Grade by Grade
A. Dance / C. Music · Music and Dance

Music: Long Sounds, Rests and Beats in Groups

C1.2 C1.4 C1.5About 35 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can read, clap and say ta, ti-ti, ta-ah (half note) and ta-ah-ah-ah (whole note).
  • I can show quiet beats with a quarter rest, a half rest and a whole rest.
  • I can feel beats in groups of 2 and 3, with a strong beat first.
  • I can write my own rhythm with symbols and perform it with a steady beat.

Words to know

beat
The steady pulse in music, like a heartbeat.
rhythm
The pattern of long and short sounds (and silences) in music.
half note
A note that lasts 2 beats. We say "ta-ah". It looks like a hollow oval with a stem.
whole note
A note that lasts 4 beats. We say "ta-ah-ah-ah". It is a hollow oval with no stem.
rest
A symbol for silence. A quarter rest is 1 quiet beat, a half rest is 2, and a whole rest is 4.
metre
How beats are grouped, like in 2s (strong, weak) or 3s (strong, weak, weak).
bar
A box of beats in written music. Bar lines separate the groups. A bar is also called a measure.

Remember from Grade 1

The beat is the steady pulse, like a ticking clock. The rhythm is the pattern of long and short sounds, usually following the words.

  • ta ♩ = one sound on one beat
  • ti-ti ♫ = two quick sounds on one beat
  • rest 𝄽 = one quiet beat

This year you will learn some longer sounds and longer silences.

A wooden metronome with its arm swinging, sitting on top of an upright piano.
A metronome ticks a steady beat, just like a clock. Musicians count these beats to know how long to hold a sound or a rest. AI-generated image

Hold that sound!

Sing the word "snow" and hold it while you tap your knee: tap, tap. You held "snow" for 2 beats!

Now hold "sno-o-o-ow" for 4 taps. That was 4 beats.

Musicians have symbols for long sounds like these.

ta1 beatta-ah2 beatsta-ah-ah-ah4 beatshalf rest2 quietwhole rest4 quietquarter note · half note · whole note · rests
New symbols: the quarter note (ta) you know, plus the half note, whole note, half rest and whole rest.
NameSay itHow many beats?What it looks like
quarter noteta1filled-in oval with a stem
two eighth notesti-ti1 (two sounds)two filled-in ovals with stems joined by a beam
half noteta-ah2hollow oval with a stem
whole noteta-ah-ah-ah4hollow oval, no stem
quarter rest(shh)1 quieta squiggle
half rest(shh-shh)2 quieta small box sitting on top of a line, like a hat
whole rest(shh-shh-shh-shh)4 quieta small box hanging below a line, like a hole
Rhythm symbols for Grade 2

Memory trick

The half rest sits on the line like a hat. The whole rest hangs down into a hole. Hat = half, hole = whole!

Beats in groups (metre)

When you march, you go LEFT, right, LEFT, right. The first beat feels stronger.

Beats come in groups. Musicians draw a bar line after each group. The space between two bar lines is a bar (or measure).

  • Groups of 2: ONE two | ONE two. Marches feel like this.
  • Groups of 3: ONE two three | ONE two three. Many waltzes, and "Happy Birthday", feel like this.
  • Groups of 4: ONE two three four. Many songs, like "Jingle Bells", feel like this.

Try it: Pat your knees on the strong beat ONE and clap on the others: pat clap | pat clap (2s). Then pat clap clap | pat clap clap (3s).

groups of 2a march11groups of 3"Happy Birthday"11groups of 4"Jingle Bells"11Big circle = the strong beat ONE. | = bar line
Beats come in groups. The first beat of each group (ONE) is the strongest, and a bar line comes after every group.
Worked example

Example: Reading a rhythm with long notes

Read this 4-beat rhythm: ta ta ta-ah

♩ ♩ 𝅗𝅥

  1. Keep a steady beat by tapping your foot.
  2. Beat 1: clap ta. Beat 2: clap ta.
  3. Beats 3 and 4: clap once and hold your hands together (or slide them apart) while you say ta-ah. It lasts 2 beats.
  4. Count it: 1 + 1 + 2 = 4 beats.

ta, ta, ta-ah. Two short sounds, then one long sound that lasts 2 beats. It is the rhythm of "Hot cross buns": hot (ta), cross (ta), buns (ta-ah, held for 2 beats).

Worked example

Example: Writing a rhythm for a phrase

Write a 4-beat rhythm for the words "Maple leaf, (rest)" using one rest.

  1. Say the words and clap the syllables: Ma-ple is two quick sounds on one beat = ti-ti.
  2. leaf is one sound on one beat = ta.
  3. We need 4 beats in all. So far: ti-ti (1) + ta (1) = 2 beats.
  4. Fill the last 2 beats with silence: a half rest (2 quiet beats).

ti-ti ta (half rest) → ♫ ♩ 𝄼. Count: 1 + 1 + 2 = 4 beats.

Just for fun

Music is one of the only places where you get told to take a rest, and the rest is written right there on the page! A whole rest even gives you 4 beats to relax.

Hands-on activity

Kitchen rhythm cards

You need: paper, a marker, and a pot with a wooden spoon (or a box drum).

  1. Make cards: ta, ti-ti, ta-ah, ta-ah-ah-ah, quarter rest, half rest, whole rest. Draw the symbol and write the word.
  2. Lay out cards that add up to 4 beats, like ta-ah, ti-ti, ta.
  3. Your grown-up keeps a steady beat on the table. You play the rhythm on the pot.
  4. For long notes, let the sound ring or keep your hands together; for rests, put your hands in your lap.
  5. Swap: you keep the beat and your grown-up plays.
  6. Metre game: Play only the first beat of each group loudly. Try groups of 2, then 3.

Musicianship tips: sit tall, keep the beat steady (don't speed up!), and listen to your partner.

Your turn

1

How many beats does a half note (ta-ah) last?

2

How many beats does a whole note (ta-ah-ah-ah) last?

3

Which rest sits on the line like a hat?

4

How many beats in all? ta ti-ti ta-ah

5

Clap and say: ta-ah ta-ah

6

Pat-clap in groups of 3: pat clap clap, pat clap clap. Which beat is strong?

7

Write a 4-beat rhythm that has one half note.

More practice: warm-up

1

How many beats does ta last?

2

What do we say for a half note?

3

Which rest hangs down like a hole?

4

Does a whole note have a stem?

5

Clap: ta ta ta ta. How many beats?

More practice: on your own

1

How many beats? ti-ti ti-ti ta-ah

2

Fill in the blank to make 4 beats: ta ta ___

3

Is "Happy Birthday" in groups of 2 or 3?

4

Write a rhythm for "I like snow" with a long note on snow.

5

A rhythm has a whole rest. How long are you quiet?

Challenge

1

Write an 8-beat rhythm (2 bars of 4) using at least one ti-ti, one half note and one rest. Then clap it.

2

Your friend wrote: ta-ah ta-ah ta and says it is 4 beats. Is she right? Fix it.

3

March music feels like ONE two. Lullabies often sway in ONE two three. Why might a march use groups of 2?

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

A half note lasts ___ beats.

2.

Which note lasts 4 beats?

3.

How many beats is ta ta ta-ah?

4.

A small box hanging below a line is a ___.

5.

In ONE two three, ONE two three, the beats are in groups of ___.

6.

What is a bar line for?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 2 students read and write longer durations (the half note "ta-ah" and whole note "ta-ah-ah-ah", with matching half and whole rests), keep a steady beat, feel beats grouped in 2s and 3s (metre), and use musicianship skills like good posture and keeping a steady beat when performing. Your child's teacher may use different rhythm syllables (such as "ta-a" or "too"); any consistent system is fine.

How to help:

  • Clap rhythms of family names and favourite foods, holding long syllables for 2 beats.
  • Pat the strong beat during songs on the radio and ask, "Is it in 2s or 3s?"
  • Use the rhythm cards for a few minutes a day. Short, regular practice works best.

Common difficulties:

  • Cutting long notes short. Have them slide their hands apart or say "ta-ah" out loud to fill the time.
  • Rushing through rests. Rests are part of the music. Count them silently or with an open-hands gesture.
  • Mixing up half and whole rests. Use the "hat and hole" trick.