Music Elements
This term describes the speed of the music (how fast or slow it is)
Tempo
This family includes trumpets, trombones, and tubas
Brass
These symbols appear on a staff to show pitch
Notes
The person who leads the band and shows tempo, dynamics, and cues is called the...
Conductor
Marches are commonly associated with the composer known for many famous American marches
Sousa
The highness or lowness of a sound; instruments produce different ones. What is this called?
Pitch
Ex: flute, clarinet, saxophone, oboe, bassoon
A symbol placed at the beginning of the staff to indicate which pitches correspond to the lines and spaces
Clef
When all players start together and keep the same tempo, they are deomonstrating good ________.
Ensemble togetherness; rhythm/lock (acceptable answer: ensemble, unity, or teamwork)
Jazz began in this country and mixed styles, including blues and ragtime; name the country
This is the part of music that refers to the loudness or softness, often shown as symbols like pp or ff.
Dynamics
This instrument uses a slide to change pitch and is a brass family member
Trombone
A note with a filled-in head and a stem counts as one beat in common time.
Quarter note
The instruction to play moderately loud is often written as the abbreviation "mf." What does mf stand for?
Mezzo-forte
A style that often features strong steady pulses, energetic brass, and was popular in big bands of the early 20th century is called ______.
Swing
A short musical idea that is repeated or developed; composers often use it to build a piece.
Motif or theme
This percussion instrument produces a definite pitch and is part of the mallet percussion (often played with mallets).
Xylophone or marimba
This indicates that you should play smoothly and connect the notes (a curved line connecting notes).
Tie/Slur
During rehearsal, the conductor asks the section to play only their rhythm while leaving out the pitch. This is called _______.
Play the rhythms (or rhythm-only rehearsal; sometimes called clapping the rhythms or counting the rhythms)
Baroque music often used elaborate melodies and ornamentation. Name one Baroque composer students may have heard of.
Ex: bach, handel, vivaldi
The combination of notes played at the same time that gives music its colour and mood; two or more notes sounded together form this.
Harmony
Explain one main difference between how a trumpet (brass family) produces sound and how a clarinet (woodwind family) produces sound.
A trumpet produces sound through the vibration of the player's lips, and the vibrating air travels through the tubes. A clarinet produces sound through the vibration of the thin wood reed.
What does a time signature of 4/4 tell you about the beats in each measure and the note value that gets one beat?
4/4 means four beats per measure and the quarter note gets one beat
Name two things a musician should do before a performance to ensure a good sound and confident playing (try for one about instrument care/tuning, one about personal preparation)
Instrument tuning/checking reeds or valve slides; warm-up and practice, mental preparation, breathing exercises, and checking posture.
Describe one major difference between classical-era orchestral music and 20th-century band music in terms of instrumentation or the role of percussion.
Classical-era orchestras often emphasised strings as the core and used a smaller percussion section; 20th-century band music expanded wind and percussion roles, using larger percussion sections and novel timbres.