Download File - The Whole Schools Initiative

Whole Schools Summer Institute 2014
“Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
-Victor Hugo
Musical Elements
1. Beats and Meter
● Beats give music its regular rhythmic pattern
● Beats are grouped together in measures
● Meter refers to rhythmic patterns produced by grouping strong and weak beats together
(Duple, Triple, Quadruple)
2. Dynamics
● Dymnamics are abbreviations or symbols used to signify the degree of loudness or
softness of a piece of music.
3. Harmony
● Harmony refers to the combination of notes played together and the relationship
between a series of chords.
● Melody-refers to the tune of a song or piece of music. Harmony accompanies and
supports the melody.
4. Key
● Also known as tonality, a principle in music composition where there is a feeling of
completion by going back to the “Home” note. The main key or home key is called the
tonic.
5. Musical Instruments and Voice
● Musical instrument Families: Percussion (Timpani, kettle drums, chimes, woodblocks),
Strings (violin, viola, cello, bass), woodwinds (flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon), Brass
(trumpets, trombone, French horn, tuba),
● Voices: Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass
6. Musical Notation
● A system of symbols used to represent music when writing it down. These symbols
specify the pitch, rhythm and meter of a piece of music.
7. Pitch
● The relative lowness and highness that we hear in sound
8. Rhythm
● The pattern or placement of sounds in time and beats in music
9. Tempo
● The Italian word at the beginning of a music piece that indicates how slow or fast the
piece should be played.
10. Timbre
● Tone color that distinguishes one voice or instrument from another.
1. Warmups
● Count and Shake Downs (PK-6)
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The Elevator Song (PK-6)
Seven Steps (K-6)
Singing in the Rain (PK-3)
Vocal Warmups (6-8)
2. Listening
● Voicing Identification
● Word Painting
● Analysis
3. Rhythm Reading
● Kodaly Notation- (ta/ti-ti/toe/tika tika/wholenote hold down)
● Creating and playing ostinatos
● Rhythm Band-(PK-2)
● BlueBird (PK-2)
● Canoe Song (2-6)
● Great Big House (2-6)
● Four White Horses (2-6)
4. Literature for students
● “I know a Chicken”
● “Safety Dance”
● “Rockin Robin”
● “Dinosaur Diddywadoo”
● “Keep in the Middle of the Road”
● “Deep in the Heart of Texas”