Middle School Music Theory

By
Earl W. Cote`
Grade 6
Middle school students at LMS need to be familiar with musical terms and basic music theory in order
to learn how to lay their instruments better.
We will start with the most basic terms and concets.
!. Bar lines and Measures
Measures are used in music to help students and musicians be in the same place, at the same time, on
the same count. These measures are divided by bar lines and the area between each bar line is called a
measure.
Ex.1
See if you can make 4 measures.
How many bar lines did you use!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"umber the measures.
The next thin# we need to know is how many beats are in every measure. $e need somethin# to tell us so all
of the musicians are on the same beat at the same time. $hen we need to know how many beats in every
measure, we use a Time Si"nature. %ll music has a time si#nature and it looks like a fraction at the
be#innin# of the music.
The top number tells us how many beats in every measure
The bottom number tells us what kind of note #ets one beat. &n the above case the 4 means 'uarter notes are
used to count beats in every measure.
2009 $illiams (ublishin# )o.
1
#Time Si"nature Cont.$
%ow many beats are there in each measure of &&&&&&'
%ow many beats are there in each measure of &&&&&&&'
%ow many beats are there in each measure of &&&&&&&'
(inish the time si"nature in each of the followin" measures then) write in the roer notes to ma*e a
full measure
*emember+
The top number tells us how many beats in every measure while the bottom number tells us what kind of
note #ets the beat.
See if you can solve this one+
*emember what the top number and bottom number mean
How many beats in each measure!!!!!!!!!!
$hat kind of note receives the beat!!!!!!!!!
)an you write in the proper amount of beats or notes to make a full measure
,
Countin" notes in a measure
$e know that all notes and rests receive a certain number of beats accordin# to what kind of note is played.
*emember that the lower number of the time si#nature determines the value of each note.
$hen the lower number of the time si#nature is 4 the 'uarter note - . receives one beat, the half note -
. receives two beats, and the whole note - . receives four beats.
The measure has four beats in it and we must mark where every beat is like the followin#
"otes that are more than one beat have their beat numbers #rouped+

and as in the case of a whole note+
Student assi"nment +!
(ut the beat count under each note
/raw the bar lines accordin# to the time si#nature and the note values
)an you do one on your own Try this one
*emember+ $hen the bottom number is 4 the note values are 01 beat1 0, beats1 0 4 beats
2
Test +!
See how many you can do correctly.
,irections-
1. (ut the bar lines in the correct places
,. "ame all notes
2. (ut the correct beat count under each note

/o one on your own
/on3t for#et to name your notes and add the beat counts.
4sin# 'uarter notes , half notes , and whole notes in any combination complete the followin# staves
- make sure you do the time si"nature first., name your notes and put the beat counts in.
4