Glossary
adagio: a slow tempo
allegro: a fast tempo
backbeat: a rhythmic pattern where beats two and four are emphasized
bodhrán: an Irish frame drum
call and response: a common way to learn music in which one person sings part of the song (call), and another person repeats it (response)
Cajun: a culture deriving from the Acadian people of Canada, who immigrated down the Mississippi River to Louisiana in the 18th century
character: a person in a story
chorus: the part of a song that repeats throughout, often including the name of the song
djely: a musician who comes from an ancient line of musicians and storytellers in West Africa
duet: two musicians performing together
emotion: a feeling
explorer: a person who uses his or her senses to learn about something
fable: a short story that teaches a lesson, usually with animals as characters
fais do-do: a large Cajun party with music and dancing
form: in music, the way a song is organized
harmony: when more than one note is heard at a time, often creating harmonious or pleasing sound
humming: singing without opening one’s lips
kora: a 21-stringed harp played by Mandinga people of West Africa
melody: the tune in a piece of music, made up of pitches that go up and down
meter: the organization of the steady beat into patterns of strong and weak
mood: the feeling of a piece of music
musical: a performing art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dancing
opposite: things that are related but are very different from each other
pattern: a distinct arrangement of visual designs or sounds, often repeating
pitch: how high or low a sound is
pulse: a steady repeated sound, like a heartbeat
rhythm: pattern of sound and silence over a steady beat
scale: a pattern of pitches
solfège: a series of syllables used to teach melodies
solo: one musician performing alone
steady beat: the pulse in music
tempo: the speed of music
two-step: a dance in duple meter
verse: the part of a song that is different each time and tells the story of the song
vibrations: the movement of air
waltz: a dance in triple meter