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| Kindergarten students try a steady beat. |
Learning Rhythm
Even the youngest students enjoy patting and clapping along with the beat of a song. We do many steady beat activities in the younger grades, using drums, rhythm sticks, and our own bodies. Students follow the music teacher as she marches, wiggles, pats, and stomps with the beat of the music.
Older students learn specific notation for quarter notes, eighths, and sixteenths. In these classes, we practice reading rhythms with a Heart Chart. Students take turns creating a rhythm for the class to say or play on drums, tambourines, or Boomwhackers. Classes split into groups to say two or more rhythm patterns at once. |
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| Young students practice reading pitches. |
Learning Pitches
"Every Good Boy Does Fine" is the traditional way of teaching pitch names. However, for the young child, learning one note at a time and practicing it is much more effective. Students practice seeing the note and playing the correct pitch on a xylophone.
"Mr. Everybody's Musical Apartment", by Myles Feltenberger, begins with a cute story which introduces students to the tenants of the apartment building one by one. Worksheets, quizzes, and songs are included, all of which give plenty of practice to aid the memory.
Besides the songs in the book, I have put flash cards on PowerPoint, just for practice. The students enjoy having speed contests as they practice. And with only one note on a slide, they have less to think about as they learn. We will put rhythm with pitch later.
I also have songs on PowerPoint with two beats per page. This gives young students practice in tracking from left to right.
For older students, I write the song on the board. I help them by pointing to the notes a time or two. Then I step aside, and they have to follow the notes themselves.
This year, fifth graders are learning to follow along with the music on their own. It takes practice, but they can do it. |
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| If you follow along, you know when to play. |
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| Watch those notes! |
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