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Let's Dictate the Rhythm for Mouse in the House

From Hoffman Academy

Let's Dictate the Rhythm for Mouse in the House
10 minPre-KK1st2ndMusic
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Summary

In “Let's Dictate the Rhythm for Mouse in the House,” Joseph Hoffman walks students through how to listen carefully and notate what they hear. A 10-minute lesson from Hoffman Academy's free elementary piano curriculum — drop it into a music center, a keyboard station, or a whole-class music block.

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All ages
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Teaching resources

Discussion questions

Discussion

Music dictation means listening to a pattern and writing down what you hear.

  1. What are you listening for in this lesson — the rhythm, the notes, or both?
  2. What helps you remember a pattern long enough to write it?
  3. How could you check whether you wrote it down correctly?

Quick work-a-long

Vocabulary: dictation, rhythm, pitch.

Try it: Have a partner clap a short rhythm; write it down, then clap it back to check.