person.
Completing a music exam, especially one at a high level such as the LmusA
diploma, requires a lot of self-interest and responsibility to improve, as it is
difficult for a music teacher to simply teach you the skills. I had to develop an
increased awareness of my strengths and weaknesses, even though I found it a
challenge to accept my faults and see that I wasnt very good in a certain skill. To
do this, I recorded myself playing and listened back to it multiple times to see
how it sounded as it was played back to me, because in the moment of playing it

CAS @ MLC SCHOOL

is difficult to pinpoint all the mistakes that you have made. I found this very
challenging in the beginning because I hate listening to myself on a recording
and it was confronting to hear all of the mistakes that I made, of which I would
have been ignorant had I not recorded myself. However, by doing this, I was
better able to see where I wanted to improve myself and where my strengths
were so I could emphasise them. I believe that this helped me immensely, as it
allowed me to develop also a sense of self-responsibility for my playing and
allowed me to grow as a musician.
Further, I believe that I showed commitment and perseverance in this activity,
because it was such a long term event. Preparing for an exam requires many
long practice hours and even more time just thinking and contemplating the
music. I think that I started playing the pieces that I would be examined on at
least 9 months, if not a year in advance. I found that as you practice more and
more and you get better at playing the piece, improving on yourself becomes
exponentially more difficult, meaning that more and more time is required to
improve yourself. Therefore, in order to complete this activity, I spent long hours
practicing and listening to music, even when it became challenging and
frustrating because I wasnt improving as much.
Finally, I strongly believe that I have learnt new skills, in areas of musical
technique as well as development as a learner and musician. First and foremost,
I developed and learnt new techniques specific to the violin as I was playing
increasingly difficult music. However, I also learnt new ways in approaching
practicing and learning new skills. For example, I developed my sense of
responsibility for my own actions, as I would take initiative to record and listen to
myself play to improve my playing, even though it was confronting at first. I think
that this skill could be applied to many different areas of life, not just music, and I
am glad that I was able to develop it while doing my CAS activity.
By submitting this form you are declaring that the reflection and evidence in this CAS
activity meet the IB Academic Honesty guidelines.