Vocabulary for Elementary General Music Teachers
Sometimes we have questions that we’re too embarrassed to ask! We might feel that we should already know the answer, or we might go searching for the answer online and still not come up with a helpful explanation.
Here are some terms we use often in elementary general music that we might not take time to define.
Some of these terms have come from my own experience of not understanding specific language for elementary general music. Others are questions from colleagues via Instagram.
What is a Bordun?
A bordun is an open fifth (normally scale degrees 1 and 5) played continuously throughout a piece, like an ostinato. It’s convenient to use a bordun with pentatonic melodies or melodies that are modal because the bordun doesn’t change like chords do.
Borduns are a beautiful way for students to begin adding more texture to pieces from a young age! There are several different types of borduns students can interact with depending on our goals and students’ musical development.
There are three general categories of borduns: simple, single-moving, and double-moving. The most commonly used category is simple. Simple in this case means that students always play scale degrees 1 and 5 of the scale.
Simple Borduns:
Chord Bordun: The two pitches (scale degrees 1 and 5) are played together. This is the lowest barrier to entry for students beginning harmonic work on barred instruments. I often ask students to play a steady beat on do and sol without introducing the word bordun.
Broken Bordun: The two pitches are played one at a time with alternating hands to the steady beat. I ask students to play a steady beat on do and sol, and to have their hands take turns playing.
Level Bordun: The two pitches are played together, but alternate between different octaves or instruments. I ask students to start on the low pair of do and sol, then float their mallets to the top pair.
Arpeggiated Bordun: The left hand crosses over the right to play the higher tonic pitch. This is the most involved in terms of physical coordination, but a fun challenge for older students! We call it the fancy one.
What are the Solfege Hand Signs?
The hand signs that are commonly used to show pitch relationships were developed by John Curwen in the mid 1800s, adapted from the work of Sarah Glover. They were made especially popular when Zoltan Kodaly incorporated them into the teaching approach he developed, the Kodaly Concept.
Since they’re associated with the Kodaly Concept, many people refer to these sings as Kodaly hand signs. A more accurate name other educators use is the Curwen hand signs.
The benefit of these hand signs is that they combine aural, visual, and tactile representations of pitch.
What’s a Singing Game, Folk Dance, and Play Party?
These three categories of musical experiences are used so often in elementary general music! Many times we use a blanket statement of “game” to each collection of activities. That certainly is the most convenient way to frame them! Most of the time, it doesn’t make a difference in the classroom if we ask students to “play the game” or “do the dance” to a song.
Singing Game: This is a broad term we use when we reference a song that is accompanied by movements. One distinction of a singing game is that they often have a specific purpose: Someone is chosen, someone is out, someone is the winner, etc. Another distinction is that they are often specific to a child’s musical culture. They are created by children, and intended to be used by children.
Folk Dance: A folk dance is a movement sequence that is specific to a particular musical culture. In many American classrooms, square-dancing is a common form of a folk dance. Two cultural characteristics of square dancing are the use of a “caller” who calls out formations, and the use of a fiddle to accompany the dance.
Play Party: In the 1800s and early 1900s, folk dances were one of the main social interactions American communities enjoyed. Social dancing was an integral part of the community culture. However, after the Great Revival, the Christian church prohibited dancing and the use of instruments. This caused American communities to get creative about how to continue their community events within the Church’s restrictions. The result was the Play Party. Instead of a “caller” (who would call the formations for dancing), text to play parties included movement directions inside the song itself. Instead of using instruments, people clapped their hands. Many play parties are still loved today, including Alabama Gal, Great Big House in New Orleans, Happy is the Miller, Old Betty Larkin, and Turn the Glasses Over.
What is Elemental Form?
Elemental form is a collection of short musical ideas that exist in common patterns. Some of the most common elemental forms are:
aba
abab
aabb
abba
aaab
Elemental form happens at the subphrase level, not the sectional level. In a theory class, these would be the lowercase letters.
If we were to look at the rhythm of Old Brass Wagon we would find an elemental form of aaab.
What is Elemental Music?
Elemental Music is a name given to music that is simple. Elemental music uses the most basic musical structures to create musical works and processes.
Basic here does not necessarily mean that the music is not artistic. Rather, musicians who use elemental music use the most fundamental components - or elements - of music and expresses them in the most naturally occurring way.
Often, elemental music includes patterns like the elemental forms or ostinati. The most naturally occurring instrument is normally the human body, so elemental music often uses movement, speech, singing, and body percussion. When instruments are used, people with an elemental music lens would favor instruments that are naturally more accessible - more elemental - like unpitched percussion and barred instruments.
Here’s an example of elemental music:
Students move in a rocking motion with a partner in open space while singing the lullaby from Puerto Rico, Duerme Pronto.
Some students play a chord bordun while others play an ostinato: hushaby, don’t you cry, I will sing a lullaby.
As a B section, students take turns improvising a lullaby on barred instruments. Students sing, move, and play Duerme Pronto to end.
Melody from Faith Knowles: Vamos a Cantar
What is Timbre? (And how do you pronounce it?)
Timbre is the quality that makes instruments sound different from each other.
It’s pronounced “TAM-bur.”
Timbre is how we describe that a banjo, marimba, singer, or duck all sound different from each other, even if they all produce the same pitch.
When we play singing guessing games (like Doggie Doggie) we are playing a game that revolves around timbre. One player closes their eyes while another sings a solo. The player with their eyes closed tries to guess whose voice they heard.
We use many terms that are specific to our craft of elementary music education.
Taking the time to define terms can be helpful for all of us!
