Junior High Vocabulary Words
by Carol Braun
September 07, 2010
| Junior High Choir 2010-11 Vocab | |
| Banner | flag |
| Decrescendo | gradually get softer |
| crescendo | gradually get louder |
| unison | everyone sings or plays the same part at the same time |
| tempo | speed of the music |
| range | distance from the highest to the lowest note in a song |
| text | words in a song |
| dynamics | the louds and softs in music |
| ritard or rit. | gradually slow down |
| accelerando or accel. | gradually get faster |
| sacred text | religious words |
| secular text | non-religious words |
| soft palate | roof of the mouth |
| diction | the clarity of speech in a song, consonants and vowels |
| melody | main idea or theme in music |
| harmony | secondary idea or theme in music |
| ensemble | a group of people playing or singing music |
| a spiritual | song from the African-American culture |
| libretto | printed words or text of a poem or story set to music |
| chormatic scale movement | moving up and down the scale in half steps |
| balance | equal voices |
| rubato | flexible tempo or speed,not strict |
| legato style | smooth and connected |
| marcato style | detached and separated |
| articulators | the lips the teeth and the tip of the tongue |
| expressive music | meaningful, emotional |
| forte (f) | loud |
| piano (p) | soft |
| mezzo | medium |
| fortissimo (ff) | very loud |
| pianissimo (pp) | very soft |
| repertoire | list of music a person is capable of performing |
| mask | the facial area where the tone sits and the feeling of tone originates |
| larynx | the voice box behind the Adam's apple |
| diaphragm | group of muscles in the stomach area |
| scat singing | using nonsense syllables instead of words to sing an improvised melody |
| interval | the distance between two notes |
| poco a poco | little by little |
| D.C. al Fine | go back to the beginning and sing or play until the end, Fine |
| moderato | medium speed |
| tutti | everyone sings together |
| grave | deathly slow speed |
| mezzo forte (mf) | medium loud |
| mezzo piano (mp) | medium soft |
| allegro | quick and lively speed |
| meticulous | plan every little detail |
| tenacious | never give up |
| acapella | unaccompanied voices |
| amateur | lacks the skill of a professional; performs an activity for pleasure, not for money |
| choreography | planned movement |
