Musical instruments are like characters in a story.

Each instrument has it's own personality, voice and feeling.

Composers decide how the instruments will get along.

Instruments may agree or disagree in order to tell the story the composer has in mind.

Four styles of arranging musical notes

will make YOU feel different, too.

Click on the images to see how you might feel.


Dissonance means disagreement, disharmony or conflict.

AACKK!! Dissonance feels uncomfortable, maybe even bad. Listening to dissonant music can be a challenge. Why? People disagree about what sounds dissonant!



Unison is when all the instruments play the same notes at the same time.

Unison makes it easy to hear a melody, but played for a long time it can sound BORING.



Harmony means agreement, cooperation.

Music played in harmony feels comfortable, pleasant, beautiful. It sounds rich.



Resolution means how the sounds make peace or come to rest.

Resolution feels good, just like when people solve a problem
and understand each other. Sometimes musical sounds do not resolve,
just like people who disagree but get along anyway.

Above images by Joyce Jordan (c) Music at Kohl Mansion


Angela Maxey and her father, Jon, have a big dream for world peace. They want to orbit an International Peace Star; a 140-foot shiny balloon in space. Whenever people see the Peace Star shining they will remember that people everywhere are connected and are responsible for making earth a peaceful planet. Learn more at www.ThePeaceStar.org.

Click on the Peace Star in this picture to see which version of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" goes best with this new kind of star.


Write A Song for The Peace Star

You know the melody for "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" so well, that you can write new words (lyrics) to go with it. Just match the notes of the melody with syllables in the words.


[Reference: Wikipedia]