Eighth Grade Assessment 2

What is a scale in music?

A scale is a collection of pitches that make up the notes of a song.

Solfege is a technique to give each note a syllable (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do) to help teach the melody.

What is a slur in music?

A slur is a curved line placed above or below a group of notes to indicate that they are to be sung on the same syllable. Sometimes we use the word legato to indicate that the notes will be sung connected as opposed to staccato (disconnected).

What are dynamics in music?

Dynamics are terms we use in music to let us know how soft or loud the music is.

Piano (p) soft,

Mezzo Piano (mp) medium soft

Mezzo Forte (mf) medium loud

Forte (f) loud,

Crescendo (cresc.) gradually louder

Decrescendo (decresc.) dradually softer

What does the “key signature” show us on a piece of music?

The key is the importance of one pitch over the others in a scale. The keynote is described as the home tone. In solfege, the keynote is “do”. IN the key of C (all the white notes on the piano) that note is C

What does a sharp note do in music? What does a flat note do in music?

A sharp (#) note raises the pitch by a half step

A flat (b) note lowers a pitch be a half step.

Describe “inhalation”, “exhalation”, and “release” as they relate to your singing.

Inhalation: is your preparation. Just like the backswing of your racket, you must judge the distance, the length and the loudness of the phrase you sing. Your diaphragm moves downward toward your feet. The motion pushes against the abdomen, pushing it outward. The intercostals muscles contract moving the ribs out, ad expanding the rib cage.

Exhalation: just like throwing a ball, this is the part of breathing that requires the most coordination. When you sing the exhalation is controlled, the abdominal muscles contract and the ribs stay expanded, to provide resistance and ccontrol during axhalation.

Release: As you end a musical phrase, follow-through with the breath for a pleasing and accurate release. When you release a phrase well, you also prepare for the next breath.