Final answer:
The skill of playing or singing music directly from notation is called sight-reading. It differs from perfect pitch, which is the ability to recognize notes by ear. Sight-reading helps musicians perform new pieces without prior memorization, while perfect pitch is a distinct auditory skill.
Step-by-step explanation:
Being able to play or sing music from notation rather than from memory is a skill called sight-reading. Sight-reading involves interpreting musical notes and symbols on sheet music and playing or singing the music as it is read. It's a valuable skill for musicians, as it allows them to perform new pieces of music without the need to memorize them first. Perfect pitch, on the other hand, is the rare ability to identify musical notes, such as A-sharp, C, or E-flat, just by listening to them without any reference tone.
Memory also plays a key role in music literacy, such as when learning to play an instrument like the piano at a young age, where one might memorize the location of the keys. This is part of the literacy experience in music. Additionally, mnemonic devices like "Every good boy does fine" help students remember the notes corresponding to the lines of the treble clef, further facilitating the process of reading music.
The size of musical instruments is directly related to the wavelengths of sound they produce, impacting their pitch. Small instruments typically produce high-pitched sounds with short wavelengths, whereas large instruments produce low-pitched sounds with long wavelengths. The ability to recognize the pitch and sight-read music richly contributes to the capacity to compose, make, and enjoy music.