The Elements of Music

You can talk about music using the the so-called elements:

Pitch
high or low

Duration
 long or short

Timbre or Tone Colour 
the type of sound 

Dynamics 
loud or quiet

Tempo
fast or slow; speed

Rhythm
where the notes and silences are placed in time

Texture
how many sounds are used at once 

Structure
the order in which sounds are used; a form

(Don’t forget that music is made of sound and silence) 

 

Using stories to inspire children’s compositions

Stage 1 — the story
The elements of music
Stage 2 — developing a rhythmic piece
Stage 3 — developing a melody
Stage 4 — creating a soundscape
Stage 5 — creating a song
Stage 6 — graphic scores
Painting to music
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