Musical Elements - Enjoyable Quiz for Children Aged 7 to 11

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Music Quiz - Musical Elements (Questions)

Enjoyable Quiz for Children Aged 7 to 11

This KS2 Music quiz will challenge you on musical elements. Musical elements are words that describe music. It can be very difficult to describe something which you cannot see, but are only able to hear. Luckily, knowing the elements of music gives us a language to describe the music we hear.

If a musician was given a piece of music with just the notes and no instruction on how to play the piece, such as how fast, how loud and so on, the music would sound very strange! Just like maths has its own language, so too does music. If you are wanting to play, or already do play, a musical instrument, it's worth spending some time getting to know what these new musical words mean.

Take this quiz to discover how well you know the musical elements.

Which of the following is NOT an element of music?

[ ]	Symphony
[ ]	Pitch
[ ]	Tempo
[ ]	Timbre

Pitch describes ____.

[ ]	how long a note lasts
[ ]	the loudness or quietness of a note
[ ]	whether a note has a high or low sound
[ ]	whether music is fast or slow

Which of these words describes the volume of a note or musical phrase?

[ ]	Tempo
[ ]	Dynamics
[ ]	Timbre
[ ]	Duration

Adagio, allegro and lento are words which tell a musician ____.

[ ]	how loudly to play
[ ]	how smoothly to play
[ ]	what notes to play
[ ]	what speed to play

In music, 'texture' refers to ____.

[ ]	the combination of different sounds happening at the same time
[ ]	whether the musicians are playing in time
[ ]	whether the musicians are playing in tune
[ ]	how long a piece of music lasts

Which of these is NOT a dynamic instruction?

[ ]	Pianissimo
[ ]	Concerto
[ ]	Forte
[ ]	Piano

Timbre describes ____.

[ ]	the sound different instruments make when they are played together
[ ]	the pitch of an instrument
[ ]	the volume of a specific instrument
[ ]	the sound quality of a specific instrument

Which phrase best describes rhythm?

[ ]	The pattern made by long notes, short notes and silence
[ ]	A steady beat
[ ]	An entire piece of music
[ ]	A musical performance that makes you want to dance

What is duration?

[ ]	How high a note is
[ ]	How many instruments are playing together
[ ]	How long a note lasts
[ ]	Harmony

10.

To which of these would you tap your toe?

[ ]	Pitch
[ ]	Volume
[ ]	Beat
[ ]	Tempo

You can find more about this topic by visiting BBC Bitesize - Essentials

Music Quiz - Musical Elements (Answers)

Which of the following is NOT an element of music?

[x]	Symphony
[ ]	Pitch
[ ]	Tempo
[ ]	Timbre

A symphony is a piece of music played by an orchestra

Pitch describes ____.

[ ]	how long a note lasts
[ ]	the loudness or quietness of a note
[x]	whether a note has a high or low sound
[ ]	whether music is fast or slow

Some people have perfect pitch which means that they always know what note is being played

Which of these words describes the volume of a note or musical phrase?

[ ]	Tempo
[x]	Dynamics
[ ]	Timbre
[ ]	Duration

Remember - 'volume' in music means how loud or quiet a note is. Just think of the volume control on an MP3 or stereo

Adagio, allegro and lento are words which tell a musician ____.

[ ]	how loudly to play
[ ]	how smoothly to play
[ ]	what notes to play
[x]	what speed to play

Sometimes a piece of music needs to be played fast, especially if it's lively

In music, 'texture' refers to ____.

[x]	the combination of different sounds happening at the same time
[ ]	whether the musicians are playing in time
[ ]	whether the musicians are playing in tune
[ ]	how long a piece of music lasts

Imagine the sound of a single violin note. Then combine it with the beat of a drum and the pluck of a harp. The sound becomes 'textured'

Which of these is NOT a dynamic instruction?

[ ]	Pianissimo
[x]	Concerto
[ ]	Forte
[ ]	Piano

Dynamic instructions are given in Italian. Pianissimo means 'very soft', piano is 'soft' and forte means 'loud' or 'strong'

Timbre describes ____.

[ ]	the sound different instruments make when they are played together
[ ]	the pitch of an instrument
[ ]	the volume of a specific instrument
[x]	the sound quality of a specific instrument

Different instruments make different types of sounds - you can always tell the difference between the sound of a violin and the sound of a trombone, or the sound of a guitar and that of a flute

Which phrase best describes rhythm?

[x]	The pattern made by long notes, short notes and silence
[ ]	A steady beat
[ ]	An entire piece of music
[ ]	A musical performance that makes you want to dance

Although it has a beat, rhythm is not the beat, but a pattern of notes and silences

What is duration?

[ ]	How high a note is
[ ]	How many instruments are playing together
[x]	How long a note lasts
[ ]	Harmony

Some notes last longer than others

10.

To which of these would you tap your toe?

[ ]	Pitch
[ ]	Volume
[x]	Beat
[ ]	Tempo

Another word for beat is pulse - tempo describes how fast or slow this pulse is