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