Concepts

Teach music concepts, Rhythm and beat,
Melody, harmony,
Signs for repeat.

Concerto, symphony,
Opera, ballet.
Whatever the form,
We'll sing and we'll play..

Music Concepts at the Basic Level

Children must learn the themes first by singing the lyrics. Once they know enough themes to become excited about classical music, they have the foundation to Listen, Analyze and Describe.

• At the Basic level a few simple music concepts can be taught. One of the easiest is soft and loud. We use Piano and Forte, the little kitty and dog, as these are easy for children to remember. (Little dogs "sing" louder than kitties!)
• Repeat signs are also easy for beginners. We learn by doing and children quickly understand that [:   :] means to repeat
• Other easy concepts for the Basic Level are:
• Steady beat
• Mood in music

Music Concepts Beyond the Basic Level

The usual music concepts taught in any good music program can be taught using classical music. The Teacher's Guides for Themes To Remember, Volume 1 and 2 indicate which of the following music concepts can be easily taught with each theme.

1. Melody
• Direction - up, down, same, steps or skips
• Pitch - high or low
• Phrases - breathing
2. Harmony
• Harmonic or dissonants
• Texture- polyphonic or homophonic, light or heavy
• Rounds, descants, counter melodies
• Chords, intervals and triads, major or minor
3. Rhythm
• Beat - regular pulse
• Rhythm patterns - irregular, syncopation
• Meter - duple and triple
• Tempo - slow or fast
4. Timbre - Tone Color
• Instruments of orchestra
• Types of sounds
• Human voice
• Electronic music
5. Form in Music
• AB and ABA
• Rondo
• Theme and variation
• Fugue
• Phrases, same or different
• Opera
• Oratorio
• Ballet
• Symphony
• Concerto
• Sonata
6. Expression in Music
• Mood in music
• Tempo and timbre in expression
• Dynamics
7. Music Language and Signs
• Notation, Repeat signs
• Dynamic and tempo markings
• D.C. al Fine
• D.S. al Fine

This page was last updated on 4/1/2006

© copyright 2004, 2005, 2006 Classical Magic, Inc.