The International Baccalaureate program is a staple of Dobbs Ferry High School. It is displayed proudly on the home page of our website, which highlights certain aspects of the program such as its emphasis on the development of well-rounded students. In accordance with this goal, those taking on the daunting task of a full IB diploma must fulfill requirements in six categories of courses: Sciences, Language Acquisition, Language and Literature, Individuals and Societies, Mathematics, and The Arts. Three of said classes must be taken at the Higher-Level.
Even as students enter sophomore year, the shadow of the IB program looms over them. By the end of the year, they will have to make many choices about whether and how they want to proceed in the program. Perhaps the most divisive decision for those opting into the program is the student’s course selection in the Arts. They will have to choose between Film, Visual Art, and Music, each equipped with its own nuance and challenges.
IB Film, as described in the DFHS Course of Study Guide, is a two-year, Higher-Level course that explores and guides students through the creation of original films, the analysis of domestic and foreign works, and the history of the motion picture. At the end of senior year, students will have to submit their Film Portfolio, which they develop over the duration of the course. They must also complete a written analysis of a five-minute sequence from a list of prescribed films and produce a comparative study of two films developed from distinct cultural contexts that share a common area of film focus, presented in the form of a video essay.
IB Art, on the other hand, focuses on the visual fine arts. As the Course of Study Guide puts it, through the art they produce, students will conduct an “intensive study of their creative selves.” Like IB Film, the course also explores the history of art, artists, and exhibitions so students can better interact with the world of art and, therefore, their own works. Students must submit reflections on the 8 – 12 artworks that they complete during the course. By the end of the curriculum, students will have developed a Process Portfolio displaying their progress as artists and creative thinkers to be submitted for review. Additionally, students display their work in an exhibition, composed of 8 – 11 original works accompanied by exhibition texts. Exhibition texts provide a succinct look into the intention and process behind the work they accompany. Similar to the final comparative study of IB Film, IB Art also requires students to conduct a written comparative analysis. To do so, students must analyze at least three artworks by two artists from differing cultural contexts, and reflect on how these works affected their personal artwork and creative mind.
The final installment of the IB Arts offered by the school is IB Music. Dobbs has both a Standard and Higher-Level track for IB Music, unlike film or art, which are only offered as HL courses. The biggest difference between the SL and HL IB Music tracks is “The Contemporary Music Maker” project. As Paul Huneke – the IB Music year two teacher – describes it, the Contemporary Music Maker “tasks students with completing and documenting the process of a job that a ‘real life’ musician would do, such as putting on a concert or recording an album.” Despite this major difference, both tracks present a focus on the performance, creation, and analysis of music from a broad spectrum of cultures, purposes, and styles. Over the two-year course, students build a number of portfolios – three for SL students and four for HL students – that demonstrate their progress as musicians and musically creative thinkers. These are sent into the IB organization and graded as the final exam for the course.
It is clear that each class promotes a unique set of values and challenges that connect students with different artistic worlds. IB Film requires collaborative abilities and respect for others’ ideas; IB Art requires an aptitude for expressing and understanding the inner self; and IB Music, no matter the track, requires an understanding of music and the ability to perform for an audience. At the end of the day, the decision comes down to each individual student’s strengths, weaknesses, and person as a whole.