Minds On

Today’s vocabulary

A musical sentence with a beginning, middle, and end.

A steady and repeating pulse in music. Part of the element of duration.

A pattern of long and short sounds or silences. Rhythm is different from beat; for example, the rhythm at the beginning of a song might be “ta, ta, ti-ti, ta”. The beat is the steady pulse of “ta, ta, ta, ta”. Explore also beat.

A note that is held for one beat.

A solid circle at the base of a vertical line forms a quarter note.

A note that is held for one-half of a beat. Beams can connect eighth notes.

Two quarter notes joined by a horizontal beam form an eighth note.

Indicates a period of silence lasting one beat.

A squiggly line forms a rest symbol.

Let’s get started!

Explore the beat in the following videos.

Follow the leader

Let’s play “Follow the leader!”

Two teachers talking. The first teacher says: Let’s get ready to play! I’m going to pat to the beat of the clock! The second teacher responds: Good choice, Mr. R! I’m going to tap the beat on my desk. If possible, keep the beat with us. You can move any way you choose.

Let’s get our bodies moving!

Always be sure to do your safety checks before you do an activity.

Safety

Before you begin:

Let’s begin playing “Follow the leader!”

First, pay attention to this animation of a teacher. They are patting on each beat of the clock.

Try It

Your turn!

Now it is your turn to be the leader!

Think about a beat that doesn’t change. This is called a steady beat.

Press the ‘Hint’ button to learn more about steady beats.

A heart, a rocking chair, and a swing.

A heartbeat is steady.

Rocking on a chair can be steady.

Swinging can be steady.

Choose a steady beat.

How could you move to that beat?

Can you think of a different way to move to the beat? Was your beat different than the beat of the clock?

Was it faster or slower?

Action

Get ready, get set…

There are sounds all around that have a steady beat.

For example, a bouncing ball, a ticking clock, or a leaky faucet.

In music, the beat is a steady sound that goes through the whole song. It helps us stay together and keep time!

Let’s use these sounds to make a musical sentence or musical phrase.

Step 1: Sound words

We’ll start by picking one sound word for every beat. Here are our sound words: buzz, hello, and woof.

Next up, explore the following musical phrase.

There are four boxes in a row. In the first box is the word buzz. There is a heart below the word. In the next box is the word buzz. There is a heart below the word. In the next box is the word hello. There is a heart below the word. In the last box is the word woof. There is a heart below the word.

Here is an audio clip of someone saying these words to a steady beat.

Try to speak or “think” the words to the steady beat.

Here we go!

Sound Words

Test Your Skills

Question and answer

Answer the following questions using a method of your choice:

Which words have just one sound on the beat?

When you’re ready, press the ‘Answer’ button to reveal the answer to this question.

A single line that is labelled “ta.”

“Buzz” and “woof.”

In music, one sound on a beat is called ta.

Are there any heartbeats with two sounds on a beat?

When you’re ready, press the ‘Answer’ button to reveal the answer to this question.

Two connected lines that are labelled “ti-ti.”

“Hello” has two sounds.

In music, two sounds on a beat is called ti-ti.

Are there any beats with no sound?

When you’re ready, press the ‘Answer’ button to reveal the answer to this question.

A squiggle that is labelled “ta rest.”

In this musical phrase, every steady beat has a sound.

In music, no sound on a beat is called ta rest.

Step 2: Ta, ti-ti, and triangles!

Now that we have counted the sounds on each beat, let’s add triangles.

We will use 1 big triangle for one sound on a beat. This is called ta.

We will use 2 small triangles for two sounds on a beat. This is called ti-ti.

There are four boxes in a row. In the first box is the word buzz. Above the word is a big triangle. There is a heart below the word. In the next box is the word buzz. Above the word is a big triangle. There is a heart below the word. In the next box is the word hello. Above the word there are two small triangles. There is a heart below the word. In the last box is the word woof. Above the word is a big triangle. There is a heart below the word.

Try It

Speak, clap, or tap

Explore the image of the sound words again.

Speak, clap, or tap the rhythm (the way the words go). Follow the triangles.

Go!

Let’s practice adding triangles to musical phrases.

Access the following audio clip of a musical phrase:

Musical Phrase

Now it’s time to add triangles to the musical phrase!

Start by counting the sounds on each beat:

giggle, buzz, giggle, woof

Then, use 1 big triangle for one sound on a beat (ta) and 2 small triangles for two sounds on a beat (ti-ti).

Try it yourself in the following interactive chart!

You can also complete this activity by using the following fillable and printable Musical Phrase Chart document.

Musical Phrase ChartPress the ‘Activity’ button to access Musical Phrase Chart Activity(Open PDF in a new window)

If possible, speak, clap, or tap the rhythm (the way the words go). Follow the triangles!

When you’re ready, press the ‘Answer’ button to reveal the answer to this activity.

There are four boxes in a row. In the first box is the word giggle. There is a heart below the word. There are 2 small triangles above the word. In the next box is the word buzz. There is a heart below the word. There is a big triangle above the word. In the next box is the word giggle. There is a heart below the word. There are 2 small triangles above the word. In the next box is the word woof. There is a heart below the word. There is a big triangle above the word.

Portfolio

Portfolio

Consider adding your musical phrase chart to your portfolio.

Brainstorm

Beat or rhythm?

Do you prefer to keep the steady beat or clap the rhythm of the words? Why?

You can type, write, or create a recording to share your ideas.

Consolidation

Putting it all together

Today you explored ways to use symbols to show sounds. Then, you created a musical phrase using sounds!

Answer these questions about what you explored:

Did you use ta (big triangle) or ti-ti (two small triangles)?

  • What did you use to show one sound on a beat?
  • What did you use to show two sounds on a beat?
  • What was the most important or memorable thing you experienced in this lesson? What do you want to continue to practice?

Tell me about it

Share what you learned about today using the words ta, ti-ti, and phrase.

You can choose to:

  • use pictures and label the important parts using the words ta, ti-ti, and phrase
  • tell someone using the words ta, ti-ti, and phrase
  • write about it using the words ta, ti-ti, and phrase
  • make a recording using the ta, ti-ti, and phrase

Reflection

How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Which of the next four sentences best matches how you are feeling about your learning? Press the button that is beside this sentence.

I feel…

Now, record your ideas about your feelings using a voice recorder, speech-to-text, or writing tool.

Press “Discover More” to extend your skills.

Make a phrase

Create a musical phrase using sounds.

Choose one word for each beat.

Speak or “think” the word to decide how many sounds each word makes.

Then, add your triangles!

One big triangle = 1 sound on a beat or “ta.”

Two small triangles = 2 sounds on a beat or “ti-ti.”

Use the following fillable and printable Make a Phrase document to complete your musical phrase. You can also make your phrase in your notebook or use another method of your choice. Consider adding your finished musical phrase to your portfolio.

Document Title Press the ‘Activity’ button to access Make a Phrase.  Activity (Open PDF in a new window)