A Combined Curtain Call for Senior Music and Theater Students

On Tuesday, March 22, at the after-school IB2 Music Recital and IB2 Theater Solo Showcase, seniors had their final official performances.

The afternoon started with audience members in the theater, where they listened to four IB Music solo performances of the piano, singing with the piano, and the cello.

Senior Bryson C. played Claude Debussy’s La fille aux cheveux de Lin on the piano. Overall, he enjoyed listening to all his classmates perform, though he had some regret about missing a few notes in his own performance. Out of all the pieces he practiced/performed in the past two years, he believes that the piece he performed at the recital might be the easiest one, but he successfully used it to improve his musical expression.

After the solo performances, the IB music students surprised audience members with a fun rendition of the classic “Can-Can” song: instead of playing their normal instruments, all the students learned a completely new instrument for the performance. There is no doubt that the musicians were out of their comfort zones since even the setup took longer than normal, but everyone played their part in the song and closed the IB Music Recital with a grinning flourish.

Senior Vivian C.  jokes: “We performed ‘Yes, I Can-Can!’ on unfamiliar instruments, which really should be called ‘No I Can’t-Can’t.'”

Vivian regrets not being unable to perform her 13-minute solo piece due to limited time, but she participated in the Can-Can performance at the end. Brainstorming for this performance was a highlight for Vivian because it was both fun and collaborative in nature.

At the end of the IB Music Recital, the audience and performers moved to the Blackbox for the two theater solos. These solos were the students’ third performance, but the only ones that were performed live instead of just recorded.

Bryson describes the performances as “inspiring”, and highlights how they taught him how even the smallest movement can be very powerful.

Jenny L. performed a piece inspired by theater theorist Julie Taymor, who is most famous for her Lion King costume designs. Jenny’s favorite part of the performance prep was making the costume and was so immersed in it that she regrets having limited time for her rehearsals.

Senior Jami R.’s solo was inspired by theater theorist Robert Lapage, whose work she first discovered on YouTube. Similarly to Jenny, she spent a lot of time on the technical preparation of her performance. If she were to do the solo again, Jami says she’d spend more time working on her movements and voice in addition to set design and projection.

Scroll through this gallery for photos from each performance, and continue reading for more reflections on the IB Performing Arts courses!

Jami says, “I think completing my performance was definitely a bittersweet ending for me because it finally hit me that my IB theater career is over.” Though she still has some writing to do, most of her coursework has been completed. Reflecting on the whole course, she says, “I won’t miss the workload, but I’ll definitely miss having a creative outlet in between my other, more academic classes. 

As an IB Theater student, Jami is most proud of all the technical knowledge she has gained about theater. She didn’t anticipate the course to be as academic as it was but has enjoyed learning all the details of theater.

In a similar branch of exploration, Bryson’s favorite part of IB Music has been listening to new music online and introducing his new favorite composers/singers to his friends. Throughout the course, he’s also found time to learn a lot about “other types of instruments and genres”, which he hadn’t done before.

From her IB Theater experience, Jenny is most proud of finishing the 20-page director’s notebook (“which is longer than the EE!”). She’s learned that there are many aspects and techniques of acting and performing: “Not only do we have to be aware of the way we behave on stage, but also the messages we intend to deliver through the way we act.”

Vivian is very pleased to be both a music and an IB music student. She says: “I loved, enjoyed, and fully immersed [myself] in the process of making projects and practicing for the recitals, and it’s such a bonus that these things also help me meet the IB requirements.”

As the IB program comes to a close for the seniors, they are also filled with gratitude for their teachers and peers.

Jami cites Mr. Pearton and Jenny as her support system. About Mr. Pearton specifically, she says: “He was my biggest source of inspiration besides the practitioner I chose himself. I’m really grateful that he helped me throughout my theater journey.”

Vivian adds: “I want to say a special thank-you to Ms. Staver, who made this class even happier.”

Performers, congratulations on getting to your high school music curtain call!