Grade by Grade
A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Music: Tempo, Articulation and Musicianship

C1.4 C1.1 C1.5 C2.3About 45 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can read and perform tempo marks, including largo, allegro and vivace.
  • I can read and perform articulation and expression marks, including staccato, accent, tenuto, marcato, fermata and maestoso.
  • I can use tools of musicianship: breath control, phrasing, marking my music, and singing comfortably in my range.
  • I can set practice goals and identify my strengths and areas for improvement as a performer.

Words to know

vivace
Lively and fast. Usually a bit faster than allegro.
articulation
How a note starts, ends and connects to the next one.
tenuto
A short line over or under a note: hold it for its full value, with slight weight.
marcato
A wedge-shaped mark (^): play the note strongly and very clearly marked.
fermata
A curved mark with a dot: hold the note longer than its written value.
maestoso
Majestically, in a grand and dignified way.
phrasing
Shaping a musical sentence: where to breathe, where to grow, where to taper.
breath mark
A small comma-like mark (’) showing where to breathe.

Remember from earlier grades

In Grade 5 you used articulation like staccato and accents. In Grade 6 you read tempo marks from largo to presto, dynamics from pp to ff, and slurs, and you learned to count in and follow a conductor.

This year you'll add more marks that tell you how to play, and build the habits of a strong performer.

Tempo markMeaning
largovery slow and broad
adagioslow
andanteat a walking pace
moderatoat a moderate speed
allegrofast and lively
vivacelively and fast (usually a bit faster than allegro)
prestovery fast
Tempo marks from slowest to fastest. Vivace is new this year.
largoadagioandantemoderatoallegrovivacepresto(walking pace)new this year← slowestfastest →
The seven tempo marks on one line from slowest to fastest. Andante sits near the middle at a walking pace, and vivace is just below presto.
44Maestosostaccatoaccenttenutomarcatofermata
Bar 1 is marked Maestoso and shows four Cs, each with a different articulation: staccato (dot), accent (>), tenuto (line) and marcato (^). Bar 2: A, B, then C as a half note with a fermata (hold).
MarkNameHow to perform it
dotstaccatoshort and detached
curved line over different notesslur (legato)smooth and connected
>accentstronger start than the notes around it
^marcatovery strong and clearly marked, even more than an accent
short linetenutohold for the full value, with a little weight
arc with a dotfermatahold longer than written; the conductor or performer decides how long
Articulation marks.

Expression words

Composers also use words to describe the character of the music:

  • maestoso: majestically
  • dolce: sweetly
  • cantabile: in a singing style
  • espressivo: expressively
  • con brio: with spirit and energy

A march might say Allegro maestoso (fast and majestic); a lullaby might say Andante dolce (walking pace, sweetly).

Tools of musicianship

  • Breath control: breathe low, so your belly and sides expand, not your shoulders. Breathe silently and release air steadily so long phrases stay in tune.
  • Phrasing: find the musical sentences. Breathe at the ends of phrases (look for or add breath marks), not in the middle of a word.
  • Singing range: warm up gently and sing where it feels comfortable. In Grades 7 and 8, many voices start to change. This is normal; your comfortable range may move, so don't strain.
  • Mark your music in pencil: circle accidentals, highlight dynamics, add breath marks.
  • Practise smart: practise slowly, work on short chunks, repeat the hard bar until it is easy, then speed up. Record yourself and listen back.
Worked example

Example: Let's interpret the marks in an excerpt

Look at the two bars in the picture. How should they be performed?

  1. Maestoso: play with a grand, majestic character, not rushed.
  2. Bar 1: C staccato (short), C with an accent (strong start), C tenuto (full length, a little weight), C marcato (very strong and marked). Each note is the same pitch, but each sounds different.
  3. Bar 2: A and B lead up to C, which has a fermata: hold it longer than two beats, then stop together, watching the conductor.
  4. Check the rhythm: bar 1 has four quarter notes (4 beats); bar 2 has quarter + quarter + half (1 + 1 + 2 = 4 beats).

Majestic character; four different articulations on the same pitch; a held final note.

Worked example

Example: Let's set a practice goal and reflect

Priya is learning a recorder piece. Bar 6 has fast notes that she keeps fumbling, and she runs out of breath in the long last phrase. Let's help her make a plan.

  1. Strength: My tone is steady and I play the dynamics well.
  2. Areas for improvement: bar 6 fingers, and breath in the last phrase.
  3. Specific goal: By Friday, play bar 6 three times in a row with no mistakes at the full tempo, and play the last phrase on one breath.
  4. Strategy: practise bar 6 slowly, then a little faster each day; mark a breath mark before the last phrase and take a low, full breath there.
  5. Check: record herself on Friday and listen. Did she meet the goal? What is the next goal?

A good goal is specific, has a strategy and a date, and is checked by listening back.

Just for fun

Fun fact: andante comes from the Italian word for “walking”. So a piece marked andante is basically asking you to take your music for a walk. 🚶 (Leash not included.)

Hands-on activity

Same note, six ways

You need: your voice or any instrument (a pot and spoon works for rhythm), paper and a pencil, and a phone to record (with permission).

  1. Choose one note. Perform it staccato, with an accent, tenuto, marcato, slurred into a second note, and with a fermata. Can a family member guess which mark you're showing?
  2. Sing or play a short song you know twice: once Allegro maestoso, once Andante dolce. How did your sound change?
  3. Write the words of a song, and add breath marks at the ends of phrases. Sing it with low, quiet breaths only at those marks.
  4. Record a piece, listen back, and write: one strength, one area for improvement, and a specific goal with a date.

Your turn

1

Put in order from slowest to fastest: allegro, largo, vivace, andante.

2

What is the difference between an accent and marcato?

3

What does a tenuto mark ask for?

4

What does maestoso mean?

5

Where should a singer usually breathe?

6

Describe a low breath.

7

Name two ways to practise a hard bar.

More practice: warm-up

1

What does a staccato dot mean?

2

What does a fermata mean?

3

What does vivace mean?

4

What does dolce mean?

5

What should you use to mark your music: pen or pencil?

More practice: on your own

1

A piece says Largo cantabile. Describe how to perform it.

2

Why might two performers hold the same fermata for different lengths?

3

Your voice cracks on high notes lately. What should you do?

4

Write a specific practice goal for learning a new song.

5

A bar in 4/4 has: half note with a fermata, quarter, quarter. Does the fermata change how many beats the bar is written with?

Challenge

1

Choose articulations and a tempo mark for the start of a piece called Royal Parade, and explain.

2

Explain how breath control helps a singer stay in tune.

3

Write a reflection on a performance using the words strength, area for improvement and next step, with at least two musical terms.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

Which is the fastest?

2.

A wedge-shaped mark (^) over a note means ___.

3.

Maestoso means ___.

4.

A short line (tenuto) over a note means ___.

5.

The best place to breathe when singing is ___.

6.

Which is the most useful practice goal?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Students use the tools and techniques of musicianship in musical performances (C1.4): marking and applying tempo, dynamics, phrasing and articulation, and using good breath control across their singing range. They sing or play from notation (C1.1), read notation such as tempo markings (C1.5), and identify their strengths and areas for improvement (C2.3). Grade 7 concepts include tempo marks such as vivace and expression marks such as marcato and maestoso.

How to help at home:

  • Listen to your child's practice and ask, "What's your goal today?"
  • Recording and listening back is one of the best practice tools.
  • Changing voices: voice changes are normal at this age. Encourage comfortable singing, never straining.

Common difficulties:

  • Treating all articulation marks the same. Practise one note six ways.
  • Practising only the parts they already know. Encourage starting with the hardest bar.
  • Vague goals. Help make them specific and checkable.