1. Arts Education 6

2.  Rhythm  Pitch  Melody  Dynamics  Timbre/tone  Texture

3.  Beat -- the regular, repeated pulsation in music  Tempo -- the speed or pace of the music

4.  Pitch describes the highness or lowness of sounds.  Different instruments or voice have different pitched.  San Francisco Symphony Site (link) San Francisco Symphony Site

5.  A melody is a combination of pitches and durations that make a musical sentence.  Melodies may consist of one or more smaller sections (phrases) similar to phrases in a sentence.

6.  The term "dynamics" describes loudness or softness of sounds.  Relates to what effect or mood is being communicated.  Free Play Music

7.  Timbre describes the quality or "colour" of sound. Timbre is determined by those characteristics of sound that help us distinguish one sound from another.  Dark, light, airy, mystical, rich, full, dancing, excited.

8.  Texture is layering of different sounds in music. Texture is also how the sounds are combined (harmonizing).  Composers create various textures by combining sounds, instruments or voices to achieve expressive effects.  The texture may be blaring, rough, smooth, choppy, disjointed, tight, rich.

9.  Variety  Repetition  Balance  Acoustics  Tension and Resolution  Transition  Unity

10.  This is used to create interest and can be done in many different ways using the elements:  Loud to soft dynamics  Fast to slow  Thick and thin

11.  Organization of the music where a particular melody is repeated.  Sometimes used to emphasize the theme:  E.g. chorus, or certain notes/phrases

12.  Balance in music traditionally has referred to the relative volume of various sounds.  For instance, a musician can try to balance timbres through instrument selection in order to maintain a desired sound or effect.

13.  Acoustics pertain to how sound waves travel differently in different places (e.g. meeting halls, classrooms or an outdoor field). Different locations absorb and reflect sound in different ways.  Acoustics can be changed. For example, you could play a drum in an empty closet and then again when the closet is full of clothing.

14.  Tension is related to the story of the music. Tension builds throughout a song. Tension can be through the use of many different elements.  E.g. a building of dynamics, a rising of a melodic line or the use of more dissonant harmony could all lead to an increase in tension.  Resolution is a common occurrence after the building of tension. This involves changing the elements to create a sense of relaxation.

15.  Transition in music typically involves the connection of ideas or "bridging" of one part of the music to another.  E.g. chorus, instrumental break is a “bridge”

16.  Town in Saskatchewan  Unity is the principle of composition in which all the separate parts work together to make the song complete.