Music notes drawing how to#

This appeals to a studentвЂ™s higher-order thinking because they not only have to identify mistakes, they have to identify multiple mistakes. Take a look at this example: Drawing Music Notes Curriculum Example Kids may do quickly by imitation, but they learn best by engaging with the idea authentically and working through problems. Drawing music notes does not need to be childish or вЂњkiddy.вЂќ ItвЂ™s far more engaging than simply giving them a note to trace repeatedly. Appeal to their higher order problem-solving skills. Give them the opportunity to observe errors, to correct given mistakes so that they can better understand the errors when they make it themselves. What is more powerful, is to (of course!) give students opportunities to practice drawing music notes, but give them specifications for how they should look (stem direction, stem placement, notehead placement, lines/spaces etc). I get it, thatвЂ™s what ALL beginning notation units look like, but what if they werenвЂ™t?

Music notes drawing how to#

Now, IвЂ™m not bashing on those materials (ok, maybe just a little bit), but your middle schoolers or high schoolers do NOT need to trace a note to see how to draw it. They either skip over writing musical notation completely, or they teach it like this: The problem is, most composition sequences do one of two things. When I started teaching my middle schoolers beginning notation, I knew I had to teach them how to draw music notes step by step. You know better! Drawing Music Notes- So where do we start? ItвЂ™s like trying to write sentences before youвЂ™ve ever written a letter. And if youвЂ™re still teaching notation and composition at the same time, your student will feel ALL kinds of stress. Because when a student can do MORE right the first time, the more success they will feel. WeвЂ™re excited to teach rhythm and composition to our students, but drawing music notes, learning the technicalities of their position on the staff, how to identify errors- THAT is where the magic happens.

We just plain olвЂ™ forget to teach the basics!.

Oh, and by the way, hereвЂ™s how you draw a quarter note.вЂќ No no no.

вЂњToday weвЂ™re going to learn how to compose a rhythm in one measure.Teachers try to dump notation in with compositionвЂ“.There isnвЂ™t usually enough focus on the basics.Soooooo I set out to figure out what are those things that students struggle with when it comes to basic notation. Just because it sucks to teach drawing music notes to students, doesnвЂ™t mean it has to. So, why the heck would I write an entire blog post and develop an entire theory system around it?Д®asy. IвЂ™ve said it before and IвЂ™ll say it againвЂ“ composition is one of those topics that has never been my favorite thing to teach. Check out вЂњWriting music Notation Unit 1вЂќ in the TPT Store