Teaching Tempo to children can feel like a simple task.  It’s just fast and slow, right?  Talking about fast and slow is one thing, but guiding students to understand and internalize it in their bodies is a whole other thing!  Tempo is an element of Musical Expression, and it’s one of the things I teach last.  Why?  I want to make sure my students are coordinated in their bodies, understand how to use their bodies using flow, weight, space and time, and can demonstrate beat competency.  If students have command over these things, demonstrating an understanding of tempo is all the easier.

When teaching Tempo, I rarely talk about it first.  I always have students experience it through songs and activities.  Once we experience the songs through movement activities, then we have a point of reference to begin discussing, analyzing, and labeling tempo.  Here are some of my favorite songs and activities to teach Tempo.

See the Pony Galloping

This is such a great song to get your students moving to music!  I begin by singing the song to my students, then inviting them to gallop around the room.  Each repetition of “see the pony galloping” is faster than the one before.  When we get to “all tired out,” all of the students lay down on the floor.  We sing and act out this song several times before ever discussing Tempo.

As the students become more familiar with the song, I introduce the word Tempo to the class and discuss its meaning “Tempo is how fast or slow the music is performed.”  Students do a quick “turn and talk” with a neighbor to check for understanding of the term and its meaning.  Then we talk about the Tempo of this song.  Is it fast?  Is it slow?  Does it begin fast?  Does it begin slow?  What happens throughout the song?  If working with older students (e.g. second grade students), we discuss Tempo with proper terminology instead of fast/slow.   Then we sing the song again and perform it conscious of Tempo and what it means.

The Old Gray Cat

This is a classroom favorite to act out!  I always begin by singing the song for the students.  My students sit around the circle and act out each verse seated first.  As the old gray cat is sleeping, the children put their hands to their face and pretend to sleep.  As the little mouse is creeping, we pat a quiet beat on our knees.  There is a 3rd verse – the old gray cat is sneaking – where the children make a sneaking motion using their arms as they pat an alternating beat.  The 4th and final verse – the little mouse is scampering – students pat their laps quickly.  Once the students know the song, we discuss the Tempo of the song.  Each cat verse is performed slowly, while each mouse verse is performed quickly.  We review what Tempo means, then connect the terms to each character or verse.

To extend the activity – have your students act out the song as a circle game.  Everyone is seated in a circle.  Choose one student to be the cat and one student to be the mouse.  The “cat” sits in the middle of the circle, while the “mouse” goes on the outside of the circle.   Verse 1 – the cat pretends to sleep, Verse 2 – the mouse creeps around the circle, Verse 3 – the cat sneaks around the inside of the circle, Verse 4 – the cat comes outside of the circle and chases the mouse once around the circle.

The Cows are Lost

This is a classroom favorite for sure!  Begin by singing the song to your students.  The A section is performed very slowly with lots of rubato.   The B section is sung very quickly without rubato.  As you perform the A section, pretend to be looking across the room for the missing cows and sheep, then invite students to lay down and go to sleep.  I always add a little dramatic flair by leaving a long pause between the two sections.  As you perform the B section, students pat the beat on their laps quickly.  Perform the song several times, then review the term Tempo.  Use turn and talk to have students check for understanding.  Then connect each section to a term for Tempo (slow/fast or Largo/Presto).

Tiptoe Joe

If you’re looking for additional ways to extend the learning for Tempo, try using a children’s story!  Tiptoe Joe is one of my favorites for Tempo.  There is a repeating phrase in the story – “tiptoe fast, tiptoe slow” throughout the book.  I begin by reading the story to the students, then matching non-pitched percussion to each character in the story.  As Joe moves with his animal friends throughout the story, we play a steady beat on our percussion instruments both fast and slow!  With older students, we substitute fast and slow with terminology such as Largo or Presto.  If you want more information about this story – check out my resource on TeachersPayTeachers!

Do you have a favorite song or activity for teaching Tempo?  Share it below!

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