Teaching dotted note rhythms
Found in: Reading
Susan M., Canada
I am working with another class on Reading Rhythm. We’re at dotted notes and up to now, I have not mentioned anything about counting “1 & 2 &” etc. For a dotted quarter note, do you guide them to feel “left, right, left…” for the duration of the note, or do you start a conversation about counting at this point?
Amy L., California
I try a variety of methods and do whatever seems to work best for each student – sometimes 1+2+3+, sometimes “pie, pizza, pepperoni, strawberry” for quarter notes, eighths, sixteenths, and triplets. When using food words, a dotted quarter would become “pie-(pi)zza) where we think the “pi” at the right time and do actually change to that vowel, but don’t actually say the “pi” syllable. I’ve also heard “pineapple” instead of “strawberry” but I think “pineapple” more easily falls into being spoken as an eighth plus two sixteenths. I also have students keep their feet going, alternating, with left as the beginning of the quarter note.
Patti P., Hawaii
I do something similar to Amy, but I have them whisper the syllable for the dot. It helps them understand that with the dotted quarter, the dot is really the first part of the eighth note group, but it is held instead of played. Having them whisper the syllable seems to make sure they actually are noticing and acknowledging the dot. The system I use also has hand signs for the rhythms, and that helps too.
Susan M., Canada
When do you introduce the food words? Right at the start of the dotted notes? Do you do a lesson where you explain that the words help with feeling the note lengths? Or how do you explain the reason for using something more than left/right?
Patti P., Hawaii
I actually use rhythm words right from the beginning of teaching rhythm.
Amy L., California
I use the food words if someone is having trouble but I might change to Patti’s idea to use them from the beginning.
Susan M., Canada
The food words I learned are “pie” for single, “apple” for doubles, “Mississippi” for quads, “apricot” for 2 sixteenths/eighth, and “blueberry” for eighth/2 sixteenths.
