Unit Four: The Elements of Music

Beat - The underlying, evenly spaced pulse providing a framework for rhythm.

Meter - The pattern in which a steady succession of rhythmic pulses is organized.

Create a steady beat by tapping your foot or clapping your hands. A metronome is a visual and auditory way to discuss the steady beat. The higher the number you set on a metronome, the more beats per minute and the faster the arm moves. I often march to a regular beat, then start to slow, speed up, slow again to demonstrate irregular beat. Use words and phrases as examples. For example - murmur has two equal syllables, but kachoo is irregular because of the accent on the second syllable. The rhythm of word syllables and accents can help students hear rhythm patterns.

Duple vs. Triple Meter - Some beats can be divided by two (duple meter) and others can be divided by three (triple meter). A waltz is in triple meter and a march is in duple. Using words, the number of syllables may be the same, but the meter is dependant on equal emphasis on each syllable. Example - "merrily" is triple meter because the word can be divided into equal parts and the accent is on the first syllable. However, "intellect" is unequal and duple because the first two symbols are duple and the final syllable requires a full beat.

Staff

5 Lines and 4 Spaces

Musical notes on the staff sit either on a line or in a space. The placement on the staff indicates pitch. We will discuss that in the melody section of the lecture.

The staff is a musical timeline reading from left to right.

The Treble Clef

The treble clef tells us which line is going to be which note or pitch. After the clef, we see the Time Signature. This relates to rhythmic value of each note. The top number is the number of beats in each measure. The bottom number is the kind of note that will get one beat.

The Time Signature appears after the clef sign on the staff. The top number indicates the number of beats in a measure and the bottom number indicates the kind of note that gets one beat.

Bar Lines

and

Measures

Staff is divided into equal parts called measures. Bar lines are vertical dividers. Spaces in between the bar lines are called measures

Mathematical Proportions in Rhythm

4 beats /2 beats /1 beat /1/2 of a beat

The Musical Rhythm Pyramid

Auditory - Visual - Kinesthetic Rhythm Activities

When teaching children the beginnings of reading rhythms....

I like to use animals when I teach about rhythm. The eagle soars for four beats. The penguin slides for two beats. The bear walks for 1 beat. The squirrel runs double-time for 1/2 of a beat. Teach the children to read and play rhythms on a drum or rhythm instruments. Clap the rhythms or put the rhythm in your feet!

The quarter note gets one beat in 4/4 time. The quarter note is colored in and has a stem. The quarter note can be thought of as a walking note. The Walking Bear walks 4 steps in a measure of 4/4 time. In 4/4 time, there are 4 quarter notes in every measure. The staff is divided by bar lines into equal parts called measures.

The stem could go up or down depending on where the note is on the staff. The quarter note gets one beat when the time signature indicates 4/4 time. The top 4 means that there are 4 counts or beats in a measure and the bottom 4 means that the quarter note gets one count. The bar lines are vertical lines dividing the staff into equal parts. These equal parts are called measures. In a measure of 4/4 time, 4 quarter notes fill up the whole measure. Two quarter notes equal one half note and four quarter notes equal one whole note.

For each note there is a rest of equal value. A quarter rest is silent for one beat and a quarter note is played or sung for one beat.

The eighth note gets one half of a beat in 4/4 time. The eighth note is colored in, has a stem and a flag. When 2 eighth notes appear together they are connected with a beam. The eighth note can be thought of as a running note. The Running Squirrel runs 8 steps in a measure of 4/4 time. In 4/4 time, there are 8 running notes in every measure. The staff is divided by bar lines into equal parts called measures.

The stem of the eighth note could go up or down depending on where the note is on the staff. The eighth note gets one half of a beat when the time signature indicates 4/4 time. The top 4 means that there are 4 counts or beats in a measure and the bottom 4 means that the quarter note gets one count. The bar lines are vertical lines dividing the staff into equal parts. These equal parts are called measures. In a measure of 4/4 time, 8 eighth notes fill up the whole measure. Four quarter notes equal 8 eighth notes. Four eighth notes equal one half note.

For each note there is a rest of equal value. An eighth rest is silent for one half a beat and a eighth note is played or sung for one half a beat.

The half note gets two beats in 4/4 time. The circle of the half note is not colored in. The half note has a stem which can go up or down. The half note can be thought of as a sliding note. The Sliding Penguin slides for 2 beats as if he is skating. In 4/4 time, there are 2 half notes in every measure. The staff is divided by bar lines into equal parts called measures.

The stem could go up or down depending on where the note is on the staff. The half note gets two beats when the time signature indicates 4/4 time. The top 4 means that there are 4 counts or beats in a measure and the bottom 4 means that the quarter note gets one count. The bar lines are vertical lines dividing the staff into equal parts. These equal parts are called measures. In a measure of 4/4 time, 4 quarter notes fill up the whole measure. Two half notes equal one whole note. Two quarter notes equal one half note and four eighth notes equal one half note.

For each note there is a rest of equal value. A half rest is silent for two beats and a half note is played or sung for two beats. A half rest sits on the line.

The whole note gets four beats in 4/4 time. The whole note is not colored in and it does not have a stem. The whole note can be thought of as a gliding note. The Gliding Eagle glides for 4 counts. In 4/4 time, there is one whole note in a measure. The staff is divided by bar lines into equal parts called measures.

The whole note is a circle. The whole note gets four beats when the time signature indicates 4/4 time. The top 4 means that there are 4 counts or beats in a measure and the bottom 4 means that the quarter note gets one count. The bar lines are vertical lines dividing the staff into equal parts. These equal parts are called measures. In a measure of 4/4 time, 1 whole note lasts the whole measure. Four quarter notes equal one whole note. Two half notes equal one whole note.

For each note there is a rest of equal value. A whole rest is silent for four beats and a whole note is played or sung for four beats. A whole rest hangs from the line.

Dotted half note. The dot equals half the value of the note itself. In 4/4 time, the half note is worth 2 beats and the dot is worth half of 2 (1). The dotted half note would get 3 beats in 4/4 or 3/4 time.

2 + 1 = 3

Dotted quarter note. The dot equals half the value of the note itself. In 4/4 time, the quarter note is worth 1 beat and the dot is worth half of 1 (1/2). The dotted quarter note would get 1 and 1/2 beats in 4/4 or 3/4 time. The dotted quarter would typically be followed by an 8th note.

1 + 1/2 = 1 and 1/2.

Go to Rhythm Math

See the Music Methods Course Document in Unit Three. These are the syllables typically used in the Kodaly method. Included are more advanced symbols including the 16th note and dotted notes. Rhythm Signals - http://www.classicsforkids.com/teachers/training/rchart.asp

See the Rhythm Echoes Powerpoint for rhythms cards you can print to use with your class.

See course documents for websites on the elements of music and rhythm activities you can use with your students.