Dissonance is one of those musical elements I love to teach. This is because I love dissonance in music. For me, it is what makes music expressive, passionate, driving, exciting, powerful, and fun. Like anything else, too much dissonance is not good, but used in a balanced and skillful way; it turns very ordinary music … Continue reading The Variety of Musical Dissonance
music composition
Is Melody Always Music?
In my post on June 26, I defined melody as a sequence of tones, each of which has pitch and duration. We saw that melody did not have to have beat, rhythm, meter or tonality, just pitch and duration. I ended that post by suggesting that birdsong qualifies as melody, but questioned whether or not … Continue reading Is Melody Always Music?
What Is Rhythm?
Rhythm, though one of the two most basic elements of music (the other being pitch), is also one of the most often misunderstood. Rhythm is frequently presented to students in the form of a hierarchy of note types, with a whole note at the top, two half notes beneath, four quarter notes below them, and … Continue reading What Is Rhythm?
More on “What Is A Melody?”
Yesterday, I discussed a balanced definition of melody; one that was broad enough to include all music that contains melody, regardless of cultural difference, and one that was specific enough to exclude sequences of sound that by common consent are not musical. The fundamental way that humans learn what a thing is or what it … Continue reading More on “What Is A Melody?”
What is a Melody?
For virtually everyone who teaches music, melody is one of the basic elements. Though music teachers may vary slightly on what melody is, most definitions will at least include the requirement of a sequence of notes which each have pitch and duration. This fits nicely with a view of music being humanly organized sounds recognized … Continue reading What is a Melody?
Music is the Ultimate Social Media
Today was the last day of music class for my 8th graders, who will be graduating tonight. Last class days are more laid back than other days. I began by showing them the segment from Disney’s Fantasia 2000 that sets the story of Noah’s Ark to the music of Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance. I though … Continue reading Music is the Ultimate Social Media
Defining Some Words in the New Standards for Creating Music
The new music standards are published, and there are some interesting choices of words in them that tell us a great deal both about music and how it is to be taught. The first series of words that caught my attention were the verbs describing what students will be doing when they create music. In … Continue reading Defining Some Words in the New Standards for Creating Music
End of the Year Reflections
As this school years winds down, it's time for me to reflect on my year, and to see what I accomplished. I think it's important to reflect on how I've done so that I can focus my goals on my own growth and improvement next year. To achieve excellence in anything, a person must be … Continue reading End of the Year Reflections
How Much Music Reading Instruction is Enough?
Recently, I observed that music reading has received minimal attention in the new NCCAS music standards. To be sure, music reading is not necessary for every musical experience. From a global perspective, our Western music notation is not used at all in many places, especially where music culture is preserved within an oral tradition. In … Continue reading How Much Music Reading Instruction is Enough?
How Do Composers Know When a Musical Work is Finished?
I read an interesting question on social media the other day. A composer asked, “When do you know that a composition is finished?” Several answers were offered, ranging from “when the composer has expressed everything he or she wanted,” to “when the parts are passed out to the musicians.” The first of these has potential. … Continue reading How Do Composers Know When a Musical Work is Finished?
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