Blog Posts

Teaching Tempo

Denise Gagne

Fun Ways to teach Tempo

This newsletter was inspired by a question received in my email:

Hi There, I was just wondering if you had any fun ideas to teach Tempo to grade 3 students. Thanks a bunch!

In Musicplay 3, the songs that I use to teach tempo would include:
Missus Tong
Third Base Coaches dance
Turkey Lurkey
Got a Hat Hat

These songs have changing tempos, which gives you a chance to highlight or label various tempo terms.

There are songs with varying tempos in each grade level of Musicplay. Look in the song and concept list that is in the introduction to the teacherʼs guide for each grade level. Tempo will be listed as a concept to teach on the appropriate songs.

Simple singing games - to sing at a variety of tempos.

Pass a Beanbag
No Robbers
Plainsies Clapsies

A really good way to teach tempo is to take one of the simpler singing games that are in Musicplay 3 (or any simple singing game that you know), and play them at different tempos. With PreK children I teach them fast and slow by playing Ring Around the Rosie at different tempos.

12 - Pass a Beanbag from Musicplay 3 would be a great game to play at a variety of tempos.

Pass the Beanbag Notation

This song can be a sight-reading song for third grade. Have them read the rhythms, then sing the melody using the solfa notes, so-mi-do. They may then be able to sight-sing the song. If your students are not able to read this yet, teach the song by rote.

Directions: Form a circle. Pass a beanbag as you sing the song. The teacher crashes a pair of cymbals sometime during the song. (the sooner the better) The child holding the beanbag when cymbals are crashed is “out”. In my classroom, the child who is “out” is the next one to crash the cymbals, and then they rejoin the circle.

The first time you play the game singing the song at a moderato tempo - probably the tempo on the track. In the next round, ask the children (or the child who went out) to suggest a new tempo that the game will be played at. You can easily change the tempo when you sing without the track. The kids always like the fast tempos the best, but it's fun to try it at a largo or lento tempo.

In the next newsletter, I'll include ideas for assessing tempo and more ideas for helping children respond to different tempos.