Time Signs and Barlines
Suzanne Bailey
rid24923@ride.ri.net
Steere Farm Elementary School
TI:ME Technology Areas Addressed:
Notation
Level:
Elementary
Class:
General Music
Equipment:
Finale Music Notation Software
Duration:
15 Minutes
Prior Knowledge and Skills:
1) Students should have plenty of experience moving in duple and triple meter.
2) Students should know how to play half notes and quarter notes on non-pitched percussion instruments, such as hand drums.
3) Students should know that half notes and quarter notes can be grouped in sets of 2, 3, 4 or more.
MENC Standards Addressed:
MENC 5: Reading and notating music.
Materials:
Finale Music Notation Program
Work Sheet on Time Signatures
Objectives:
Students will demonstrate that they understand note values and meter by drawing the barlines in the appropriate place on the staff.
Procedures:
1) Have students demonstrate a two beat pattern using body percussion.
2) Have students create their own three or four beat pattern using body percussion.
3) Have students open to a familiar song in their music text. Have students place their finger on the time signature. Have students discuss what the numbers represent. Repeat for 3 or 4 more songs. The focus should be on 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures with simple rhythms.
4) Using an overhead transparency visual, the teacher demonstrates how to count the rhythms and place the barlines in music. This sample should be in the exact format of the student worksheet. It will have music and different time signatures, but no barlines.
5) Students should then count the rhythms and place the barlines correctly on the worksheet.
Evaluation:
Time Signature Rubric
4) All of the barlines are placed correctly.
3) All of the barlines are place correctly except two.
2) More than three barlines are not placed correctly.
1) None of the barlines are placed correctly.
Follow Up:
Students can be introduced to other time signatures. Future worksheets can include varied time signatures and more varied rhythms patterns.
