For Grown-Ups

Tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. It is a crucial element of composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece. The plural of tempo is tempi. The tempo of a piece will typically be written at the start of a piece of music, and in modern music is usually indicated in beats per minute (BPM). This means that a particular note value (for example, a quarter note or crotchet) is specified as the beat, and the marking indicates that a certain number of these beats must be played per minute. The greater the tempo, the larger the number of beats that must be played in a minute is, and, therefore, the faster a piece must be played.

Educational Elements:

• Rhythm and beat
• Collaboration
• Musical style – through the differences of classical violin and fiddle
• Beat and measure counting