Lesson 1

Key Words
Pulse/Beat Tempo Rhythm

 LO: I can read and perform/clap a rhythm

 LO: I can keep a steady pulse/beat
 LO: I can perform as part of a group.

Look at the squares below; each square represents 1 beat. (One clap per beat)

Rhythm 1
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Rest Rest Rest

Rhythm 2

Rest Rest Rest

Rhythm 3

Rest Rest Rest

Rhythm 4

Rest Rest Rest Rest

 When notes are arranged into a pattern; this is called a RHYTHM

 For rhythms to work, we must keep a steady pulse; this is called the TEMPO
TEMPO - means how fast or slow the pulse is.
Sometimes we can have more than one note to each beat.

Look at the example below.

Some beats (squares) have two notes in them; this means you clap twice on that beat.

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Rest Rest

Clap clap clap clap clap

Let’s try another one…

Rest Rest

Rhythm Dictation
Rhythm dictation is a skill that helps you to hear a rhythm and then write it down.

Exercise: You will hear an 8-beat rhythm being played; you have to decide how many
claps there were on each beat. Place a circle in each box for each clap you
hear. If you hear nothing, leave the box (beat) blank.

Question 1

Question 2

Question 3

Question 4
 Lesson 2
Adding Stems to Rhythms.
When we have notes, like the ones below, we also have stems attached to them.

Rest Rest Rest

The example above, should actually look like this;

Rest Rest Rest

Where we have two notes in the space of one beat, we join them together with a ‘bridge’

Like this;

Rest Rest Rest

TASK 1: Using the rhythm grid below, add stems and bridges where necessary.

TASK 2: Now replace the word Rest with a ‘rest symbol’

(It sort of looks like a number 3)
 Key Words
Unison Rhythm Polyrhythm Beat/Pulse

When we sing or clap the same thing at the same time, we call this Unison: a unison
rhythm is when one or more people clap exactly the same thing at the same time.

LQ: What does the word Poly mean?

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LQ: What is a Polyrhythm?

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Practical Exercise: Working in two groups, perform the polyrhythm below.

Group 1

Group 2