EC - 6, TExES, 291 Music (805)

Zoltan Kodaly

A Hungarian Music teacher and composer who believed that singing is the best way to develop a feel for music and that it should precede instrumental instruction. A popular teaching method was named after him, which is a holistic experienced-based approach that emphasizes the pleasure of music and the importance of the human Voice.

Quarter Note

A note equivalent to one fourth of a whole note.

Accidental

A note of pitch that is not a member of the scale The sign for sharp, flat, or natural is placed to the left of the note to show there is a change in pitch.

Staff

AKA stave, is a set of five lines and four spaces. Each line and space represent a specific musical pitch.

Flat

Playing or singing below pitch

Jingles

They are catchy. They are short songs or tunes used in advertising and for other commercial uses. students enjoy singing them. Consider having students adapt popular jingles by changing the lyrics or asking them to create a jingle for a particular product.

The Kodály Concept

a holistic, experienced-based approach that emphasizes the pleasure of music and the importance of the human voice. It is named after Zoltán Kodály, a Hungarian music teacher and composer, who believed that singing is the best way to develop a feel for music and that it should precede instrumental instruction. Folk songs and other traditional works play a key role in the Kodály Concept, because they not only teach children about rhythm, meter, and melody, but they also provide insight into human cultures from around the world.

Solfège

a system for singing notes, is also key to the Kodály Concept. Solfège uses the syllables do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, and do to represent each tone in the major scale. The Kodály Concept uses "movable-do" solfège, in which do can represent any pitch. Kodály believed that learning solfège would allow students to understand how notes relate to one another, which would in turn help them develop the ability to sight sing, or sing a piece of music without having heard it before.

Intensity

how loudly or softly a song is played or sung.

Teaching Improvisation

in which students apply what they've learned to creating their own musical patterns or compositions, can seem intimidating to a novice teacher, but it's actually a simple process.

Rote Learning

in which students learn songs by ear, is an excellent strategy for teaching simple songs to students who cannot yet read music.

Orchestra

An instrumental ensemble that combines multiple families of instruments, A full orchestra has all four families of instruments: woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion.

Solfege

Is a system of singing notes and is key to the Kodaly concept. It uses the syllables do, re, mi, fa, so, la, ti, and do to represent each tone in the major scale. Kodlay believed that learning this system would allow students to understand how notes relate to one another and in turn help them learn to sight sing, sing a piece of music without having heard it before.

Gospel

Is devoted to Christian themes. This music typically consists of hymns and spirituals. It is characterized by harmonized vocals. Instruments used: keyboard instruments.

Jazz

Is improvisational and blends the features of other genres such as the blues and folk to create an all new distinctly American form of art. It was popularized by the African-American communities in New Orleans in the 19th - early 20th century. Instruments used: keyboard and drum, and bass, and woodwind instruments.

Inotation

Is the accuracy of the pitch. It can be flat or sharp.

Dynamics

Is the instruction of how loudly or softly a performer should play or sing

Partner Song

Is when two or more people sing different songs at the same time to create harmony and center point (in which two or more melodies are played in conjunction with one another). Partner songs have similar harmonic structures and lengths. Have each group practice their part individually before coming together.

Timbre

the tone or unique quality of a sound. Depending on the instrument, terms like bright, dark, warm, or harsh might describe tone quality.

Brass

these instruments are usually made of brass. They produce sound when you vibrate your lips into a mouthpiece. These instruments consist of a series of tubes and by varying the tube length, different pitches are pronounced. Types of instruments: trumpet, cornet, French horn, trombone, baritone, tuba, and sousaphone.

Keyboard

uses keys or buttons to produce different pitches (piano, harpsichord, organ, accordion, keytar, and synthesizer).

Grand Staff

when two staffs are joined by a brace.

Interval

The difference between two pitches.

The following strategies will help incorporate improvisation into lessons for students at different levels:

1. Begin with rhythm. Keeping a steady 4/4 beat, have students use body percussion to create rhythmic patterns. This is an excellent way to reinforce lessons about note values. 2. Introduce melody. Once students have mastered rhythmical improvisation, introduce melodic improvisation. For early learners, you might consider using syllables or animal sounds; with more advanced learners, consider introducing solfège.

The following steps will allow you to teach songs by rote:

1. Introduce the song by telling students about its cultural context, genre, etc. 2. Perform the song energetically. 3. Lead learners through the song, having them repeat each phrase after you. If the song is in a language that is unfamiliar to students, you may want to speak the words before you sing them. 4. Master one part of the song before moving on to new material, taking care to address mistakes as they happen. 5. Practice the song multiple times.

Symphony

A classical composition that consists of multiple movements which are smaller, self-contained, sections of a larger work that can be played on their own or together to provide contrasts in mood and tone.

Opera

A dramatic musical form that includes singing to orchestral accompaniment. The roots are in Greek drama. Incorporate vocal soloists, choruses, orchestras, elaborate costumes, and scenery to tell a story.

Chamber Orchestra

A group of 15-45 musicians who play chamber works, works written to be performed in smaller spaces.

Lullaby

A soft gentle song. Often convey important information about human relationships and cultural traditions. Lullabies not only help establish emotional bonds between adults and children, but they also convey important information about human relationships and cultural traditions. Because most world cultures feature lullabies, they offer excellent opportunities for students to compare and contrast works from different cultural contexts.

Blues

African Americans from the rural south developed this in the late 19th century by combining elements of traditional African forms with folk music and Christian hymns. This music has a simple and harmonic structure. Instruments used: a guitar is almost always used along with other instruments.

Time Signature

Appears to the left of the clef and key signature. It tells you the meter that a piece of music uses. There are two numbers. The top number tells you how many beats occur in each bar (or measure) and the bottom number tells you which note represents one beat.

Folk Songs

Are considered music "of the people". Traditionally associated with the laboring or agriculture classes, these songs offered a way for cultures to transmit key values, stories, and customs from one generation to the next.

Woodwinds

Are tubular instruments with a series of holes that can open and close to change the pitch by blowing air across a tone hole or by using a piece of cane called a reed. They are usually made of wood. Wood instruments: flute, piccolo, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, English horn, and bassoon.

Dimension

Can also be referred to as the elements in music. These include duration, dynamics, pitch, structure, tempo, texture, and timbre.

Tone

Characterized by its duration, pitch, intensity, and timbre.

Game Song

Clapping songs such as "Patty Cake," help emphasize rhythm and motor skills. Various "naming" songs such as "Who Took the Cookie from the Cookie Jar?" work well for class introductions, and songs like "Let Us Chase the Squirrel" are easily paired with choreographed/coordinated movements.

Bluegrass

Developed in Appalachia when settlers from the UK and Ireland began writing songs about their everyday life. It is also known as "mountain music". Instruments used: acoustic stringed instruments, fiddle, banjo, guitar, mandolin, and string bass.

Pop

Emerged from Rock and Roll. It has a basic structure of verse-chorus-verse, chord progressions, catchy melodies, and simple lyrics.

Hip Hop

Emerged in the 1970s in America and its roots are distinctly African American; grew out of urban communities. Rap is under this umbrella.

Treble Clef

For lines in a treble clef, think of "Every Good Boy Does Fine" to remember the lines are pitched at E, G, B, D, and F. The spaces spell FACE.

Bass Clef

For the lines in the bass clef, think of "Grizzly Bears, Don't Fly Airplanes" to remember the lines are pitched at G, B, D, F, and A. For the spaces in the bass clef, think of "All Cows Eat Grass" for A,C, E, and G.

Country

Grew out of the rural south in the 20th century. The first musicians of this kind of music were primarily white, working-class Americans who combined elements from multiple folk genres including folk, popular songs, traditional ballads, and cowboy songs to make a new genre. Instruments used: fiddle, guitar, banjos, steel guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard.

Rock and Roll

In the 1950s, musicians combined elements from the blues and country music to create this type of music, Instruments used: guitar, drums, bass.

Movement

Incorporate movement and sound (hand signs, jumping, clapping, foot tapping, body percussion, snapping, etc.) into your instruction whenever possible. Doing so will not only be fun for students, but it will also help them internalize key concepts such as rhythm and meter.

Tune

Is a song, a melody, having the correct musical pitch or being in the correct key. It is also when you can sing on key.

Eighth Note

Is a note having the time value of an eighth of a whole note or half of a quarter note.

Symphonic Band

Is a performing ensemble. It has members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion families of instruments, in addition to the double bass or bass guitar.

Ledger Lines

Notate the pitches that occur above or below the staff.

Measure

Notes are grouped into measures, or bars. A vertical black bar divides the staff into measures.

Sight Singing

Once students are familiar with solfège and rhythm, you can teach them sight singing. Begin by having students clap and count the rhythm out loud using numbers. (For example, in a measure that features a quarter note, four eighth notes, and a quarter note, students would say "ONE two-and three-and four" while clapping along.) Next, allow students to review the piece on their own and have them identify spots that might prove troublesome. Then, use solfège syllables to make your way through the piece without stopping, even though students will make mistakes. Finally, go back to the beginning of the piece and work through it measure by measure.

Tejano

Originated among the Mexican-American population in central and south Texas. It is also called Tex-Mex. The music is upbeat and blends pop, folk, polka, and Latin influences. Instruments used: banjo sexto, horns, drums, congas, keyboards, electric guitar bass, and accordion.

Active Listening

Play selections from various genres and have the students brainstorm a list of the key features for each of the genres. Activities like this will help students become more comfortable using musical terminology.

Pitch

Refers to how high or low we perceive a sound to be. The higher the note, the higher it is on the staff. The more vibrations per second, the higher.

Tempo

Refers to the speed at which a piece of music is played or sung.

Types of Songs

Round, Partner Song, Lullaby, Game Song, Jingles, Spirituals, & Work Songs

Percussion

Shaken or hit to produce sound. When pitched, these instruments can produce differently pitched sounds (xylophone, glockenspiel, marimba, vibraphone, and timpani). When these instruments are not pitched, they are used to provide rhythm (snare and bass drum, triangles, gongs, castanets, rattles, cowbells, woodblocks, tambourines, maracas, calves, and whistles).

Conductor

Someone who leads the orchestra. They use a baton to set the tempo.

Duration

The length that a tone is played or sung.

Meter

There is a pattern of strong and weak beats.

Rhythem

This the arrangement of sounds as they move though time. It is also used to describe a specific pattern of sounds. In a very simple form, music can be created by clapping your hands to a specific rhythm.

Strings

Use strings to produce sound. Bowed string instruments (those that produce a sound when a bow is moved across the strings): violins, violas, cellos, and string basses Plucked stringed instruments: guitar, harp, banjo, and the lute.

Spirituals

Were developed by enslaved people of African decent who were brought to America. They are an African-American art form that combines Christian hymns with the patterns of traditional African folk songs. Many of these feature a call-and-response where the leader sings a line and the group responds. Because spirituals were born out of slavery, incorporate age-appropriate historical information into your lesson. You may also want to coordinate with the students' history teachers so that your lessons on spirituals coincide with a unit on slavery in the students' history or social studies courses.

Instruments and Objects

When possible, demonstrate key concepts by allowing students to play instruments (recorders, keyboards, ukuleles, etc.) or create sounds with everyday objects (sticks, blocks, pot lids, etc.). Experimenting with sound will help students understand concepts such as pitch, rhythm, meter, and dynamics.

Round

When two or more people sing exactly the same melody, but they begin at different times. Popular rounds include "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," "Three Blind Mice," "Frère Jacques," and "The Farmer in the Dell." When teaching students to sing rounds, begin by having the entire group sing in unison. Then, as students become more familiar with the words, rhythm, and melody, have students begin singing at different times. Creating choreography for different parts of the song or having students walk around the room as they sing their parts will add interest and excitement.

Sharp

When someone is playing or singing above pitch.

Improvisation

When students can apply what they've learned and create their own musical patterns or compositions.

Rote Learning

When students learn songs by ear. This is an excellent strategy to teach simple songs to students who cannot read music yet.

Composition

When teaching different genres, you might encourage students to adapt one of the songs that you're studying into a different genre. You might also ask students to compose their own works in the style of a particular genre or composer.

Work Songs

Work songs are connected with manual labor, such as agricultural work or railroad work, and were used to help workers stay in unison as they completed their tasks. Work songs were particularly popular among slave workers of African descent, often used as a means of creatively venting frustration with their situation. Like spirituals, many work songs are derived from African folk songs and feature a call-and-response format, in which a leader sings a line and the group responds. Because work songs are closely associated with slavery, incorporate age-appropriate historical information into your lesson. You may also want to coordinate with the students' history teachers so that your lessons on work songs coincide with a unit on slavery in the students' history or social studies courses.