GACE Music (723) flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Picardy third

A major tonic triad used at the end of a piece or section that is otherwise in a minor key, common in Renaissance and Baroque practice.

Neapolitan chord

A major triad built on the lowered second scale degree, usually in first inversion (bII6), functioning as a predominant chord, most often in minor keys.

Augmented sixth chords

Chords containing an augmented sixth interval (Italian, French, German) built on the lowered sixth degree, resolving outward to the dominant; the German form adds a perfect fifth, enharmonically a dominant seventh.

Sonata form

A large-scale form with exposition, development, and recapitulation; the second theme returns in the tonic during the recapitulation, resolving the structural tension of the exposition.

Ritornello form

A Baroque form in which a recurring orchestral passage (ritornello) alternates with contrasting solo episodes, common in Vivaldi and Bach concertos.

Second Viennese School

Schoenberg, Berg, and Webern, associated with atonality and twelve-tone composition in early twentieth-century Vienna.

Hemiola

A rhythmic device in which the prevailing meter is temporarily reorganized, typically turning two groups of three beats into three groups of two.

Suspension resolution

A suspension is prepared as a chord tone, held over the next chord as a dissonance, then resolved downward by step; the three stages are preparation, suspension, resolution.

Whole-tone scale

A six-note scale built entirely of whole steps; because it lacks a leading tone and perfect fifths, it produces an ambiguous, non-functional harmonic sound.

Ictus

The precise point in a conducting gesture where the beat arrives; it communicates tempo and rhythmic placement and is followed by the rebound.

Six-eight conducting pattern

A six-beat pattern grouped in two, with primary ictus points on beats one and four; the conductor shows two macro-beats while subdividing three inner pulses each.

Left-hand conducting functions

The left hand shapes dynamics, phrasing, cutoffs, and cues, while the right hand sustains tempo and meter; both hands move together only for emphasis or final releases.

Fermata release

The conductor holds the gesture through the fermata, then gives a preparatory lift and a clear cutoff so the ensemble releases together.

Marcato articulation

Marked, accented, and slightly separated; the conductor shows a sharp ictus with a shortened rebound to convey weight and separation.

Score reduction

A condensed version of a full score showing essential lines and harmony, used for study and rehearsal planning when a full score is impractical.

Transposition by interval

To transpose, identify the interval between original and target keys and apply it to every pitch; a B-flat instrument sounds a major second below written pitch.

Subdivision

Dividing the beat into smaller units (eighths or sixteenths) to maintain accuracy at slow tempi or in complex rhythms; faster tempi use larger beat units.

Kodály rhythm syllables

A system using spoken syllables such as ta (quarter), ti-ti (two eighths), and ta-a (half) to internalize rhythm before notation is introduced.

Orff bordun

A steady drone accompaniment, typically tonic and dominant, played on barred instruments; it is a foundational Orff accompaniment pattern for beginning ensembles.

Audiation

Gordon's term for hearing and comprehending music in one's mind when no sound is present, considered the foundation of music aptitude and literacy.

Formative assessment

Ongoing assessment during instruction (questioning, observation, exit tickets) used to adjust teaching in real time rather than to assign a final grade.

Performance rubric

A scoring guide listing criteria (tone, rhythm, technique, expression) and levels of quality, used to evaluate performance tasks consistently and provide feedback.

National Core Arts Standards

Voluntary national standards (2014) organized around four artistic processes: Creating, Performing, Responding, and Connecting, with grade-level performance standards.

Movable-do solfège

A system in which do is assigned to the tonic of whatever key is in use, so scale-degree function stays constant across key changes.

Spiraled curriculum

A curriculum design that revisits the same concepts at increasing depth and complexity across grade levels rather than teaching each concept once.

Least restrictive environment

The IDEA requirement that students with disabilities be educated with non-disabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate, with removal only when supplementary aids are insufficient.

Section 504 plan

A plan under the Rehabilitation Act providing accommodations (not specialized instruction) for a student with a disability that substantially limits a major life activity.

FERPA

The federal law protecting the privacy of student education records; directory information may be released only after notice and absent a parental opt-out.

Mandated reporter

A professional legally required to report suspected child abuse or neglect to the designated state agency; failure to report can carry legal consequences.

Proactive classroom management

Establishing routines, procedures, and expectations before problems arise, reducing off-task behavior through structure rather than reactive discipline.

Rehearsal pacing

Keeping students actively engaged through short, targeted segments, frequent specific feedback, and minimal teacher talk, maximizing time spent making music.

Program advocacy data

Evidence such as enrollment trends, retention, assessment results, and performance records used to justify a music program's value to administrators and boards.