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 qe

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

 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
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.