I feel like elementary music teachers either prefer teaching rhythm or melody- I definitely prefer teaching rhythm! In this post, I’ll explain how I teach sixteenth notes to my elementary music students. Sixteenth notes are fun to teach, but it took a while to acquire a toolbox of songs and resources that I could use to teach them. So today, let’s chat about the songs I’ve found!
Preparing Sixteenth Notes in Elementary Music
Old Brass Wagon
I first pull out the song Old Brass Wagon and I’ll show them the iconic notation slides. This is a song we’ve been singing since kindergarten, so they’re familiar with it in second grade when I teach sixteenth notes. We pat the rhythm of the song on our laps so they can feel how fast the sixteenth notes are. I show them that most of the song uses rhythms we already know, but there are four cacti on one beat! We haven’t learned a rhythm that fast before!
If you want to see more about how I use the song Old Brass Wagon to teach sixteenth notes, click here.
Tideo
I also like to use the song Tideo to prepare sixteenth notes. We’ll learn the song (I’ve seen a couple of versions of the song- you can find the sheet music for the version I use here, and this version is also popular). Then, I add body percussion movements to the song using the picture above. Here’s what we do:
- Pass = Clap
- Tideo = Snap 3x
- Jingle at the Window = Pat 6x
- Jinglin Jinglin Jinglin Joe = Stomp 7x
I assign students one movement the first time. The second time, they pick a second movement to add on, then the third time they try to do all of the movements! This is a great differentiated activity because they don’t have to do all of the movements if they don’t feel like they can sing and handle four movements at the same time! They could stick to just one or two movements. This activity really helps them get familiar with the rhythm of the song.
After we do the movements, we can talk about which movement was done faster than the others (the patting on “Jingle at the…”).
Presenting Sixteenth Notes in Elementary Music
We’ve prepared sixteenth notes by pointing out that there are rhythms or sounds that are faster than the ones that we know. Now we can show students the notes and explain what they’re called.
I always make a big deal about differentiating between the number of sounds and the number of beats for each rhythm. For example, while a quarter note has one sound and one beat, a half note only has one sound but has two beats. Eighth notes have 2 sounds and one beat. These rhythms sound very different and it’s important to understand why.
I go back to Old Brass Wagon and show the presentation slides from this resource. We’ve already learned that there are four sounds in one beat, so now I’ll show them the sixteenth notes. After I show them what sixteenth notes look like on their own, I’ll show the full notation for the song and we’ll practice reading the rhythms.
Practicing Sixteenth Notes
Speaking and Writing
There are a few ways I like to practice sixteenth notes in elementary music. First, I’ll show flashcards and have them read the patterns. This gets us used to saying the rhythms. Then, I’ll use those flashcards to practice writing sixteenth notes. I use whiteboards, but you could also have them practice on paper. I show them a few patterns that they have to copy, and then I’ll have them listen and write patterns that I say. I still leave the flashcards up on the screen so that they can see what sixteenth notes look like.
When students are practicing writing sixteenth notes, I find that they usually forget the second beam connecting the four notes. I show them how it looks with and without, and I tell them that without it it’s actually four eighth notes. I then play the difference on a piano so they can hear it. It usually helps them realize that I’m not just being picky, but that they are actually writing a different rhythm.
Chair Rhythms
I also like to practice by doing chair rhythms! Chair rhythms is a great way to review and notate 4-beat rhythm patterns using any kind of rhythm. To do this, I put four chairs at the front of the room. I give the students a rhythm pattern and then call on students to come be the rhythm. I like to project flashcards on the board for them to have a visual of what it should look like.
For quarter notes, only one student should sit in a chair, for eighth notes two students sit in a chair next to each other, and for quarter rests the chair should be empty. For half notes, one student should be taking up two chairs. The visual is great, and they think it’s funny to share chairs with each other, especially when they need to have four students in one chair for sixteenth notes!
Musical Toes
I was introduced to this gem of a game by colleagues and my kids just love it! To prep, you’ll need several rhythm patterns written out. I write them on foam sheets because they’re a little more durable. I typically do 30 for the game, but you need one per student. Then, you want to have smaller pieces of paper that have the patterns on them that you’ll put in a little baggie. These are what you’ll draw during the game to determine who is out. Pro tip: put a number 1-30 (or however many cards you have) on the back of the foam sheet. That way, if you can’t find who has the card you’re calling, they can look on the back if they absolutely need to.
To play, you’ll spread the cards out on the floor. Then, play some music and let the kids dance or walk around. When you pause the music, students have to put their toes against one of the cards. No sharing cards! You’ll pull out one of the small calling cards from your baggie, and whoever has that pattern is out. I let that student pause the music the next time and call the next pattern.
Writing Compositions
After we’ve practiced reading and writing sixteenth notes in a few different ways, it’s time to apply the new rhythm. I’m all about student choice, so I love student compositions as a way to apply their new knowledge! You can get these worksheets for free by clicking here.
First, I’ll give them a blank worksheet. Each box is one beat long. The number of beats I give them just depends on the grade level. I usually do 8-beat patterns (a 4×2 matrix) for second grade when I teach sixteenth notes. Students write whatever rhythms they want in each box. If they choose to write a half note, it should take up two boxes and they can show that by drawing an arrow from the half note into the second box.
You could stop there! Students could write their 8-beat compositions, read or clap it to the class, and be done. If you want to expand it, here are a few ideas:
- Play the compositions on unpitched instruments like rhythm sticks or drums
- Add words with the matching number of syllables (Pear, Ap-ple, Wat-er-mel-on, etc.)
- Add lyrics (this one is hard because they have to think of words with the same number of syllables as rhythm sounds, but I always have kids who try this option!)
- Add note names to each sound and play it on a xylophone
If you liked these composition ideas, make sure you grab your free set of composition worksheets by clicking here. If you want to read more about how I use composition in elementary music, you can check out these blog posts for more ideas for composition in lower elementary or upper elementary.
Wrap Up
I hope these ideas for teaching sixteenth notes in elementary music were helpful. Comment below or DM me on Instagram (@caffeinated.j) with your favorite ways or songs to teach sixteenth notes!
