TEACHING MUSIC IN THE ELEMENTARY GRADES

MODULE 1

About This Module

This first module is about the fundamentals of music theory. You will learn about the
properties of sound and the elements of music. You will encounter a lot of terminologies,
symbols, musical styles, and forms. The topics that you will encounter in this module are the
basic concepts being taught in the elementary grades’ music classes.

What You are Expected to Learn

At the end of this module, you should be able to:

1. Recognize the properties of sound

2. Identify and read musical notations
3. Interpret simple musical piece
4. Distinguish different musical sound
5. Classify different types of musical instruments
6. Express yourself through musical performance
7. Write basic musical symbols

INTRODUCTION

Music makes all the difference in each of us. It should never be about enduring it but
understanding and loving it as well as assimilating, re-creating, and imparting it likewise.
Without music life would be a mistake – Friedrich Nietzche. Without music life would never be
the same. This powerful tool and escape are limitless in its functionality as we utilize music in
all areas of our life where the smallest action creates the steps in right direction.

Music is part of the world sound, an art based on the organization of the sounds in time. We
distinguish music from other sounds by recognizing its basic elements.
1. TONAL ELEMENT

 Pitch - The highness or lowness that we hear in a sound. A sound that has a definite
pitch is called a tone it is also the smallest unit of a composition. The distance in pitch
between any two tones is called interval.
When tones are separated by the interval called an octave.
 Melody – is a series of single notes which add 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.
 Triad - A triad has three tones; to indicate that the three tones are played at one
time. The bottom note of the triad is called the root; the others are a third N and
a fifth above the root.

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  Tone Color (Timbre) – tone color is the unique quality of sound and can be described by
words like bright, dark, brilliant mellow and rich.

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.

Another example to further explain tone color or timbre is the classification of the
range of a singer’s voice and musical instruments.

The classification of voice ranges for women and men follows, arranged from highest to
lowest:

Soprano Highest range for women

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 - An instrument may be defined as any mechanism other than voice, that
produces musical sounds. Musical instruments are usually classified in six broad categories

String Instruments Violin, viola, cello, double bass and

guitar
Woodwind Instruments (traditionally Flute, clarinet, oboe, English horns
made of wood) 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

2. TEMPORAL ELEMENT (DURATION)

 Rhythm is the flow or movement of music through time.
 Beat - the regular, recurrent pulsation that divides music into equal units of time
 Meter – the organization of beats into regular groups.
1. Simple Meter – is division of time where the fundamental pulses subdivide
into groups of two, four etc. (4/4, 3/4, 2/4)
2. Compound Meter – is a division in which the fundamental pulses subdivide
into groups of three, eight, twelve (3/8,6/8, 12/8)
3. 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.
 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 given at the beginning of a piece. As with dynamics,
the terms that show tempo are in Italian:
 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

3. DYNAMIC ELEMENT
 Dynamics – The degree of loudness or softness in music. When instruments are played
more loudly or more softly, or when there is a change in how many instruments are
heard. When notating music, composers have traditionally used Italian words and their
abbreviations, to indicate dynamics.

TERM ABBREVIATION MEANING

pianissimo pp very soft
piano p Soft
mezzo piano mp Moderately soft
mezzo forte mf Moderately loud
forte f Loud
fortissimo ff Very loud
Crescendo < Gradually becoming
louder
Decrescendo > Gradually becoming
softer
MUSIC NOTATION

In music, ideas are also written down, or notated, so that performers can play pieces
unknown to them.

Notation – is a system of writing music so that specific pitches and rhythms can be
communicated. With music notation, we can indicate exact pitches by the upward or
downward placement of symbols called notes – on a staff

A note is an oval and its duration is indicated by whether it is black or white or has a stem and
flags.

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A staff is a set of five horizontal lines. Notes are positioned either on the lines of the staff or
between them, in spaces; the higher a note is placed on the staff, the higher the pitch

A clef is placed at the beginning of the staff to show the pitch of each line and space.
 STAFF

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The two most common clefs are the treble clef, used for relatively high ranges, and the bass
clef, used for relatively low ranges.

TREBLE CLEF BASS CLEF

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Grand staff

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]

MUSIC NOTATION

MUSICAL ALPHABET

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SO FA SYLLABLE

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SCALE – A group of notes that are arranged by ascending or descending order of pitch.

Diatonic Scale – a type of musical scale with seven notes (heptatonic scale). It has two semi
tone intervals (half steps) and five tone intervals (whole steps)

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Pentatonic Scale – a musical scale containing five different tones.

Chromatic Scale – Consists of twelve notes that each are semitone (half step) apart.

4. FORMAL ELEMENT

Form in music is the organization of musical ideas in time.

 Tone – smallest unit of a composition

 Figure – smallest characteristic group of a tone
 Repetition – Musical repetition appeals to the pleasure we get in recognizing and
remembering something. Repetition creates a sense of unity.
 Contrast – forward motion, conflict, and change of mood all come from contrast
 Variation- In the variation of a musical idea, some of its features will be retained while
others are changed.
 Motive - is a tone group that may be identified with a particular composition
 Phrase -is a succession of tones arranged in such a way as to give a musical thought.
 Binary- a composition consist of two large section or parts
 Ternary – a three- part composition featuring a return of the initial music after a
contrasting section.
 Period – a complete musical thought consisting of two phrases in question and answer.
 Section -a combination of period

5. Textural Element
Texture – is the relationship of melodies (horizontal) and harmonic (vertical) elements in
music. Produce quality or heaviness, thickness or thinness.
 Monophonic – single unaccompanied melodic line. If you sing alone, you make
monophonic music.
 Polyphonic – simultaneously performance of two or more melodic lines of
relatively equal interest. (many- sounding)
 Homophonic – one main melody accompanied by chords.

Instrument Classification
Hornbostel -Sachs instrument classification system was created by Erich Moritz von Hornbostel
and Curt Sachs. They Classified the instruments using 5 different categories depending on the
way the instrument creates the sound.

 Idiophones – Sound is produced by the body of the instrument vibrating.

 Membranophones – Sound is produced by the vibration of a tightly stretched
membrane.
 Chordophones – Sound is produced by the vibration of a string or strings that are
stretched between fixed points.
 Aerophones – Sound is produced by vibrating air
 Electrophones – Sound is produced by electric action or amplification.

MUSICAL STYLE

Knowing the unique style traits of a particular historical eras can greatly enhance your musical
experiences by offering clues about what the composer was trying to express, and what you
should listen for when hearing a piece.

The Six Historical Style-Periods of Western Art Music

Middle Ages (450-1450) An era by catholic sacred music which began as simple chant but grew
in complexity in the 13th – 15th centuries by experiments in harmony and rhythm.

Renaissance (1450-1600) A more personal style emerged in this era with a greater focus on
humanism, and a rebirth of learning and exploration. It is also known as the “golden age of
vocal music”.

Baroque (1600-1750) The word baroque has at various times meant bizarre, flamboyant, and
elaborately ornamented. This era -the last age of aristocratic rule- is presented by extremely
ornate and elaborated approaches to the arts. This era saw the rise of instrumental music. The
invention of the modern violin family and the creation of the orchestras.

Classic (1750-1820) The music of this politically turbulent era focused on structural unity,
clarity and balance. The new expressive and dramatic approaches to composition and
performance that were developed in this era became the standards that all classical music is
judged by. The master composers of the classical style were Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus
Mozart and Ludwig Van Beethoven.
Romantic (1820-1900) This era witnessed an explosion of flamboyance, nationalism, the rise
of superstar performers and concerts aimed at middle-class” paying audiences. Orchestral,
theatrical and soloistic music grew to spectacular heights of personal expression.

Modern (1900-present) Art music has been impacted by daring experimentation and advances
in musical technology, as well as popular/non-western influences.
References: Roger Kamien: Music an Appreciation, 2nd Edition. Catherine Schmidt Jones: Understanding Basic Music Theory.

ASSIGNMENTS

Write an essay on the following topics: Your own definition of music and how does music
affect your life?
 What are the benefits of learning music and its impact on children?
 Essay Length: at least 500 words
 2 references
 Format: MLA, double – spaced

 Compile pictures of the Hornbostel-Sachs Classification of Musical Instruments; name each

instruments and label them according to their classification.