KS3 music for dance - including ostinato and tempo

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Music Quiz - Music for Dance 01 (Questions)

What is the purpose of music? Well, many believe that it was originally intended to dance to and that's true for most types of music today. If you want to understand music then you'll need to know about music made for dancing. This quiz focuses upon the technical vocabulary, processes and context featured in the KS3 Music for Dance (year 8) Unit.

There are many types of dancing - group dances, such as line dancing, paired dances, such as ballroom or Latin American dancing, and improvised dance which is made up on the spot, like disco, rave or club dancing, Each of these styles is different but all music for dance will include tempo and ostinato which aid the dance.

"Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance," said Dave Barry. Similarly, it doesn't matter if you don't get all of these questions right first time - you can always come back and play the quiz as many times as you like. Just get up and play!

An ostinato is when .......

[ ]	a section is played particularly loudly
[ ]	the music stops
[ ]	a motif/phrase is persistently repeated
[ ]	None of the above

Cycles may be .......

[ ]	melodic
[ ]	harmonic
[ ]	rhythmic
[ ]	All of the above

In music, bars are characterised by .......

[ ]	groups of 'strong and weak' beats
[ ]	pedal lines
[ ]	performance directions
[ ]	playing them quietly

What does the term 'largo' refer to?

[ ]	Dynamics
[ ]	Repeat markings
[ ]	Tempo
[ ]	Time signature

What is Gota music?

[ ]	A brass fanfare arrangement
[ ]	A style of dance music from Africa
[ ]	A type of Indian solo concerto
[ ]	A type of modern disco music

African drummers commonly .......

[ ]	play from a written notational score
[ ]	strike a beat using their feet
[ ]	verbalise sounds in their mind before playing
[ ]	All of the above

A mnemonic is primarily a .......

[ ]	dynamic marking
[ ]	memory aid which helps with learning rhythms
[ ]	pause
[ ]	tempo marking

What is a common feature of Gota dance music?

[ ]	Mnemonics used by performers
[ ]	Ostinato
[ ]	Contrasting rhythmic patterns
[ ]	All of the above

Eg ti pe tsa gah ki di gi and dza are .......

[ ]	random lines of nonsense!
[ ]	types of chant from the Middle Ages
[ ]	examples of mnemonics for drumming
[ ]	None of the above

10.

The persistent repetition of motifs/phrases is .......

[ ]	exemplary of ostinato
[ ]	a warning of a piece coming to its end
[ ]	common at the beginning of pieces
[ ]	All of the above

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

Music Quiz - Music for Dance 01 (Answers)

An ostinato is when .......

[ ]	a section is played particularly loudly
[ ]	the music stops
[x]	a motif/phrase is persistently repeated
[ ]	None of the above

....... by the same musical voice, e.g. the 5/4 rhythm section in Gustav Holst's 'Mars'

Cycles may be .......

[ ]	melodic
[ ]	harmonic
[ ]	rhythmic
[x]	All of the above

Or based on some other musical dimension

In music, bars are characterised by .......

[x]	groups of 'strong and weak' beats
[ ]	pedal lines
[ ]	performance directions
[ ]	playing them quietly

The strong beat usually being the first of each bar

What does the term 'largo' refer to?

[ ]	Dynamics
[ ]	Repeat markings
[x]	Tempo
[ ]	Time signature

Try to memorise as many different tempo markings as possible when revising, they're extremely helpful to know!

What is Gota music?

[ ]	A brass fanfare arrangement
[x]	A style of dance music from Africa
[ ]	A type of Indian solo concerto
[ ]	A type of modern disco music

Gota was originally a dance for medicine men but now it is performed for entertainment

African drummers commonly .......

[ ]	play from a written notational score
[ ]	strike a beat using their feet
[x]	verbalise sounds in their mind before playing
[ ]	All of the above

One of the most famous African drums is the djembe. It's carved from a hollowed tree-trunk and covered in goat skin

A mnemonic is primarily a .......

[ ]	dynamic marking
[x]	memory aid which helps with learning rhythms
[ ]	pause
[ ]	tempo marking

Characteristic of Gota drumming

What is a common feature of Gota dance music?

[ ]	Mnemonics used by performers
[ ]	Ostinato
[ ]	Contrasting rhythmic patterns
[x]	All of the above

You'll find all of these in most Gota music

Eg ti pe tsa gah ki di gi and dza are .......

[ ]	random lines of nonsense!
[ ]	types of chant from the Middle Ages
[x]	examples of mnemonics for drumming
[ ]	None of the above

It's true! These words all represent different sound and rhythm patterns

10.

The persistent repetition of motifs/phrases is .......

[x]	exemplary of ostinato
[ ]	a warning of a piece coming to its end
[ ]	common at the beginning of pieces
[ ]	All of the above

Ostinato comes from the Italian word for 'stubborn' - probably because it persistently repeats