- Definition
Program music is music that tells a story, paints a picture, or expresses a feeling, rather than just being music for its own sake.
In 'Peter and the Wolf,' the flute represents the bird and the French horns represent the wolf, telling a story with instruments.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: Program music is like a movie soundtrack that tells the story without any words, using sounds to paint a picture of the action or mood.
Ask your child: If this music were a movie scene, what would be happening right now?
Common mix-up: A common idea is that all instrumental music is just abstract sound. Program music is different because it's intentionally composed to follow a specific story, character, or scene.
Examples
- Vivaldi's 'The Four Seasons' uses music to depict shivering in winter or a storm in summer.
- A movie's suspenseful music during a chase scene is program music designed to create a feeling of tension.
program music 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 ↗
