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Music Theory for Kids Facts & Worksheets

Music theory includes learning how to understand and communicate using the language of music.

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Music theory includes learning how to understand and communicate using the language of music. It establishes a strong understanding on the fundamentals of music and also helps create a system to have a better interpretation of musical compositions.

See the fact file below for more information on Music Theory or alternatively, you can download our 30-page Music Theory worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Understanding Music

  • Music is said to be the universal language. 
  • Music education helps enhance language development. 
  • It activates the brain which pushes someone to work harder, thus raising a person’s IQ.
  • Music theory teaches how to read music notations and phrases which are needed in making and playing a song.
  • Learning how to read notes is like learning how to read the alphabet. 
  • Just like the English alphabet, the music alphabet also uses letters. 
  • Unlike in the English alphabet where we make words, sentences, or phrases, in music, we make melodies and harmonies.  
  • The main difference is that the music alphabet contains only 7 letters – A, B, C, D, E, F, G. 
  • In music, these letters are called a musical phrase. 
  • With the musical phrases, we now create a piece of music. 

Basic Elements of Music

  • Dynamics
    • Determines the differences in volume; how quiet or loud should the music be played.
  • Rhythm
    • It determines the timing of the music
  • Pitch
    • It determines how high or low the melodies are.
  • Form
    • This refers to the structure of the musical composition.
  • Timbre
    • This is the sound or tone quality produced in the music
  • Texture
    • Refers to the combination of tempo, melody, and harmony in the music.

Music Staff and Bar Lines

  • Music Staff contains five lines with four spaces. 
  • This is the foundation of musical notes. 
  • Each line and space represents a note. 
  • Bar Lines are the vertical lines used when writing music. 
  • These lines help the musician keep track of their placement in music. 
  • The bar lines divide the music into measures which are known as bars.
  • Bars have a certain number of beats and they group beats into patterns. 
  • At the end of the music is the final bar line which indicates the end or a movement of the composition.
  • Basically, a music staff is composed of five lines but when staff is required to extend, a ledger line is added. 
  • Ledger lines are used when notes are too high or too low to put on the lines on the music staff.

Clefs

  • To determine what notes must be represented by the lines and spaces, a musical symbol known as “clef” is placed in the music staff.
  • The commonly used clefs are the Treble Clef or the G-Clef and the Bass Clef or the F-Clef.

Treble Clef

  • The Treble Clef is also known as the G-Clef.  
  • Notice how the clef looks like the letter “g” with the bottom part making a circle on the second line of the staff. 
  • It shows that the note on second line is G that’s why it is also called as the G-clef. 

When a treble clef is seen on the music staff, the lines and spaces are represented by the following notes:

  • For the lines, the notes assigned are E,G,B,D, and F respectively. 
  • Mnemonics can be used to easily remember the notes.
  • As for the notes in the G-clef, the most common mnemonic used is Every Good Boy Does Fine.
  • For the lines, the notes assigned are F,A,C, and E respectively.
  • These notes are usually remembered by keeping in mind the word FACE.

Bass Clef

  • The Bass Clef is also known as the F-Clef.  
  • Notice how the two dots of the clef is placed above and below the fourth line of the staff. 
  • It indicates that the note on fourth line is F that’s why it is also called as the F-clef. 

When a bass clef is seen on the music staff, the lines and spaces are represented by the following notes:

  • For the lines, the notes assigned are G,B,D,F and A respectively. 
  • As for the notes in the F-clef, a common mnemonic that can be used is Good Boy Does Fine Always.
  • For the lines, the notes assigned are A,C,E, and G respectively.
  • To easily remember the notes, the mnemonic that can be used is All Cows Eat Grass.
  • Any mnemonic can be used for all notes as long as it can be easily remembered.

Note Duration

  • Note duration determines the length of time of each note.

Semibreve / Whole note

  • This note has the longest duration and has four beats. 
  • Note head is the term used to describe the oval-shaped part of the musical note. 

Minim / Half note 

  • This note has half duration of the whole note and has 2 beats.

Crotchet / Quarter note 

  • This note has a quarter note duration of the whole note and has one beat.

Quaver / Eighth note 

  • This note has half of a quarter note duration and has half beat.

Semiquaver / Sixteenth note 

  • This note has a quarter of a quarter note duration and has also a quarter beat.
  • If two quavers or semiquavers are placed next to each other as part of a beat, the note will look like this:

Time Signatures

  • These are the numbers and types of notes in each bar of music. 
  • There is only a specific number of music notes that is allowed in each bar and these are determined by the time signature.
  • Time signatures has a top number and a bottom number. 
  • The top number refers to the number of beats in a bar while the bottom number determines the type of beat used.
  • Take for example the 2/4 time signature. 
  • The upper number “2” indicates that there are two beats in a bar. 
  • The lower number “4” shows that the beat used is a quarter/crotchet beat. 
  • Therefore, we have two quarter/crotchet beats in each measure.

Music Theory Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about Music Theory for Kids across 30 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Music Theory which establishes a strong understanding on the fundamentals of music and also helps create a system to have a better interpretation of musical compositions.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Music Theory Facts
  • Pop Quiz!
  • Matching Type
  • True or False
  • Notes
  • Take Note
  • Time Signature
  • Decode
  • My Artist
  • Shuffle
  • Music is Life

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Link will appear as Music Theory for Kids Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, November 4, 2021

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.