Musical Elements include rhythm (the notes or sounds and silences of different lengths), pitch (the quality of how high or low a sound is), dynamics (how loud or soft the sounds are), expression (how the notes are shaped and timed), form and structure(how the sections of the music are organised), timbre (the quality of the sound) and texture (whether there are many layers of sound).
Musical Genre – Is a style of music. Think about different types of music you know. How is Classical music different from rock music? How is rap music different from a traditional tune like ‘twinkle twinkle little star’?
Musical Features refers to a special characteristic of the music or technique that is present and helps to define a musical genre. Rock music is characterised by a specific kind of ensemble – a rock band that has a lead electric guitar, drum kit, bass guitar, and a lead singer. It has a specific form for its songs including introductions, verses, choruses, riffs and instrumental solos. Classical music uses specific instruments in specific ways. For an example think of a symphony orchestra that you learned about in year 7.
Musical Terminology – these are special words used to describe musical features and techniques. An example would be the “backbeat” in rock and roll which is a straight rhythm that emphasises beat 2 and 4 by playing them on a snare drum. “backbeat” and “straight rhythm” are examples of musical terminology. It is a technique or feature that relates to the musical element “rhythm”. It is these features and the musical terminology that is used to describe them that you will be trying to discover and identify and understand through your research using this guide.
Paraphrase – means to use your own words to describe the qualities of the sound. Click on this link to go to a video that explains how to paraphrase.
Reference – This is making a record of the resource you found your information in. It helps you let your reader know where you got your information from. Tools for referencing can be found on the referencing dashboard on the school’s library site here.