Pie, Pie, Apple, Pie

by Barbara A. Moir, M. Ed.

My job, as a music teacher, has always been to make reading music fun and easy.  While I am careful to always present the fundamentals in order to help the student build a strong foundation for reading notation, I also show as many shortcuts as possible, too. I believe that every average person has the ability to read music if we teachers present information in a logical manner. 

For instance, instead of always using a number system to figure out rhythms, we can use examples from language to model the sound of the rhythms. In 4/4 time, quarter notes (which get one beat each) can be represented by the word "pie."  Most people like to eat pie, so already we have introduced an element of pleasure into the reading process.  A duplet (two eighth notes that are usually linked together with a beam) can be represented by the two syllable word "ap-ple"  A pattern made up of quarter-quarter-duplet-quarter can then be vocalized as "pie, pie, ap-ple, pie."  Triplets can be "blue-ber-ry."  Quadruplets (four sixteenth notes) can be "pea-nut-but-ter."  These words will accurately show the student how the notation sounds as long as the words are said out loud to the steady beat.

This works well for figuring out rhythms on the page AND for figuring out rhythms clapped by the teacher in rhythm dictation.

                                                          Happy counting and happy reading notation,

                                                                                        Barbara