Singing Bobcats & Bobcat Chorale Assignments

updated September 16th, 2009

Tests for Period 1 are on Thursdays, unless otherwise indicated.

Tests for Period 2 are on Fridays, unless otherwise indicated.

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale August 2008 Vocabulary

August 27/28

1. chorus- a group of singers, also called a choir

2. band- a group of instrumentalists who play woodwind, brass & percussion instruments

3. orchestra- a group of instrumentalists who play woodwind, brass, percussion and string instruments.

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale September 2009 Vocabulary

September 3/4

1. conducting- hand gestures indicating musical directions

2. sightsinging- singing a piece of music accurately without rehearsal

3. conductor- the person who directs the chorus, band or orchestra

4. conducting patterns- visual demonstrations of time signatures

September 10/11

1. diaphragm- the involuntary muscle below the lungs which controls breathing

2. larynx- the voice box- part of the esophagus which produces sound

3. trachea- the windpipe which connects the larynx to the lungs

September 17/18

1. epiglottis- the cartilage that drops down over the larynx to seal it off while swallowing

2. hyperfunction- the overuse of a muscle

3. arytenoids- growths of tissue in the upper throat behind the nose

September 24/25

1. glottis- the space between the vocal cords

2. adduct- to close or add together

3. abduct- to open or separate

4. vocal nodules- a callus on the vocal cords, caused by abuse

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale October 2009 Vocabulary

October 1/2

1.solo- a performance by one singer

2. duet- a performance by two singers

3. trio- a performance by three singers

4. tie- a curved line connecting two or more notes of the same pitch. The tied note rhythmic beats

are added together and held for the combined note values

October 8/9

1. soprano- the highest pitched female voice

2. alto- the lowest pitched female voice

3. tenor- the highest pitched male voice

4. bass- the lowest pitched male voice

October 15/16

1. soft palate- the soft tissue in the back of the roof of your mouth

2. vocaleses- vocal exercises used to warm up the vocal cords in preparation for singing

3. solfeggio- the syllables which correspond to the steps of a major scale

October 22/Test for Period 1 scheduled for Oct. 23 is moved to Monday, October 26th

1. ff - fortissimo - very loud

2. f - forte- loud

3. mf - mezzo forte- medium loud

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale November 2009 Vocabulary

November 5/6

1. balance- all voice parts have equal emphasis

2. blend- matching the tone quality of other voices

3. vocal cords- the two muscles which vibrate against each other in the larynx to produce sound

4. slur- a curved line connecting two or more different notes indicating to sing smoothly and connecting each note

to the next note (legato)

November 12/13

1. mp - mezzo piano- medium soft

2. p - piano- soft

3. pp - pianissimo- very soft

4. dynamic markings- markings indicating how loud or soft the music is performed

November 19/20

1. meter signature- symbol found at the beginning of every piece of music after the clef and key signatures.   The top number indicates how many beats are in each measure. The bottom number indicates what kind of note equals one beat

2. bar line- divides music into groups of beats called measures

3. measure- the notation found between two bar lines

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale December 2009 Vocabulary

December 3/4

1. staff- the five lines and four spaces on which musical pitches and symbols are written

2. treble clef - soprano and alto voice pitches are written in this clef.

3. bass clef- tenor and bass voice pitches are written in this clef

December 17/18

1. melody- the tune of a piece of music

2. pitch- the highness or lowness of sound

3. interval- the distance from one note to the next note

4. tempo- how fast or slow the music is performed

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale January 2010 Vocabulary

January 7/8 - Mid Term Essay Exams - TBA

Study and review all previous vocabulary in preparation for Mid Term exams.

January 14/15

Review Essay Exams and Objective Exams

January 20/21 - WEDNESDAY   &   THURSDAY

Essay and Objective Exams this week. More information as it becomes available.

**********************************************************************************************************************************

This is the end of the vocabulary for the Chorus Wheel Class. You are NOT responsible for words & definitions

After January 21/22, 2010

**********************************************************************************************************************************

January 28/29

1. accidentals- sharps, flats and natural signs

2. sharp - # - a symbol before a note indicating it to be sung 1/2 pitch higher

3. flat - b - a symbol before a note indicating it to be sung 1/2 pitch lower

4. natural a symbol before a note which cancels a sharp or flat

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale February 2010 Vocabulary

February 4/5 -Moved to February 9th

1. repeat sign- symbols indicating to repeat all the music between the signs

2. breath mark- symbol written above the staff indicating where the singer is to breathe

3. leger line- temporary extensions of the staff

February 11/12

1 range- all the notes a singer is capable of singing

2. intonation- singing the note on the correct pitch

3. expression- reflecting the meaning of the music in the performance

February 18/19

1. system- the brace of music staves which contain the vocal parts and accompaniment

2. notation- the symbols which represent music

3. beat- the underlying pulse of music

February 25/26

1. fermata- symbol above a note indicating to hold or pause

2. articulation- attacking and releasing the note

3. diction- the pronunciation and enunciation of words

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale March 2010 Vocabulary

March 4/5

1. ritardando- tempo marking indicating to sing gradually slower

2. a tempo- direction meaning to go back to the original tempo

3. tune- the melody of a piece of music

March 11/12

FCAT   TESTING Schedule - TBA

March 18/19

FCAT   TESTING Schedule - TBA

March 24/25 - WEDNESDAY   AND THURSDAY

1. D. C. al Fine- Da Capo al Fine- direction indicating to go back to the beginning of the piece and sing to the Fine sign

2. D. C. al Coda- Da Capo al Coda- direction indicating to go back to the beginning of the piece and sing to the coda sign. At the sign, skip to the coda

3. D. S. al Fine- Dal Segno al Fine- direction indicating to repeat back to the symbol (segno, sign) and end the piece at the Fine sign.


Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale April 2010 Vocabulary

April 8/9

1. opera- musical play in which no words are spoken, all dialogue is sung

2. libretto- words and music to an opera or musical play

3. librettist- person who writes the words and music to an opera or musical play

April 15/16

1. leitmotif- melody associated with a character in an opera or musical

2. recitative- sung introduction to an aria

3. aria-a major song in an opera or musical which moves the story plot along, usually sung by a main character

April 22/23

1. introduction- a small portion of music heard at the beginning of a piece of music which sets the tempo, key and mood of the piece

2. interlude- the instrumental portion of music heard in the middle of a song

3. finale- the closing or final portion of music or the final piece of music heard at a performance

April 29/30

1. legato- musical direction indicating to sing smoothly and connecting one note to the next note

2. staccato- musical direction indicating to sing the note short and detached- not giving their full note value

3. fine- the end

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale May 2010 Vocabulary

May 6/7

1. composer- the person who writes the music

2. lyrics- the words to a piece of music

3. lyricist- the person who writes the words to a piece of music

May 13/14

1. a cappella- unaccompanied singing

2. choreography- planned dance movements to music

3. posture- the position of the body while singing

May 20/21

Review vocabulary from entire school year.

May 27/28 - Final Essay Exams Review

Singing Bobcats/Bobcat Chorale June 2010 Vocabulary

June 3/4 - Final Objective Exams Review and Essay Exams

June 7/8/9- MONDAY - Final Objective Exams Schedule TBA

These assignments were posted on August 18, 2009