A proven method for demonstrating beat divisions. |
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| Beat Divisions |   |
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NOTE: The concept of measuring time, see "Time=Beats" should be mastered before introducing beat divisions.
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS Before and/or after the lesson, ask the students to watch as you demonstrate counting and tapping four beats on your knees. Then ask the students how many beats you tapped? In most cases the answer will be five (5) due to the number of times your hands touched your knees. Teaching the lesson will solve this mind teaser. |
Teacher:
Today we are going to learn how to count and tap beats, and, how to
count half and quarter beats. Think about that, how do you count
half of a beat? I'll show you how. Everyone sit up and face
me with the palms of your hands on your knees like this. I'm going
to tap one beat on my knees and I want you to tell me how many movements
there are for one beat.
(Starting with hands in the air, teacher demonstrates tapping one
beat on the knee, counting out loud "one" when the hands tap
the knees, raising the hands and returning the hands to the knee.)
Who can tell me how many movements there
are for one beat? (After calling on a few students,
if the correct answer, two, is not offered, demonstrate the movements
again.)
Student: Two. (Wait
for correct answer.)
Right. The beat starts when my hands tap my knees, continues while my hands go up, and stops when my hands tap my knees again. What would be the number of the next beat?
Two. (Teacher demonstrates the second beat.)
Right, and the next one? (Teacher demonstrates the third beat.)
Three.
And one more? (Teacher demonstrates the fourth beat.)
Four.
Okay now let's count and tap four beats. Remember, the beat begins when you tap your knee, so where do our hands need to be before we start?
In the air. (Wait for correct answer.)
Everyone
hands up? Remember, the beat doesn't end until our hands come back
down
to your knees, so two movements for each beat. (very
slowly) Ready, one, two, three, count.
(Repeat until
everyone begins and stops together, with hands resting on the students
knees.) Let's review the two movements for each beat, what are they?
Up and down.
If
I stop my hands in the air, how much of the beat does that movement
measure? (Demonstrate
1/2 beat.)
Half.
And, if I bring my hands back to my knees, that movement is the other what?
Half.
Right. We
can divide the beat into two equal parts or half
beats by saying the number of the beat when our hands tap our knees
on the first half beat, and
saying
the
word
"AND" when
our
hands
are
in the air for the second half beat.
(Teacher demonstrates
counting half beats saying one-and, two-and, three-and, four-and,
inviting the class
to join
the demonstration until two or three measures of 4 have been mastered.) Which
is longer, the whole beat, or half of a beat?
MATH CONCEPTS USING
VISUAL IMAGES OF THE FRACTIONS (1/2) AND REFERRING TO THEM
AS AN AMOUNT OF THE DIVISION; |
Whole (Wait for correct answer and demonstrate.)
Which is shorter, the whole beat or half of a beat?
Half (Wait for correct answer and demonstrate.)
How many half beats will make a whole beat?
Two (Wait for correct answer and demonstrate.)
Guess
what? You can divide the half beats in half too. Where
would half of the first half beat's movement be? (Starting
with hands in the air, teacher taps knee saying "one" and
stops with hands in the air.) Who
can show me where half of this movement would be?
(Recognize
students demonstrating the correct answer and encourage others to
look at their answer {hands half way between their knees and the
top})
Sometimes we need very quick sounds so we make a sound half way between the half beats. In fact you already know the name of this small part of the beat. We started with a whole beat and divided it into two equal...? __(halves)__. If you have a dollar and you divide it half you have 2 half dollars or fifty cents for each half. Just like beat, which became two half beats from a whole beat.
If
you take the two fifty cents and divide them in half what do you
have?
(4 quarters) Right! So,
since we took our half beats and divided them in half how much
of a beat does this small movement represent? __(a
quarter)__(Starting
with hands on the knees QUICKLY demonstrate a quarter of the beat by
raising hands half way between your knees and the top - in the air. Continue
to demonstrate and reinforce the correlation between a dollar, half dollar,
quarter with one beat, two half beats and a quarter beat, but do not
go beyond the first quarter beat.)
PEER TEACHING For mainstreamed LD, BD, or other students with special needs, have the student pick from those students who have mastered the concept and raise their hand to the following question, "I need someone to help a member of our team, any volunteers?" Send them off with the goal to return and demonstrate counting and tapping the four quarter beats. |
Where
would my hands stop if I divided the second half beat into two
equal parts? (Starting with hands in the
air, and with the class mimicking your movements, bring your
hands down half way to your knees and stop.) So
we have gone from one beat... (count and
demonstrate), to two
half beats... (count and demonstrate) and
this is how we count four quarter beats...
(Tap knee and say "one" - stop 1/2 way up and say "ee" -
Stop at top and say "and" - stop half way down and say "uh." Continue
to demonstrate inviting the class to join the demonstration as you speed
up the pace until everyone has mastered the quarter beats.)
Example in 4/4
1. Chant four beats. (1-2-3-4) Demonstrating that each number occurs when your
hands tap your knees.
2. Adding the beat divisions. (1-&-2-&-3-&-4-&) Showing
how the beat is divided into two equal parts with a number on the bottom (hands
on knees) and the "&" at the top (hands in the air).
3. Adding the beat divisions. (1-ee-&-uh-2...) Showing how the 1/2 beats
are divided into two equal parts with the "ee" occurring half way
up and the "uh" occurring half way down, between the numbers and
the "&".
Before chanting the Rhythm format, you should warm up and reinforce the rhythmic divisions using the outline below, while tapping the knee.
EXAMPLE IN 4/4
1. Chanting the four
beats (ta-ta-ta-ta) each ta tapped on the knee.
2. Chanting the beat divisions. (ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti-ti) Showing how the beat
is divided into two equal parts with a ti on the bottom (knees) and a ti at
the top (hands in the air).
3. Chanting the beat divisions. (ti-ri-ti-ri...) Showing how the 1/2 beats
are divided into two equal parts with the ri occurring half way up and half
way down, between the two ti's.
