Kindergarten: One or Two Sounds?

We know a beat is steady, and a rhythm is a combination of long and short sounds. We've been working so hard on keeping a steady beat, and now we're moving onto rhythms! We've been using what we know about syllables, after learning a poem in music class, to determine whether each beat has one sound (or syllable) on a beat, or if it has two.

We learned that when there is one sound on a beat, we call it "ta," and we notate it with one single vertical stick. When there are two sounds on a beat, we call it "ti-ti," and we notate it with two vertical sticks with another stick connecting them across the top. See us notating sounds with popsicle sticks:

The following week, we learned a poem called "Cobbler, Cobbler."

Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe.

Get it done by half past two.

Half past two is at the door,

Get it done by half past four!

Using our giant beat strips, we used our shoes to notate whether each beat had one or two sounds to it. I cannot even tell you how entertained we all were to take off our shoes in the music room!

Here's Ms. Falsone, our great student teacher!