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TEACHING KIDS MUSIC
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ELEMENTS OF ​MUSIC


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BEAT

BEAT is the "heart beat" or pulse of the music.
(strong/weak)

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TEMPO

TEMPO is the "speed" of the beat.
​(fast/slow)
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PITCH

PITCH is the "highness" or "lowness" of the sound.
(high/low)

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DYNAMICS

DYNAMICS is the "volume" of the sound.
​(loud/soft)
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RHYTHM

RHYTHM is "patterns" or combinations of
"long" and "short" sounds and silences.
(long/short)

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FORM

FORM is the "order" or pattern of sections in a piece of music. (How a song is organized.)

A  B  A  C  A

When you want to figure out the FORM of a song, you first listen for patterns in the music. Then, identify the different sounding parts and label them alphabetically. The first, main part you hear will always be "A" because it is the first letter of the alphabet. The next part will be called "B" and the next part will be called "C", and so on. If any part repeats, we reuse the letter. (If it sounds like the music from part "A" is being repeated, we call it "A" again).

Popular FORMS in Music

A  A  A  A

A   B   or   A  A  B  B

A   B   A


RONDO (ABACA)

a form of music where the "A" section
always repeats after each new section

A  B  A  C  A


VERSE & REFRAIN (CHORUS)

a form of music where the verses alternate with a refrain

A    B    A    B

(Verse 1)       (Refrain)       (Verse 2)       (Refrain)
In POP music, the VERSE (A section) tells the story.
The REFRAIN or "Chorus" (B section) is the
​"catchy" part that repeats.

Yankee Doodle

Verse 1
Yankee Doodle went to town
A-riding on a pony
Stuck a feather in his cap
And called it macaroni

Verse 2
Father and I went down to camp
Along with Captain Gooding
And there we saw the men and boys
As thick as hasty pudding

Verse 3
And there was Captain Washington
Upon a slapping stallion
A-giving orders to his men
I guess there were a million
Refrain
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy

Refrain
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy

Refrain
Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step
And with the girls be handy

Yankee Doodle, keep it up
Yankee Doodle dandy
Mind the music and the step

And with the girls be handy

THEME & VARIATIONS

a form of music where an idea (theme) is stated,
then altered as it is repeated (variations)

ROUND (Canon)

a form of music where all parts overlap the same melody,
but begin at different times

Now let's analyze the FORM of a famous piece of music. This song has A, B and C sections as well as an INTRODUCTION, INTERLUDES, and a CODA!

"Finale" to the William Tell Overture

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Check out the Marvelous Musical Deli
​to learn more about FORM.
(CLICK Here)

MORE HOT TOPICS


TIMBRE

Timbre is the "individual quality" of a sound.
(tone color)


MAJOR vs. minor

Songs can either be in a Major or Minor key. A song in a Major key sounds "happy" or bright. A song in a Minor key sounds "sad", dark or mysterious. We can also refer to chords in the same way. If a chord sounds "happy", we say that it's a Major chord. If a chord sounds "sad", we say that it's a Minor chord.

Click here for MUSIC SYMBOLS

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