Music is a form of art and cultural expression. It is characterized by organized sound patterns created through melody, harmony, rhythm, and timbre, often conveyed through instruments, vocals, or electronic means. It serves various purposes, including entertainment, communication, emotional expression, and cultural identity.
What was your last musical experience? Was it driving in the car? Singing a lullaby to a child? Listening to a symphony? Maybe the radio that was playing at a store?
Maybe the rhapsodic rhythm of the wind in the trees? The beat of your car blinker or the soft humming of a student in your classroom? Music is everywhere!
What is your background with music, and what is music to you?
Music in the classroom has many benefits, including the following:
PITCH: sounds occurring at a certain frequency that can be described as high or low
SCALE: pitches that are arranged in a specific order of whole and half steps. Scales determine tonality; different cultures and different periods in time use different scales.
MELODY: a succession of sounds (pitches)
CHORD: three or more pitches sounded simultaneously
HARMONY: the simultaneous sounding of two or more pitches; the vertical structure of music
moving through time and supporting the melody. Harmony may be homophonic and polyphonic.
TEXTURE: the interaction of melody and harmony. Two or more melodic or rhythmic lines may occur at the same time, resulting in a "thick" or "thin" texture or density of sound.
DURATION: lengths of sounds and silences that occur in music, as well as the organization of these sounds and silences in time
BEAT: the underlying pulse that may be sounded or silent
METER: the pattern of beats by which a piece of music is measured
RHYTHM: the organization of sounds and silences in time
TIMBRE: characteristic sound (tone, color, or quality) of a voice or instrument (pronounced tam-ber)
Sounds are made by vibrating materials. The vibrating materials determine the quality and "color" of the sound. These may have a pleasant or unpleasant quality. One instrument may make many different sounds; different cultures use different kinds of instruments. Sounds may be organized into categories according to the vibrating material:
AEROPHONE: vibrating air (e.g., flute)
CHORDOPHONE: vibrating strings (e.g., guitar)
MEMBRANOPHONES: vibrating membrane (e.g., bongo drums)
IDIOPHONES: vibrator and resonator are the same (e.g., triangle)
DIFFERENT SOUND SOURCES:
BODY PERCUSSION: examples include clapping, snapping, patting, stomping, etc.
FORM: overall structural organization of a musical composition; the way music is organized in a structure, plan or pattern
PHRASE: a series of notes that creates a complete musical thought or idea
CADENCE: a sequence of notes or chords that concludes a phrase, section, or piece of music
SECTION: a piece of music may be organized into sections that are the same or different. Examples include:
EXPRESSIVE QUALITIES: qualities (dynamics, tempo articulation) that when combined with other musical elements help to make a piece of music more interesting
ARTICULATION: the way a single note or musical passage is played or sung for expressive effect
DYNAMICS: the perceived loudness or softness of the music
TEMPO: the speed of the beat
Teach your kids a song! Don’t know how? We can help. Teachers often wonder if there's a specific sequence to follow to teach songs to children effectively. They want to know the best strategies for introducing songs, breaking down lyrics and melodies into manageable parts, and incorporating activities to reinforce learning. We cover all this and more in the blog article linked below.
Click here to read “How to Teach a Song to Children.”
Vocal warm-ups can prevent vocal strain and injury while improving vocal quality, range, and confidence. The article below offers various warm-up exercises suitable for the classroom setting, including breathing techniques, and vocalizations.
Vocal warm-ups enhance focus, collaboration, and overall well-being among students. Try integrating vocal warm-ups into daily classroom routines to promote vocal health, skill development, and a positive learning environment. Playing and experimenting with their voices can help young students improve their auditory processing skills. A great benefit for emerging readers!
Click here to read “Vocal Warm-Ups for the Classroom.”
Rhythm is one of the greatest organizers. It’s a great way to capture student attention and nurture focus and flow. The blog article linked below provides several games or activities you can use in your classroom to explore beat and rhythm, and use beat and rhythm to explore the content you're presenting in your classroom.
Click here to read “Beat and Rhythm Music Games.”
Folk songs are ubiquitous and easy to learn and remember. They can be used to integrate music with learning in many subject areas. The blog linked below provides dozens of strategies for leveraging folk songs for learning in the classroom.
Click here to read “What Can I Do With a Folk Song?”
This content is provided to you freely by BYU Open Learning Network.
Access it online or download it at https://open.byu.edu/advancingartsleadership/music_in_the_elementary_classroom.