Music Reading Children should have many experiences with musical concepts before beginning to symbolize them. Clapping and patting rhythms, singing and moving to phrases, showing the upward and downward movement of melody with body movements or drawings, playing short melodies by number or letter, identifying phrases as the same or different by choosing like or different shapes to represent the phrases, drawing lines or stick figures to represent long and short duration of sounds, feeling the steady beat in the feet, and standing or jumping onto the lines or into the spaces of floor staffs all will help children to internalize the components of music. Numbers, letters, syllabic or iconic notation, and stick or line drawings all can be helpful in preparing children to write and read traditional notation. Multiple experiences with expressing music form the basis of music reading readiness. At levels four, five, and six, students begin to read traditional music notation.
Students learn to interpret meter and key signatures as well as other musical terms.
They create and notate rhythms and melodies, identify chords by notation, and practice visual and aural recognition of intervals. It is anticipated that level six students will be able to read and perform short melodies on the treble staff. The child's body, so often in motion, is eager to respond to the rhythms of music. A simple folk song played on guitar may start the child's toe tapping. Response to the organization of musical rhythms can help the child to gain confidence in the coordination and use of the body.