Teaching
Music in the
Elementary
Grades
Understanding basic musical elements
Reading simple musical notations
Playing percussion and classroom
instruments
Course
Objectives
Selecting age appropriate musical material
for children
Planning classroom musical activities
Identifying teaching musical concepts
related to the materials
Singing with a class and leading classroom
activities
Integrating music into various areas of the
elementary curriculum
Designing activities using musical
Course
instruments
Objectives Providing appropriate music listening
materials for listening activities
Identifying characteristics and using different
music methods: Kodaly, Orff and Dalcoze
Writing sample lesson plans on a variety of
musical concepts
Regular attendance and successful
participation in class activities
Classroom Performance
Mini- lessons (10-15 minutes) in a peer
Requirements teaching setting
Written Exams (prelim, midterm, final
exam)
Timely completion of written assignments
Self-Introduction
What are
your What are
Name and
expectations your musical
nickname
in this talents?
course?
• Pitch - The highness or lowness that we hear
in a sound
• Tone – A sound that has a definite pitch
• Interval - The distance in pitch between any
two tones.
TONAL Melody – is a series of single notes which add
ELEMENT up to a recognizable whole. A melody begins,
moves, and ends; it has direction, shape, and
continuity. The linear and horizontal
presentation of pitch. Melody can be
described as conjunct (smooth; easy to play
and sing) and disjunct (disjointedly ragged or
jumpy; difficult to sing and play)
• Key signatures – consists of sharps and flats. A
Sharp (#) has a slightly higher pitch (half step
higher) than the natural pitch, and a flat (b) has
a slightly lower pitch (half step lower)
• Harmony – is the simultaneous sounding of a
group of tones. The vertical relationship
between a melody and its accompanying chords
or between melodies simultaneously. Often,
harmony is thought of as the art of combining
pitches into chords.
• Chord – A musical sonority consisting of three
or more tones sounded simultaneously.
• Timbre – tone color is
the unique quality of sound and can be
described by words like bright, dark,
brilliant mellow and rich.
Tone Color • Changes in tone color creates variety
and contrast: for example, the same
melody will have different expressive
effects when it is played by a violin and
then played by another instrument like
flute or saxophone.
The classification
Soprano Highest range for women
of the range of a
singer’s voice Mezzo soprano Lower than the soprano but darker. It is the
middle female singing voice
alto Lowest singing voice for female
tenor Highest
Baritone Middle range for male and has a deep rich sound
Bass The lowest vocal range of all voice types. Husky,
velvety, rich, deep voice.
Musical instruments are usually classified in
six broad categories
String Instruments Violin, viola, cello, double bass and guitar
Woodwind Instruments (traditionally made of wood) Flute, clarinet, oboe, English horns bassoon
Brass Instruments Trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tuba
Percussion Instruments (Definite pitch) - timpani, glockenspiel, xylophone, celesta, chimes
(Indefinite pitch) – snare drum, bass drum, tambourine, triangle,
cymbals, gong, (tam-tam)
Keyboard Instruments Piano, harpsichord, organ, and accordion
Electronic Instruments Synthesizers are electronic systems that can generate, modify, and
control huge variety of music sounds and noises, they give the
composers complete control over pitch, tone color loudness and
duration
• Rhythm is the flow or movement of music through time.
TEMPORAL • Beat - the regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music
ELEMENT into equal units of time
• Meter – the organization of beats into regular groups.
(DURATION) • Simple Meter – is division of time where the fundamental
pulses subdivide into groups of two, four etc. (4/4, 3/4,
2/4)
• Compound Meter – is a division in which the fundamental
pulses subdivide into groups of three, eight, twelve
(3/8,6/8, 12/8)
• Polymeter- is double meter to indicate that two meters
are combined or there is constant change from one meter
to the other back and both.
• Time Signatures – consist of two numbers that the upper
number indicates the number of beats for every measure and the
lower number indicates what kind of note receives one beat. (4/4 =
the upper number indicates that there should be 4 counts in
each measure, and the lower number indicates that a quarter
note receives one count)
• Rhythmic Pattern – is the division of beats into patterns of sound.
A combination of notes and rests found in one measure of a given
time signature.
Tempo Markings
TERM MEANING
Largo Very slow, broad
Grave Very slow, solemn
Adagio Slow
Andante Moderately slow, a walking pace
Moderato Moderate
Allegretto Moderately fast
Allegro Fast
Vivace Lively
Presto Very fast
Prestissimo As fast as possible
Accelerando Becoming faster
Ritardando Becoming slower
• Syncopation – is a musical process that involves adding an unexpected
element to the basic beat of a musical composition. A dislocation of the
strong accents within a measure. (uneven rhythms as in jazz, yet the
beat remains steady.
• Accent – stress or added emphasis given to a note.
• Tempo – rate or speed in music. We associate fast tempos with
energy, drive, and excitement, and slow tempos with solemnity, lyricism,
or calmness.
• A tempo indication is usually at the beginning of a piece.
