If your music students struggle to describe what they hear in music, you’re not alone.
Many music teachers find that their music students can listen to a piece of music, and even enjoy it, but fall apart the moment they are asked to explain it using correct music terms and language.
They write vague sentences.
They retell the story of the band.
They describe how the music makes them feel — but not how it works.
More often than not, the issue isn’t effort or ability.
It’s that students don’t have a secure understanding of music terms.
Without a clear understanding of music terms, students can’t access the 6 elements of music, they can’t develop music literacy, and they can’t succeed in listening, performing, or composing tasks — no matter how engaging the lesson is.
Why Music Terms Are the Foundation of Music Learning
Music terms are not an “extra” or an add-on to teaching.
They are the language of the subject.
Just as students need subject-specific vocabulary in English, Science, or Geography, they need explicit teaching of music terminology to understand and talk about music.
Music terms give students:
- a shared language
- precision in their responses
- confidence when speaking and writing
- access to assessments
Without music vocabulary, students are guessing. With them, they can think, explain, and analyse.
This is especially important when teaching the 6 elements of music — duration, dynamics and expression, pitch, structure, texture, and timbre. Each element relies on a set of music terms that students must understand, recognise, and apply.
Why Students Struggle When Music Terms Are Not Explicitly Taught
One of the biggest misconceptions in music education is that students will “pick up” music terms naturally just by listening and performing.
In reality, most students don’t.
When music terms are not explicitly taught:
- students rely on everyday language instead of musical language
- listening tasks become surface-level
- written responses lack detail
- assessments feel confusing and overwhelming
This is not because students are lazy or disengaged. It’s because they haven’t been shown how to use music terminology.
A Classroom Story That Changed My Teaching
I’ve been teaching since 2001. I came to teaching later than most — I was 30 when I started, and I had my kids first. It wasn’t exactly the plan, but I wouldn’t change it for the world.
Early in my teaching career, I was the second music teacher in a faculty, and I was given only Stage 4 classes — Years 7 and 8. I didn’t have control over programming or assessments; those were written by the other music teacher.
One of the Year 8 tasks was a written analysis of a piece of music of the students’ choosing. They had to analyse the music using the six concepts of music (now the six elements of music in the new syllabus).
I handed out the assignment, gave them some class time, and expected them to complete the rest independently.
What I received back was incredibly disappointing.
Most responses were biographies of the artist or band. Very little music analysis. Hardly any use of music terms. I was frustrated and confused.
When I spoke to a former colleague — an English and Drama teacher — she asked me a simple question:
“When did you teach them how to do the assignment?”
That question hit me like a truck.
I realised that I hadn’t taught them how to analyse music. I hadn’t taught them how to use music terms. I had assumed they knew what to do.
From that moment on, my approach changed completely.
Why Explicit Teaching of Music Terms Matters
Students need music terminology to be:
- taught
- modelled
- revisited
- applied in different contexts
Explicit teaching means:
- saying the term out loud
- explaining what it means
- showing what it sounds like
- giving students opportunities to use it
This is especially important for:
- students with low literacy
- students with additional learning needs
- students with vision impairments
- high-potential and gifted students who need depth
When music vocabulary is taught clearly and consistently, all music students benefit.
Why Music Terms Support Music Literacy
Music literacy is more than reading notes on a page.
It’s about understanding how music works and being able to communicate that understanding.
Music terms allow students to:
- identify musical features
- describe what they hear
- compare pieces of music
- justify their opinions
- structure written responses
Without music vocabulary, students rely on guessing or copying phrases they don’t fully understand.
With music terms, students gain control over their learning.
Why Music Terms Improve Music Listening Lessons
Music listening lessons often fall flat when students don’t have the music vocabulary to describe what they hear.
Teachers ask good questions, but students don’t know how to answer them.
By explicitly teaching music terminology before listening tasks:
- students know what to listen for
- responses become more specific
- confidence increases
- engagement improves
This is where structured, classroom-ready resources make a real difference.
In my own classroom, I found that having clear definitions, visual supports, and repeated exposure to music terms completely transformed listening lessons.
Teaching Music Terms in a Structured Way
Over time, I have developed a consistent approach to teaching music vocabulary that works across both Stage 4 and Stage 5 music classes.
This included:
- whole-class instruction using clear teaching slides
- explicit definitions of each music term
- listening examples that demonstrated each term
- repeated use of the same language across lessons
This structure is exactly what I built into the 6 Elements of Music Lessons & Worksheets Bundle for the New NSW Syllabus.
Each element of music includes:
- colourful teaching slides with large, readable fonts
- clear definitions of music terms
- links to musical examples
- printable and digital versions
Because the music terms are consistent across resources, students don’t have to relearn language every time the context changes.
If you are looking for some more information and teaching ideas for the new NSW Music Syllabus, click here to read this blog post!
Why Repetition of Teaching Music Vocabulary Is Essential
Students don’t learn music terms by seeing them once.
They need:
- repeated exposure
- opportunities to hear the term in different pieces of music
- chances to use the term in speaking and writing
This is why simply handing out a music glossary is not enough.
In the bundle, music terms are reinforced through:
- mind maps
- listening questions
- worksheets
- paragraph writing examples
Each time students encounter the music term, their understanding deepens.
Supporting Different Learners With Music Terms
One of the biggest challenges most music teachers face is catering for mixed-ability classes.
Music terms can be a barrier — or a bridge.
When music terminology and definitions are presented in multiple formats, students can access them in different ways:
- visual learners benefit from slides and mind maps
- students with low literacy benefit from structured definitions
- advanced students benefit from applying terms in more complex listening tasks
The bundle includes multiple versions of each resource so teachers don’t need to redesign materials for every class or every student.
How Music Terms Lead to Better Written Responses
The year after that disappointing Year 8 task, I explicitly taught music terms before setting the same type of assignment.
The difference in what the students submitted was night and day.
Students used correct music terminology.
They could explain what they heard.
Their writing showed real understanding.
That experience reinforced something I now believe deeply:
If we want better writing in music, we must first explicitly teach music terms.
This is why paragraph writing and music literacy are built on a foundation of vocabulary.
Why Teachers Often Skip Teaching Music Terms
Many teachers skip explicit teaching of music terms because:
- they feel pressed for time
- they assume their music students already know them
- they don’t have enough engaging lesson ideas
Ironically, skipping this step creates more work later — reteaching, clarifying, and rewriting tasks.
Having music classroom-tested resources ready to go removes that barrier.
Teaching Support That Reduces Planning Time
The 6 Elements of Music Lessons & Worksheets Bundle was designed to be used immediately, without adjustment.
It includes:
- printable PDFs
- Google Slides versions
- multiple worksheet formats
- flashcards for reinforcement
- three levels of listening questions
Teachers can print, project, or assign digitally, depending on their context and student needs.
Because it’s a one-off purchase with lifetime access, it replaces the need for multiple textbooks and constant resource hunting.
Your Next Step With Music Terminology
If your music students struggle to explain music, start with the language.
Ask yourself:
- Do my students know the music terms they are expected to use?
- Have I taught them explicitly?
- Have they had enough opportunities to practise using them in multiple ways?
If you’re looking for a structured, classroom-ready way to support this, you can take a closer look at the 6 Elements of Music Lessons & Worksheets Bundle for the New NSW Syllabus in my TpT store, Jooya Teaching Resources.
Use the Link here to get your Bundle today!
Whether you build your own resources or use ready-made ones, the goal is the same:
to give students the music terms they need to understand, explain, and succeed.
Music terms are not just vocabulary.
They are the doorway into talking and writing about music.
When students understand music terms, everything else — listening, writing, performing, composing — becomes possible.
And that’s why teaching music terms matters more than we sometimes realise.
Until next time
Happy Teaching
Julia from Jooya
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