Do your students struggle to identify strong and weak beats in music? This fundamental skill can be a BEAST to teach! It’s something I always take for granted and forget that my students don’t know! For my students, strong and weak beats are introduced in 2nd grade. They need a solid understanding of the concept so that we can focus on meter in 3rd grade and beyond!
One of the first and most basic activities we do is listening for the strong beat. I’m obsessed with this activity because it’s PERFECT for students to aurally identify their strong and weak beats.
Start by playing some patterns on a drum or other non-pitched instrument. I only teach patterns (we don’t refer to them as meters/time signatures until 3rd grade) of 2, 3, and 4. Here’s an example:
When playing the strong beat, really exaggerate how loud and accented it is. You won’t play it like this forever, but in the beginning, it’s good to help them hear it. Tell the students to raise their hand quickly when they hear the strong beat then immediately put it back down. I tell them this is their arm workout for the day. 😂
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Identifying the Strong and Weak Beats
Ask them how they knew which was the strong beat and which was the weak beat. You’ll probably hear answers like:
- The strong beat was loud
- The weak beats were quiet
- You hit the strong beat harder (since I’m really exaggerating)
- Your hand went “way up here” when you did the strong beat (my personal favorite)
This is also a great time to reinforce the concept of same and different! Since we focus a lot on that in first grade, they will remember it well.
Once they’re comfortable with that, have them close their eyes and do it aurally. Their first comment is always, “But HOW will we know which is which?!” Since they were mainly using their eyes to identify last time, they’ll have to focus more when their eyes are closed. Even though it’s a bit more challenging, it’s a great way to solidify the concept!
Finding the Pattern
- Pattern of 2: STRONG weak
- Pattern of 3: STRONG weak weak
- Pattern of 4: STRONG weak weak weak
I think that’s a record for how many times the word “pattern” appears in a paragraph. 😂
As an extension for this activity, I have the students use their Rhythm Composition Mats and create play dough beats. I play a pattern on the drum then they create it on their mats. They have to show which is the strong beat by using a bigger ball of play dough or a different color. This is a great way to reinforce that the strong beat always goes first!
Hopefully this gave you some ideas on how to introduce or reinforce the concept of strong and weak beats! It can be such a tough topic for the kiddos to grasp! What are some of your favorite ways to teach strong and weak beats? Comment below or DM me on Instagram! I’m always looking for new ideas to bring into my classroom! Also, make sure to grab your FREE Interactive Meter Game below!
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