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We can talk about music in lots of different ways.

• You can talk about the genre of a piece of music, or how the instruments are used.
• You can talk about when a piece of music was made and who made it.
• You can also talk about the dimensions of music. These are the different parts that come together to make up a piece of music.

You can use adjectives to explain how different pieces of music make you feel. Excited, sleepy, happy, scared or nervous!

The dimensions of music are the different parts that come together to make up a piece of music. Think of it like making a cake, the dimensions are all the musical ingredients that are used to make the final piece.

The dimensions of music include Dynamics, Rhythm, Pitch, Structure, Melody, Instrumentation, Texture, Harmony.

A good way to remember the dimensions of music is to take the first letter from each to spell DR P SMITH.

When talking about music, it's important to think about how the different musical dimensions are being used. You might say:

• the music had a slow tempo
• the melody had two phrases
• the texture included four musical parts
• the start of the piece was quite soft (mezzo piano)
• the rhythms were syncopated
• the piece was mainly in a minor key

Music can help the listener to feel certain emotions depending on how the elements of music are used.

You can also talk about the way in which musicians play certain notes or sections of music. This is called articulation.

The trumpets played staccato rhythms.

The string section played a beautiful legato melody.

We can talk about the type or style of a piece of music, this is called the musical genre. Pop, jazz, classical, dance or rock music are all examples of different genres.

Pieces of music that are the same genre often use the dimensions of music in a similar way.

The genre of a piece of music can also be decided by what the music is used for, such as:

• music in film, musical theatre or ballet
• when in history it was made - like Renaissance, Baroque or 20th Century music
• the place or culture it has come from - like Argentine tango, South Indian classical music known as Carnatic, or Caribbean calypso

Have a listen to the example pieces of music below. Can you identify any of the instruments used?

With a friend or grown-up, have a listen to one of your favourite songs or pieces of music.

Can you describe about how the different dimensions of music are used? Remember, to use DR P SMITH.

For an extra challenge, can you talk about how the music makes you feel?