Reading rhythms

Ages 6 to 8 Read together, then try alone · about 20 minutes

Read together

We can write down rhythm. A long beat can be written “ta”. Two short beats can be written “ti-ti”.

A silent beat is called a rest.

Reading rhythm is like reading a sentence made of sounds.

Do it

1. Tap a steady beat on your knees. Say “ta, ta, ta, ta”.
2. Now say “ta, ti-ti, ta, ta”, clapping each one. Do the same with a different order.
3. Write four rhythms on cards using ta, ti-ti and a rest (a dash). Clap each one.
4. Make a four-line rhythm piece and play it with spoons or sticks.

Talk about it

• Which rhythm is your favourite?
• How do you show a rest?

For the grown-up

Saying rhythms with syllables such as ta and ti-ti is a method used in music teaching, associated with the Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály. It helps children read music later.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• Lois Choksy, The Kodály Method I: Comprehensive Music Education, 3rd ed. (Prentice Hall, 1999)
• Organization of American Kodály Educators, resources on rhythm syllables

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.