Introduction: The Honesty Behind Every Note
Music is expression — but in IB Music, it’s also evidence of understanding. Integrity ensures that every composition, performance, and analysis reflects your own creativity, your cultural respect, and your commitment to authenticity.
The IB Music Guide (IBO, 2023) emphasizes that “academic honesty and artistic responsibility are essential to musical inquiry and creation.” That means crediting sources of inspiration, acknowledging cultural influences, and avoiding plagiarism — not just in written work, but in sound itself.
This guide explores how IB Music students can maintain integrity in composition, performance, and musical analysis, ensuring their artistry reflects both originality and ethics.
Quick Start Checklist: Integrity in IB Music
- Compose and arrange all original music yourself.
- Credit all inspirations, samples, and sources.
- Avoid using AI or pre-made loops without disclosure.
- Perform ethically — no editing or studio enhancement.
- Reflect honestly on process and cultural context.
- Follow IB academic honesty and copyright guidelines.
Integrity ensures that your music doesn’t just sound real — it is real.
Understanding Integrity in Music Creation
Integrity in IB Music blends creativity, authenticity, and accountability.
It involves:
- Original creation: Developing your own melodies, harmonies, and rhythms.
- Ethical performance: Presenting genuine, unaltered work.
- Cultural respect: Acknowledging musical traditions and influences appropriately.
As composer Leonard Bernstein said, “Music can name the unnameable.” Integrity ensures that what you name is yours to express.
Authentic Composition and Originality
Your compositions must reflect independent musical thinking.
To stay authentic:
- Write and record your own melodies, chords, and motifs.
- Use digital software (GarageBand, Logic, MuseScore) to build, not borrow, sound.
- Avoid copying chord progressions or melodic lines directly from existing works.
- Credit musical influences or samples explicitly.
- Keep drafts and files showing your creative process.
Originality in music means your fingerprint is audible — not invisible behind borrowed work.
Ethical Use of Technology and Samples
Digital tools expand musical creativity but can easily blur ethical boundaries.
To use technology responsibly:
- Avoid using copyrighted samples, loops, or beats without permission.
- Use royalty-free or self-produced sounds whenever possible.
- Credit all digital instruments, libraries, and plug-ins used.
- Do not use AI music generators to compose or mix for you.
- Always disclose software used in your process documentation.
Integrity ensures that technology amplifies creativity, not replaces it.
Avoiding Plagiarism in Composition and Analysis
Musical plagiarism occurs when you present someone else’s ideas as your own.
Avoid it by:
- Citing all composers, works, and recordings you reference.
- Paraphrasing musical ideas in your own compositional voice.
- Avoiding “lifting” harmonies, melodies, or motifs from known works.
- Refraining from copying published analyses or program notes.
Even unconscious borrowing can cross ethical lines — awareness keeps your sound original.
Honest Performance and Recording
Performance integrity means that what the listener hears is an honest reflection of your ability.
- Record live — no post-production editing, pitch correction, or overdubbing.
- Use the allowed number of takes as specified by IB guidelines.
- Do not submit professional studio recordings or others’ performances.
- Accurately label instruments, performers, and recording setups.
- Reflect on your technical and emotional expression honestly.
Your recording should demonstrate musicianship, not manipulation.
Ethical Musical Analysis and Research
When analyzing music — your own or others’ — integrity ensures accurate understanding.
- Use legitimate musical terminology and notation.
- Cite all research, theory texts, and academic sources.
- Acknowledge the original composer when quoting scores or motifs.
- Avoid relying on AI-generated or copied analyses.
- Discuss influences transparently without exaggeration.
Good analysis listens critically — and credits faithfully.
Respecting Cultural and Musical Diversity
IB Music celebrates global traditions, and cultural respect is part of integrity.
- Study and represent each culture authentically, avoiding appropriation.
- Credit traditional sources, communities, or teachers.
- Learn musical forms through context — not imitation.
- Avoid generalizations about genres or cultures.
- Reflect on how your own background influences your interpretation.
Cultural honesty deepens both musical understanding and ethical awareness.
Honest Reflection and Evaluation
Reflection connects artistry with integrity.
To reflect honestly:
- Describe what inspired your composition truthfully.
- Admit challenges, revisions, or failed experiments.
- Discuss how your technique and understanding evolved.
- Evaluate both strengths and weaknesses without exaggeration.
IB examiners reward transparency — it shows authentic engagement with the creative process.
Avoiding Collusion and Over-Assistance
While collaboration is part of music, assessment must remain individual.
- Compose, perform, and analyze independently.
- Credit any musicians or sound engineers who assisted.
- Avoid group writing or shared compositions unless clearly permitted.
- Keep evidence of your own creative control.
Integrity ensures your work represents you — your ear, your emotion, your effort.
How RevisionDojo Supports Musical Integrity
RevisionDojo helps IB Music students balance creativity and ethics through:
- Lessons on original composition and authentic performance.
- Tutorials on citation and avoiding plagiarism in musical writing.
- Guides for reflective documentation and process tracking.
- Examples of honest, high-scoring IB Music portfolios built on integrity.
With RevisionDojo, students learn to compose, perform, and analyze with both artistry and authenticity.
Conclusion: Integrity Is the Rhythm of Art
Music communicates what words cannot — and integrity ensures that message remains true.
In IB Music, every note, phrase, and reflection should express your voice, not someone else’s.
When you create honestly, you don’t just make music — you make meaning.
Integrity turns creativity into credibility and sound into sincerity.
RevisionDojo Call to Action
Compose authentically. Perform ethically.
Join RevisionDojo to master original composition, honest performance, and reflective analysis — the key to integrity in IB Music.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What counts as plagiarism in IB Music?
Copying melodies, harmonies, or arrangements without acknowledgment is plagiarism — even in digital compositions.
2. Can I use pre-made loops or samples?
Yes, if they are royalty-free and acknowledged. Avoid copyrighted or AI-generated material.
3. Can I edit my recordings?
Only for volume or clarity — not for tuning, timing, or performance correction.
4. How should I reflect on cultural influences?
Acknowledge sources honestly and discuss how they shaped your composition or interpretation.
5. How does RevisionDojo promote musical integrity?
RevisionDojo teaches ethical composition, accurate analysis, and honest reflection, empowering IB students to create with integrity and respect.
