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Table of Contents
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.