5th Grade Music Vocabulary

1st Trimester: Rhythm

Beat: the steady pulse in music. Note: a symbol used to indicate a musical tone and designated period of time.

Whole Note: note that lasts four beats w

Half Note: note that lasts two beats 1/2 of a whole note) h h (

Quarter Note: note that lasts one beat 1/4 of a whole note) qq (

Eighth Note: note that lasts half a beat 1/8 of a whole note) e e(

A pair of eighth notes equals one beat ry ry

Sixteenth Note: note that lasts one fourth of a beat - 1/16 of a whole note) s s(

a group of 4 sixteenth notes equals one beat dffg Rest: a symbol that is used to mark silence for a specific amount of time. Each note has a rest that corresponds to its name and how long it lasts:

= 1 = = 2 = = 4 = Q q H h W w Rhythm: patterns of long and short sounds and silences. Syncopation: a rhythm pattern in which the accent is shifted from the strong beat to weak beats or weak parts of beats e q e Dotted Notes: a dot to the right of any note adds half of the note’s value. For example, a half note, h is normally worth two beats. When it is dotted, h. it is worth three beats. 2 + 1 = 3

2nd Trimester: Timbre/Tone Color

Ensemble: a group of singers or instrumentalists performing together. Band: an instrumental ensemble, that consists of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments, with no string instruments. Orchestra: an instrumental ensemble that consists of string instruments along with woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Choir/Chorus: a group of people who sing together.

Instrument Families: Brass: wind instruments made of brass and other metals which are played by blowing through a cup-shaped or funnel-shaped mouthpiece. The main brass instruments of the orchestra are the trumpet, trombone, French horn, and tuba.

Percussion: instruments that are played by striking, shaking, or scraping. Non-Pitched Percussion: instruments without a definite pitch - for example, a hand drum, triangle, or rhythm sticks. Pitched Percussion: instruments with definite pitches – for example xylophone, glockenspiel, or timpani

String: instruments that are played by using a bow or plucking stretched strings. The main string instruments of the orchestra are the violin, viola, cello, double bass, and harp

Woodwind: wind instruments that were originally, and may continue to be, made of wood. They are played by blowing across a mouth hole or into a whistle mouthpiece or reed. The main woodwind instruments of the orchestra are the flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon.

Keyboard: instruments with patterns of black and white keys, played by pressing keys that activate a mechanism within the instrument (e.g. piano, organ)

3rd Trimester: Melody/Expressive Elements and Symbols

Dynamics: the loudness and quietness of sound. Pianissimo (pp): very quiet or very soft. Piano (p ): quiet or soft. Mezzo Piano (mp): medium soft Mezzo Forte (mf): medium loud Forte (f ): loud/strong. Fortissimo (ff): very loud/strong Crescendo (cresc. <): indicates that the music should gradually get louder. Decrescendo (decresc. >): indicates that the music should gradually get quieter. Tempo: the pace or speed of the music Largo: very slow. Andante: walking speed Moderato: moderately, medium speed Allegro: quickly,fast Presto: very fast

Melody: organized pitches and rhythm that make up a tune or song. Pitch: how high or low a sound seems

Repeated notes: two or more notes at the same pitch level. jjjj Skip: an interval (distance) larger than a step; motion from one pitch to another that is more

than a step away. Larger skips are often called “leaps” dgqrwf Step: motion from one scale-degree to the next (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do OR a-b-c-d-e-f-g).

Line note to the adjacent space note, or space note to the adjacent line note. ghjqjhg

Staff: a set of lines and spaces used in writing music to show the pitches; usually five lines and four spaces. Line Notes: EGBDF Space Notes: FACE ++ dgjwr fhqe Accidentals: Flat (b) lowers a tone by a half step. Sharp (m) raises a tone by a half step. Natural (n) cancels the flat or sharp Bar line: a vertical line on the staff separating one measure from the next ===\=== Double Bar (ending bar): two vertical lines on the staff at the end of the final measure ===\| Measure: The space between the bar lines where a certain number of beats of music is written, depending on the time signature. =\====\= Repeat sign: a symbol that indicates that certain measures or passages are to be sung or played twice. ||: :|| Tie : a curved line that joins two successive notes of the same pitch. Indicates that the second note is tied to the first and should not be sounded separately q_ h Time signature: numbers or signs written at the beginning of the music staff that indicate the number of beats used in a measure and what type of note equals one beat. For example: $4= four quarter notes per measure Treble clef used to notate the highest sounding notes; the curl of the clef surrounds the second & line, G.