Dotted Rhythms

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 learn how to 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 homework.

_{The timing and pacing of the exercises in this lesson plan example are approximate and will differ depending on your students' skill level. If the pace of this lesson plan is too fast for you, divide it into several lessons. If the pace of this lesson plan is too slow for you, explore the 'Beyond the lesson' chapter at the end of this lesson plan for additional activities.}

⏰ Time: 45 min

🎓 Grades: 5-12

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

• Understand the meaning of dots in rhythm
• Build dotted quarter notes and eighth notes
• Clap dotted quarter notes
• Recognize dotted notes in songs

💡 Required Prior Knowledge and Skills:

• Simple Rhythms
• Basic Rhythm Pyramid

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to Wi-Fi

Song suggestions:

Start of your lesson

🕐 5 min - Set up the classroom

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

Inspiration

🕐 7 min - Going Beyond the 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: Compare the “Rhythm Pyramid” to a dream world in which everything looks perfect and always fits, versus the real world where 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.

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🕐 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?

By how much is a Dotted Quarter Note longer than a Quarter Note?

Practice

🕐 3 min - Exercise 1: Clapping Dotted Quarter Notes

• Select some individual students for exercise
• Show them a Dotted Quarter Note rhythm example to clap along to (in the presentation which you can download at the bottom of this lesson plan)
• Students have to repeat the rhythm
• Students practice for 30 seconds.

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🕐 2 min - Q & A

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

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🕐 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 played section of the song

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🕐 2 min - Q & A

• Select students to answer the question – in which line did the dotted quarter notes appear?

In the Vocal line

In the 1^st Rhythm Line

In the 2^nd Rhythm Line

In the 3^rd Rhythm Line

• Correct answer for all songs: In the Vocal Line

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🕐 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

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🕐 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 to clap the rhythms with them
• Doing the “Everything on Dotted Rhythms” quiz as homework

Visual presentation

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DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION

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