Kinders Are Learning to Write Music!

The kindergarten students are learning to read, play and notate patterns using the quarter note (Ta) and quarter rest (shh). We have recently added 2 eight notes (Ti-Ti) to our music reading! We know that:

Ta = 1 sound (example: cat has one sound, so it is written as a Ta)
Shh = a silent beat (we use this for a beat that doesn't have a word in a poem or song)
Ti-Ti = 2 sounds (example: jelly has two sounds, so it is written as Ti-Ti)

 

We also played a special Valentine's game to help us read rhythm patterns! A "mail carrier" skipped around the circle as we sang, carrying envelopes withValentine's in them. When the song ended, the mail carrier gave an envelope to a student in the circle. The Valentine inside had a number on it (1, 2, 3 or 4). The student had to play the rhythm pattern (notated up on the smartboard) that belonged to that number, and the rest of the students got to guess which pattern he/she played!