- Definition
Musicianship is about understanding music well enough to play it with feeling and express the ideas and emotions within it.
When a child sings 'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star' softly to sound like a lullaby, they are showing musicianship.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Musicianship is like telling a story — you don't just say the words, you use your voice to make it sound exciting or sleepy.
Ask your child: How could you sing this song to show it's sleepy?
Common mix-up: Kids might think musicianship is just about playing the right notes. It’s really about playing with feeling to make the music tell a story.
Examples
- Tapping a drum loudly and quickly to make the music sound exciting.
- Singing a song with a smile in your voice to make it sound happy.
- Making your body move slowly and smoothly to match a quiet, gentle song.
musicianship is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
