In My Own Words
One of these things tends to be more important when performing music: Getting all of the notes right or keeping a steady rhythm
What is a steady beat? (Remember: Don't go back to fix it!)
These are ways to hold your body when singing?
What is with good posture, back straight, shoulders down, feet shoulder-width apart, face and neck relaxed?
These letters make up the musical alphabet
What is "A-B-C-D-E-F-G"?
This composer of "This Land is Your Land"
Who is Woody Guthrie?
These are the names of the major categories of music, also known as genres
What is Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Country?
Also acceptable any other genres (Bluegrass, Gospel, Funk, Reggae, Blues)
This type of note gets 1 beat
What is a quarter note?
Name as many of the percussion instruments in our classroom as you can - four or more to win the points!
Timpani drums, bongos, woodblock, triangles, shakers, rhythm sticks, xylophone, glockenspiel, tambourine, cowbell, symbols, handbells, maracas
The term Pizzicato refers to this way of sounding notes for string instrument players
What are short, muted notes, plucked rather than bowed?
These are the letter names of the spaces on the music staff
What is FACE?
This song served as the unofficial American National Anthem for almost 100 years, until The Star Spangled Banner was adopted as our official National Anthem in 1931
What is "My Country Tis of Thee"?
This is the name of the breathing technique used by US Marines to calm and center themselves
What is "Circular Breathing"
This is the name of the rhythm we heard (and performed in class) in the video with drumming around the world
What is the Clave?
The meaning of "A cappella"
Music sung without accompaniment by instruments
The opposite of pizzicato, this term means to play with the bow
What is Arco?
These are the letter names of the lines on a music staff
What is E G B D F?
It's interesting to consider that patriotic songs are usually written to express support and pride in one's country, yet they are sometimes used in protest with altered lyrics to express dissatisfaction with the government or government policies. Name a patriotic song other than This Land Is Your Land" or "My Country 'Tis of Thee"
What are "The Star Spangled Banner", "God Bless America", and "America The Beautiful"?
This instrument looks like a small guitar, with only four strings instead of six.
What is a Ukulele
This type of note gets four beats
What is a whole note ?
In terms of audience behavior, what is meant by a "virtuous cycle" vs a "vicious cycle"
Performers and their audiences tend to feed on each other's energy, whether positive or negative, making more of it
This term indicates that notes are to be played smoothly, and joined together.
What is the Legato?
This term refers to the tuning of a pitche with other pitches, either vocally, or by multiple instruments one with another, or mutiple pitches from a single instrument.
What is intonation?
Name a song from any genre other than "Pop"
-any valid song title from any genre other than "Pop"-
This device is clamped on the neck of a guitar to raise the pitch.
What is a Capo?
This type of note gets 1/2 of a beat.
What is an eighth note ?
Good melodies tend to have big skips or leaps one after another, true or false?
False. Good melodies tend to favor stepwise moves from note to note
This term indicates that notes are to be played short, and disconnected
What is Staccato?
If a sharp is added to a note, how does it affect the pitch?
It raises it by a 1/2 step.
What is the average length of a popular song in 2025?
3 minutes and 30 seconds (anything within 3 to 4 minutes accepted)
Of the two types of acoustic guitar, steel-string and nylon-string, this type is associated with Classical and Folk music.
What is a nylon-string guitar?
This type of note gets three beats
What is a dotted half note?
What does it mean to "play by ear"?
To learn and to perform music by first listening carefully to memorize it, instead of reading the music from a printed score, or being shown by another player how to play it
This is the name of the breathing technique used by US Marines to calm and center themselves
What is "Circular Breathing"?
If a flat is added to a note, how does it affect the pitch?
It lowers it by 1/2 step
This song was played in one of our early classes to demonstrate contrasting sections.
What is "Band on the Run" by Paul McCartney?
This Classical composer wrote his final symphony after having gone completely deaf
Who is Ludvig von Beethoven?
This type of note gets two beats
What is a half note?