Music Theory

Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Rhythms

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Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Rhythms
Online Lesson Plan
Classroom Lesson Plan
Classroom Lesson Plan

Summary

This lesson is about dotted rhythms – students will learn the meaning of a dot in rhythm, determine the length of a dotted quarter note, learn to clap dotted quarter notes, and find them in a song. For additional learning about the dotted eighth note and more complex dotted rhythms, students can take the chatbot class “Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Notes” as a homework.

 

⏰ Time: 45 min

🎓 Grades: 5-12

🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will know and/or be able to...

  • Understand the meaning of dots in rhythm
  • Building dotted quarter notes and eighth notes
  • Clapping dotted quarter notes
  • Recognizing dotted notes in songs

💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:

  • Simple Rhythms
  • Basic Rhythm Pyramid

💻 Materials:

  • Solfeg.io app best used with Chrome browser
  • Projector or computer and access to WIFI

 

Visual presentation

 

Song suggestions:


A cover of
Don't Start Now
DUA LIPA
A cover of
Blank Space
TAYLOR SWIFT
A cover of
Timebomb
WALK THE MOON

 

Start of your lesson

🕐 5 min - Set up the classroom

  • Log into Solfeg.io;
  • Load your chosen song;
  • Find the part of the song you want to play for your students

 

Inspiration

🕐 7 min - Going Beyond Rhythm Pyramid

  • Remind students about the Rhythm Pyramid and how each rhythm unit is by a half shorter than the previous one;
  • Explain that Dotted Rhythms do not fit into the pyramid and do not follow the splitting-in-half principle;
  • TIP ON EXPLAINING THE CONTEXT OF DOTTED NOTES: Compare the “Rhythm Pyramid” to a dreamworld in which everything looks perfect and always fits while in the real world there are imperfect objects which make our everyday life more interesting and surprising – this is the role of dotted notes in music.

 

Warm-Up

🕐 5 min - Theory of Dots

  • Explain the Dot principle: If you add a dot to a note, the note will become longer by half of its value.

🕐 5 min - Dotted Quarter Note

  • Show your students how many beats fit in a dotted quarter note
  • Show your students how many eighth notes fit in a dotted quarter note
  • Incorporate students into the process of explaining to make sure they understand everything:
    • How long is a dot?
    • What is half of a quarter note?
    • A Dotted Quarter Note is by how much longer than a Quarter Note?

 

Practice

🕐 3 min - Exercise 1: Clapping Dotted Quarter Notes

  • Teacher selects individuals for exercise;
  • Students are shown a Dotted Quarter Note rhythm example to clap along;
  • Students repeat the rhythm;
  • Students practice for 30 seconds.

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to clap the Dotted Quarter Note rhythm for everyone and assist as needed.

🕐 4 min - Exercise 2: Finding Dotted Quarter Notes

  • Open your chosen song on the projector or computer:
    • Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (Verse 1)
    • Blank Space by Taylor Swift (Bridge)
    • Timebomb by Walk The Moon (Chorus 2)
  • Press Play and ask your students to spot Dotted Quarter Notes in the part of the song

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to answer the question – in which line did the dotted quarter notes appear?
    1. In the Vocal line
    2. In the 1st Rhythm Line
    3. In the 2nd Rhythm Line
    4. In the 3rd Rhythm Line
  • Correct answer for all songs: In the Vocal Line

🕐 5 min - Exercise 3

  • Show a Dotted Eighth Note to students;
  • Ask them to determine how many sixteenth notes fit in a Dotted Eighth Note;
  • Give students 3 minutes to figure out the answer

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to tell you the answer and ask how they arrived at their answer

 

Reflection

🕐 5 min - Q & A

  • Points of discussion
    • Did you learn something new? Explain.
    • What was easy? What was difficult. Explain.

 

Beyond the Lesson

  • Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...
    • Giving them a song from Solfeg.io and asking to find dotted notes, as well as clap the motives with them
    Capture.PNG
    • Doing the “Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Rhythms” class as a homework

 

Summary

This lesson is about dotted rhythms – students will use the online class “Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Rhythms” with chatbot guidance to practice during the online lesson. The lesson consists of setting up the online class, explaining theory fundamentals, and guiding your students to do practical exercises with the help of a chatbot. Students will learn the meaning of a dot in rhythm, determine the length of a dotted quarter note and a dotted eighth note, learn to clap dotted quarter notes and dotted eighth notes, as well as find them in a song.

 

⏰ Time: 45 min

🎓 Grades: 5-12

🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will know and/or be able to...

  • Understand the meaning of dots in rhythm
  • Building dotted quarter notes and eighth notes
  • Clapping dotted quarter notes
  • Recognizing dotted notes in songs

💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:

  • Simple Rhythms
  • Basic Rhythm Pyramid

💻 Materials:

  • Solfeg.io app best used with Chrome browser
  • Projector or computer and access to WIFI

!!! If this is the first online setup lesson for your class, we recommend starting with an onboarding lesson using this presentation explaining how solfeg.io works. Download it here. If the class is more than 10 students, this might take some 30 minutes to register and go through the app.

🤳 Video conference call provider:

  • Google Hangouts is recommended, as students only need a Google account and don’t need to install the program in advance. You can share a link however best works for you. Read how to set it up here.

 

Visual presentation

 

Song suggestions:


A cover of
Don't Start Now
DUA LIPA
A cover of
Blank Space
TAYLOR SWIFT
A cover of
Timebomb
WALK THE MOON

 

Start of your lesson

🕐 5 min - Announcement for Students

  • Instructions for your next lesson...
    • Open this Google video call link via phone: Insert your unique Google Hangouts invite link here
    • Access your Solfeg.io account via desktop: Insert your unique Solfeg.io invite link here
    • The online class will be 45 minutes. For optimal learning, find a room with little background noise.
    • We will be learning how to build and recognize dotted rhythms.

🕐 5 min - Setting Up an Online Classroom

  • Send your video conference call link to students. For best results:
    • Encourage them to make this call via mobile device for optimal sound management
    • Make sure everyone can hear and see you.
  • Students log into Solfeg.io on their desktop
  • Students mute their microphone to hear you clearly. They should unmute if they want to ask a question.

 

Inspiration

🕐 7 min - Going Beyond Rhythm Pyramid

  • Teacher (Students’ microphones muted)
    • Remind students about the Rhythm Pyramid and how each rhythm unit is by a half shorter than the previous one;
    • Explain that Dotted Rhythms do not fit into the pyramid and do not follow the splitting-in-half principle;
    • TIP ON EXPLAINING THE CONTEXT OF DOTTED NOTES: Compare the “Rhythm Pyramid” to a dreamworld in which everything looks perfect and always fits while in the real world there are imperfect objects which make our everyday life more interesting and surprising – this is the role of dotted notes in music.

 

Warm-Up

🕐 5 min - Theory of Dots

  • Teacher (Students’ microphones muted)
    • Explain the Dot principle: If you add a dot to a note, the note will become longer by half of its value.
    • Share the screen with your students and use our presentation to visualize the experience of learning.

🕐 5 min - Dotted Quarter Note

  • Show your students how many beats fit in a dotted quarter note
  • Show your students how many eighth notes fit in a dotted quarter note
  • Incorporate students into the process of explaining to make sure they understand everything:
    • How long is a dot?
    • What is half of a quarter note?
    • A Dotted Quarter Note is by how much longer than a Quarter Note?

 

Practice

  • Lead students to the Classes section in Solfeg.io;
Capture.PNG
  • Show them where the “Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Rhythms” class is located;
  • Tell them to take the class to learn more about Dotted Rhythms (28 min)!

 

Reflection

Check if your students understood the material by testing their knowledge at the start of next lesson!

🕐 5 min - Exercise 1

  • Show a Dotted Eighth Note to students;
  • Ask them to determine how many sixteenth notes fit in a Dotted Eighth Note;
  • Give students 3 minutes to figure out the answer

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to tell you the answer and ask how they arrived at their answer

🕐 5 min - Exercise 1

  • Show a Dotted Half Note to students;
  • Ask them to determine how many eighth notes fit in a Dotted Half Note;
  • Give students 3 minutes to figure out the answer

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to tell you the answer and ask how they arrived at their answer

 

Beyond the Lesson

  • Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...
    • Giving them a song from Solfeg.io and asking to find dotted notes, as well as clap the motives with them
    • Explaining dotted notes in the 3/8 & 6/8 meters

 

Summary

This lesson is about dotted rhythms – students will learn the meaning of a dot in rhythm, determine the length of a dotted quarter note, learn to clap dotted quarter notes, and find them in a song. For additional learning about the dotted eighth note and more complex dotted rhythms, students can take the chatbot class “Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Notes” as a homework.

 

⏰ Time: 45 min

🎓 Grades: 5-12

🎯 Objective(s): As a result of this lesson students will know and/or be able to...

  • Understand the meaning of dots in rhythm
  • Building dotted quarter notes and eighth notes
  • Clapping dotted quarter notes
  • Recognizing dotted notes in songs

💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:

  • Simple Rhythms
  • Basic Rhythm Pyramid

💻 Materials:

  • Solfeg.io app best used with Chrome browser
  • Projector or computer and access to WIFI

 

Visual presentation

 

Song suggestions:


A cover of
Don't Start Now
DUA LIPA
A cover of
Blank Space
TAYLOR SWIFT
A cover of
Timebomb
WALK THE MOON

 

Start of your lesson

🕐 5 min - Set up the classroom

  • Log into Solfeg.io;
  • Load your chosen song;
  • Find the part of the song you want to play for your students

 

Inspiration

🕐 7 min - Going Beyond Rhythm Pyramid

  • Remind students about the Rhythm Pyramid and how each rhythm unit is by a half shorter than the previous one;
  • Explain that Dotted Rhythms do not fit into the pyramid and do not follow the splitting-in-half principle;
  • TIP ON EXPLAINING THE CONTEXT OF DOTTED NOTES: Compare the “Rhythm Pyramid” to a dreamworld in which everything looks perfect and always fits while in the real world there are imperfect objects which make our everyday life more interesting and surprising – this is the role of dotted notes in music.

 

Warm-Up

🕐 5 min - Theory of Dots

  • Explain the Dot principle: If you add a dot to a note, the note will become longer by half of its value.

🕐 5 min - Dotted Quarter Note

  • Show your students how many beats fit in a dotted quarter note
  • Show your students how many eighth notes fit in a dotted quarter note
  • Incorporate students into the process of explaining to make sure they understand everything:
    • How long is a dot?
    • What is half of a quarter note?
    • A Dotted Quarter Note is by how much longer than a Quarter Note?

 

Practice

🕐 3 min - Exercise 1: Clapping Dotted Quarter Notes

  • Teacher selects individuals for exercise;
  • Students are shown a Dotted Quarter Note rhythm example to clap along;
  • Students repeat the rhythm;
  • Students practice for 30 seconds.

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to clap the Dotted Quarter Note rhythm for everyone and assist as needed.

🕐 4 min - Exercise 2: Finding Dotted Quarter Notes

  • Open your chosen song on the projector or computer:
    • Don’t Start Now by Dua Lipa (Verse 1)
    • Blank Space by Taylor Swift (Bridge)
    • Timebomb by Walk The Moon (Chorus 2)
  • Press Play and ask your students to spot Dotted Quarter Notes in the part of the song

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to answer the question – in which line did the dotted quarter notes appear?
    1. In the Vocal line
    2. In the 1st Rhythm Line
    3. In the 2nd Rhythm Line
    4. In the 3rd Rhythm Line
  • Correct answer for all songs: In the Vocal Line

🕐 5 min - Exercise 3

  • Show a Dotted Eighth Note to students;
  • Ask them to determine how many sixteenth notes fit in a Dotted Eighth Note;
  • Give students 3 minutes to figure out the answer

🕐 2 min - Q & A

  • Select students to tell you the answer and ask how they arrived at their answer

 

Reflection

🕐 5 min - Q & A

  • Points of discussion
    • Did you learn something new? Explain.
    • What was easy? What was difficult. Explain.

 

Beyond the Lesson

  • Challenge students to go beyond the lesson by...
    • Giving them a song from Solfeg.io and asking to find dotted notes, as well as clap the motives with them
    Capture.PNG
    • Doing the “Intermediate Rhythms: Dotted Rhythms” class as a homework

 

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