..

1. 5th
Grade Music Vocabulary
1st
Trimester: Rhythm
Beat: the steady pulse in music.
Note: a symbol used to indicate a musical tone and designated period of time.
Whole Note: note that lasts four beats w
Half Note: note that lasts two beats h h(1/2 of a whole note)
Quarter Note: note that lasts one beat qq (1/4 of a whole note)
Eighth Note: note that lasts half a beat e e(1/8 of a whole note)
A pair of eighth notes equals one beat ry ry
Sixteenth Note: note that lasts one fourth of a beat - s s(1/16 of a whole note)
a group of 4 sixteenth notes equals one beat dffg
Rest: a symbol that is used to mark silence for a specific amount of time. Each note has a rest that
corresponds to its name and how long it lasts:
Q = 1 = q H = 2 = h W = 4 = w
Rhythm: patterns of long and short sounds and silences.
Syncopation: a rhythm pattern in which the accent is shifted from the strong beat to weak beats or
weak parts of beats e q e
Dotted Notes: a dot to the right of any note adds half of the note’s value. For example, a half note,
h is normally worth two beats. When it is dotted, h. it is worth three beats. 2 + 1 = 3

2. 2nd
Trimester: Timbre/Tone Color
Ensemble: a group of singers or instrumentalists performing together.
Band: an instrumental ensemble, that consists of woodwind, brass, and percussion
instruments, with no string instruments.
Orchestra: an instrumental ensemble that consists of string instruments along with
woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments.
Choir/Chorus: a group of people who sing together.
Instrument Families:
Brass: wind instruments made of brass and other metals which are played by blowing
through a cup-shaped or funnel-shaped mouthpiece. The main brass instruments of the
orchestra are the trumpet, trombone, French horn, and tuba.
Percussion: instruments that are played by striking, shaking, or scraping.
Non-Pitched Percussion: instruments without a definite pitch - for example, a hand
drum, triangle, or rhythm sticks.
Pitched Percussion: instruments with definite pitches – for example xylophone,
glockenspiel, or timpani
String: instruments that are played by using a bow or plucking stretched strings. The main
string instruments of the orchestra are the violin, viola, cello, double bass, and harp
Woodwind: wind instruments that were originally, and may continue to be, made of wood.
They are played by blowing across a mouth hole or into a whistle mouthpiece or reed. The
main woodwind instruments of the orchestra are the flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, and
bassoon.
Keyboard: instruments with patterns of black and white keys, played by pressing keys that
activate a mechanism within the instrument (e.g. piano, organ)
3rd
Trimester: Melody/Expressive Elements and Symbols
Dynamics: the loudness and quietness of sound.
Pianissimo (pp): very quiet or very soft.
Piano (p ): quiet or soft.
Mezzo Piano (mp): medium soft
Mezzo Forte (mf): medium loud
Forte (f ): loud/strong.
Fortissimo (ff): very loud/strong
Crescendo (cresc. <): indicates that the music should gradually get louder.
Decrescendo (decresc. >): indicates that the music should gradually get quieter.
Tempo: the pace or speed of the music
Largo: very slow.
Andante: walking speed
Moderato: moderately, medium speed
Allegro: quickly,fast
Presto: very fast

3. Melody: organized pitches and rhythm that make up a tune or song.
Pitch: how high or low a sound seems
Repeated notes: two or more notes at the same pitch level. jjjj
Skip: an interval (distance) larger than a step; motion from one pitch to another that is more
than a step away. Larger skips are often called “leaps” dgqrwf
Step: motion from one scale-degree to the next (do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do OR a-b-c-d-e-f-g).
Line note to the adjacent space note, or space note to the adjacent line note. ghjqjhg
Staff: a set of lines and spaces used in writing music to show the pitches; usually five lines and four
spaces. ++ Line Notes: EGBDF dgjwr Space Notes: FACE fhqe
Accidentals: Flat (b) lowers a tone by a half step. Sharp (m) raises a tone by a half step. Natural (n)
cancels the flat or sharp
Bar line: a vertical line on the staff separating one measure from the next ======
Double Bar (ending bar): two vertical lines on the staff at the end of the final measure ===|
Measure: The space between the bar lines where a certain number of beats of music is written,
depending on the time signature. ======
Repeat sign: a symbol that indicates that certain measures or passages are to be sung or played
twice. ||: :||
Tie : a curved line that joins two successive notes of the same pitch. Indicates that the second note
is tied to the first and should not be sounded separately q_ h
Time signature: numbers or signs written at the beginning of the music staff that indicate the
number of beats used in a measure and what type of note equals one beat. For example: $4= four
quarter notes per measure
Treble clef & used to notate the highest sounding notes; the curl of the clef surrounds the second
line, G.