How to Teach Hemiola in Music Elementary Class

You can hear hemiolas in some waltzes.

A hemiola is a type of musical rhythm that uses the juxtaposition of triplets and duple meter. This type of rhythm typically occurs in the time signature known as "6/8" time. Some Baroque musical pieces, along with later Viennese waltzes, commonly employed the hemiola. If you are teaching elementary school students, you can expose them to the hemiola through a variety of simple instructional methods.

Things You'll Need

• Recorded music
• Music player
• Classroom instruments

Instructions

1. Play a musical piece that features a hemiola. Ask the students to tap the steady beat as they listen. Explain that the hemiola is a combination of six eighth notes being played against the background of two three-beat notes (duple meter).

2. Clap the six eighth notes (or two sets of triplets) in the standard hemiola rhythm and have your student imitate you.

3. Demonstrate the duple meter used along with hemiolas by clapping dotted quarter notes within the same tempo. Ask your students to copy you again.

4. Divide the class into two groups. Have one group stomp the duple meter on beats one and four. Have the other group clap the six eighth notes.

5. Repeat the same activity from Step 4, but this time use classroom instruments such as drums, shakers and tambourines.

References

• Music at Virginia Tech: Hemiola
• Compose Create: Hemiola Rhythm Drill Added