Counting Beats in Music
2nd Grade•20 minutes
Learning Objective
I can count the beats in a measure of music.
Key Concepts
The top number of a time signature tells you how many beats there will be in every measure.
In 4/4 time, there are 4 beats in a measure, and beat 1 is the strong beat.
A whole note lasts for 4 beats, a half note lasts for 2 beats, and a quarter note lasts for 1 beat.
Practice Questions
This lesson includes 3 practice questions to reinforce learning.
View questions preview
1. If a time signature has a 3 on top, how many beats are in each measure?
2. Which of the following shows the correct counting for a measure in 2/4 time?
3. If you are counting the beat in 4/4 time and reach the end of a measure, what number do you start with in the next measure?
Educational Video
How Do You Count the Beat in Music?
Hoffman Academy