Music Descriptors in English and Spanish

Submitted by Daniel Hershman-Rossi, Waukegan, Illinois

Idea posted 2012-09-21

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I've found that it's helpful to review basic music descriptors with primary students (to avoid, for instance, confusing a high sound with a loud sound). We reviewed each of these this past week:

  • high / low
  • fast / slow
  • soft / loud
  • long / short

I used characteristic examples for each, drawing not only from classical music but from pop music and world music, too.

Since we have a lot of English Language Learners, I wanted to provide these words in Spanish as well. Rather than just consult a dictionary, I talked with a few different Spanish speaking teachers to make sure that I had the correct connotation for each word. So:

  • high (alto) / low (bajo)
  • fast (rápido) / slow (lento)
  • soft (suave) / loud (fuerte)
  • long (largo) / short (corto)

It's worth noting that some of these match the Italian musical terms that we're all used to (lento), and some of them don't (largo).

It's been really useful so far, both as a tool for clarifying student responses about music and for reminding all of our students that they are welcome at school, regardless of the language in which they feel the most comfortable.