Beats · Score · Lights
Teacher · not a kid screen
Music, grades 5–8
Solvay Middle School Technology. Three doors, one song: Score, Beats, Lights. Each door opens a lesson. The control for that step is outlined. The button says Got it when the step is done. How starts it again. Skip shows after the first step. Do not put names, plans, or labels on the kid screen.
One period
- You press Play with sound off. Point at the word Now.
- They do that on Score. The starter song is already there.
- They change one note. Press Play. The word changes.
- They press Beats. Tap to start. Press Play. Drums stay.
- They press Lights. Press Play. Switch one Look. The word still names the sound.
Stop a grade 5 class after step 3. Grade 6 adds the grid. Grade 7 does the handoff. Grade 8 adds one Look and says what the picture shows.
What to look for
| Grade | Done when |
|---|
| 5 | Play runs. They point at Now. They change one note. |
| 6 | A pattern on the grid. They can name Kick and Snare. |
| 7 | Score opens in Beats. They say whether a note moved. |
| 8 | Lights follow that song. They name one Look. |
This is not a listening test and not a performance grade. A kid who cannot hear the room can still pass.
Deaf and hard of hearing
- The word Now is the caption. It names Kick, Snare, Hat, Clap, or the note letter as the column moves. The column still moves if sound never starts.
- Muted is a correct way to work. Never ask “did you hear that.”
- Face the class. The screen is the caption, not the speaker.
- Seat them where they can see the column.
Seeing, color, and light
- Words sit next to color. Columns are numbered. Note buttons say C, D, E.
- Do not flash the projector. Looks stay dark. The teacher page is the bright one.
- Browser zoom is fine. Targets stay at least 44px.
- A Chromebook set to reduced motion slows spin. The word Now still updates.
Special education
- One job at a time: Press Play, then change one thing.
- A title is four taps: one Feel, one Color, one Animal, one Kind. They still cannot type a title.
- Undo is under More on Beats. There is no timer.
- Read the step once, then point. A rest is allowed.
- Grade 5 work in an older grade is the same door, not a different app.
Multilingual learners
- Use the same words every day: Play, note, beat, rest, drum, lights.
- Say the word and point at it. Letters name the notes, not do-re-mi.
- Keep sentences short. No joke that hides the task.
- A partner may repeat the sentence in a home language. The proof is still the screen.
Words
| Word | Say this |
|---|
| Play | Start. The column or the note moves. |
| Now | The sound at this moment, written out. |
| Rest | Nothing on that beat. The column still moves. |
| Alias | A class nickname. Not a real name. |
Standards
NYS MST 5 — design a pattern, test it, change one part.
NYS Arts, Music Creating — grades 5 and 6–8. Organize a short idea under limits. Not a concert jury.
CDOS — only if you grade the habit: finish, revise, no personal information in the file.