Composing your own piece of music

Arts & Music · Music · ages 8-11

Name ______________________ Date ____________

What does 'dynamics' mean in music?
- How high or low a sound is
- How loud or soft a sound is
- How fast or slow a sound is
Which sentence explains a choice behind a piece of music?
- I made it slow and low because it's the sad part
- The piece lasts three minutes
- The recording button is red
A finished piece of music can have a clear beginning, a middle, and an end.
Circle one: True False
Count the parts in the shape of this piece. How many parts does it have?
Answer: ______________
Look at the volume in Leo's piece. What happened to it from start to end?
- It got softer
- It stayed the same
- It got louder
Zara plays a low repeating pattern under her whole tune. Why might she do this?
- To give the piece a steady base while other sounds change on top
- To make the piece stop early
- To hide the tune completely
A piece stays exactly the same volume, speed, and pitch from start to finish, then just stops. What is missing from its shape?
- A low pitch
- A loud sound
- A change over time, so it builds toward a beginning, middle, and end
Sam says his song 'has a pattern that repeats, and gets quiet before the last note.' His teacher asks why, and Sam says, 'I don't know, it just happened.' What part of composing is Sam missing?
- Having any sound at all
- Explaining his choices
- Making the piece too short

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

How loud or soft a sound is · Dynamics is about volume, not pitch or speed.
I made it slow and low because it's the sad part · A composer explains why, like linking 'slow and low' to a sad feeling. That's what makes it a real choice, not an accident.
True · A piece often has a shape: it starts somewhere, moves through a middle, and reaches an ending.
4 · Soft intro, layer added, volume builds, final chord: four parts make up the shape.
It got louder · The bars grow taller from start to end, so the volume grows louder toward the finish.
To give the piece a steady base while other sounds change on top · A repeated low pattern, like a steady heartbeat, holds the piece together while other sounds change above it.
A change over time, so it builds toward a beginning, middle, and end · Without any change, a piece has no shape: nothing builds toward a beginning, middle, or end.
Explaining his choices · Composing isn't finished until you can say why you made a choice, like 'quiet because it's the calm part.'