01 Sound · Sound
Sound starts with a vibration. Sound begins with a vibration. In English, pitch describes how high or low a sound is, loudness how loud or soft it is, duration how long it lasts, and timbre its tone colour: four features that help us describe what we hear.
- High / low = high-pitched / low-pitched. The flute has a high sound.
- Loud / soft = loud / soft. The sound is soft.
- Long / short = long / short. This note is short.
- Timbre = tone colour. A violin and a flute have different timbres.
Activity: Listen to two sounds made with the voice or with instruments. Complete this sentence for each one: ‘The sound is high / low, loud / soft, long / short’. Compare your answers with a partner.
02 Beat and rhythm · Beat and rhythm
The beat is a regular pulse. The beat is the regular pulse; rhythm is the sequence of sounds and silences of different lengths. Tempo describes the speed of the beat. The same rhythmic phrase can be performed slowly or quickly.
- Beat = regular pulse; rhythm = rhythm; rest = silence.
- Fast / slow = fast / slow; clap = clap your hands; tap = strike lightly.
- In 4/4, count ‘one, two, three, four’: each bar contains four quarter-note beats.
- Quarter note: quarter note (American English), crotchet (British English). Eighth note: eighth note / quaver.
Activity: In pairs, one person keeps four steady beats while the other performs ‘clap, clap, rest, clap’. Swap roles and describe it: ‘The beat is steady’. Then repeat at a slower tempo.
03 Musical instruments · Musical instruments
Instruments produce sound in different ways. A string can vibrate, a column of air can vibrate, and a membrane or the body of an instrument can be struck. Let's learn to recognise instruments and describe how they are played.
- Violin = violin; cello = cello; guitar = guitar.
- Flute = flute; clarinet = clarinet; trumpet = trumpet.
- Drum = drum; cymbals = cymbals; piano = piano.
- Bow = bow; string = string. ‘The violinist uses a bow’. ‘The guitarist plucks the strings’.
Activity: Choose an instrument and prepare a short fact card: ‘This is a…’, ‘It has…’, ‘You play it by…’. A partner must guess the instrument without seeing it.
04 The orchestra · The orchestra
An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing together. The main sections of the orchestra are strings (string instruments), woodwinds (woodwind instruments), brass (brass instruments) and percussion (percussion instruments). The conductor, the leader of the orchestra, coordinates the performers using gestures and often a baton.
- Strings: violin, viola, cello, double bass (double bass).
- Woodwinds: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon (bassoon). The flute belongs to the woodwind family even though it is often made of metal today.
- Brass: trumpet, French horn (horn), trombone, tuba.
- Percussion: timpani, cymbals, bass drum (bass drum). Score = written music for all the parts; baton = conducting stick.
Activity: Draw four sections of an orchestra and write the English names of at least two instruments in each section. Present your drawing: ‘The violins are in the strings section’. Take turns conducting a simple rhythm using gestures.
05 Songs and stories · Songs and stories
A song combines words and music. Lyrics are the words of a song; the melody is its tune. A verse is one section of the lyrics, while the chorus is the repeated section. In musical theatre, characters tell the story: the libretto contains the words of the opera, and an aria is a piece for a solo singer.
- Lyrics = words of a song; verse = verse; chorus = repeated section.
- Rhyme = rhyme; story = story; character = character.
- Happy, sad, calm, energetic = happy, sad, calm, energetic.
- ‘The song tells a story’. ‘The chorus comes back’. ‘The music sounds calm’.
Activity: Listen to a piece you have already studied in class: identify the verse and chorus and describe its character using two English words. Then invent two short original lines in English and recite them over four beats, without copying the lyrics of a song.
Quiz
Questions based on the content of this page and the summaries for the first, second and third years of middle school.
1.What does ‘pitch’ mean in music?
2.‘The sound is soft’: how would you describe the sound?
3.Which English word describes how long a sound lasts?
4.‘Sound starts with a vibration’: what produces sound?
5.What is the English word for a regular musical pulse?
6.Which word describes a musical silence?
7.‘Clap your hands’: what should you do?
8.‘The beat is steady’: what is the pulse like?
9.What is the American name for a crotchet?
10.‘Play it slowly’: how should you perform the piece?
You have answered 0 / 10 questions.
Made with ♥ by Maristella Povellato