6 ‘Shockingly Simple’ Ways To Teach Eighth Notes

If you’ve looked closely at a sheet of music, you have no doubt realized that it consists of a variety of different types of notes. 

Those that are noteheads with no stems, outlined noteheads with stems and solid black notes with stems , flags and beams. 

So what does this mean?

Each of these elements like stems, flags and beams signify the type and value of the note and learning to decipher the difference is very important. 

Therefore, today I will be explaining how you can introduce ‘Eighth Notes’ to your kids in the homeschool in just six shockingly simple steps. 

Don’t forget to download the printable I have included, so you can take your child’s learning to the next level. 

Show And Tell

It’s as simple as that. 

Just show a flashcard with an Eighth Note, or draw it out on a paper or white board or simply point it out on a piece of sheet music and tell your child that a solid black note with a stem and a flag is called an Eighth Note. 

Other Names

Now tell your child that while in North America we call this type of note, an ‘Eighth Note’, in other parts of the world, especially in Asia and Europe the note is called a Quaver. 

Clapping And Counting

Now that your child can identify the note and knows both its names, it is time to explain that an Eighth Note/Quaver consists of 1/2 a beat. 

This means when played on the piano, you play two eighth notes in 1 beat.

If there are two eighth notes beamed together or separate, then you clap both in quick succession in 1 beat. 

Writing The Note

Next, you can show your child how to write an Eighth Note on a line, and in a space, as well as over the stave, hanging from the stave, as Middle C and ledger line notes. 

This would also be a good time to teach your child the stem rules and the flag and beam rules.

Identifying Eighth Notes

Now, show your child some sheet music (if you don’t have any handy, use the sheet music in the printable I have made available) and ask your child to identify all the Eighth Notes. 

On The Keyboard

Next have your child play Eighth Notes. 

For this you can simply draw a treble or bass staff on a piece of paper and write out a few Eighth Notes on different lines and spaces and have your child read the notes. 

If your child cannot read music notes as yet, you can still have your child play Middle Cs. 

For this you need to draw about four Middle Cs on a paper (as Eighth Notes), have your child play two Middle Cs in quick succession for the 1st beat and the next two in quick succession for the 2nd beat.

Easy enough don’t you think?

Now, don’t forget to download the printable included so you can reinforce the concepts taught here.