Tempo

Like the ticking of a clock or the dripping of a tap, tempo is the speed at which music is played. If all the musicians in a band played at a different tempo, all we would hear is noise.

Pitch

Pitch is the highness or lowness of a sound. Small instruments produce more rapid vibrations and have ahigher pitch than larger instruments. The long thick strings of a bass fiddle vibrate slower and produce lower notes than the short strings of a violin.

Vibrations

A vibration is a sound wave moving back and forth from its highest to its lowest point. You can see what a sound wave looks like. Have two friends hold the cans at either end of a "Tin Can Telephone" - pull hard to keep the string tight. Create friction by squeezing a wet cloth on the string and dragging it from one end to the other (Like a Moose Call, page 4). See the string wobble? Those are the vibrations! Slow vibrations produce a low note and fast vibrations produce a higher note.