Whole note = 4 beats
A whole note fills an entire measure in 4/4 time by itself.
Unit 1 · Lesson 1 of 6 — IB MYP: Personal and Cultural Expression · Communication
Getting Started in Noteflight
Every note has a length, called its duration. In this lesson you will identify whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes by how many beats they last, then demonstrate that by building measures that add up correctly — the same skill you will use to write your first piece in Noteflight.
Half note = 2 beats
Two half notes fill a measure: 2 beats plus 2 beats.
Quarter note = 1 beat
Four quarter notes fill a measure: 1 beat four times.
IB MYP connection
Command terms: IDENTIFY · DEMONSTRATE
identifydemonstrate
Learner Profile · ATL
Knowledgeable · Thinker — Thinking: apply note-value knowledge to solve a notation problem, then self-check the result.
Task
Use what you know about note values to solve each measure, then check your own work before submitting.
Inquiry: How does choosing different note lengths change the rhythm you create?
Reflect: Which Noteflight skill helped you make each measure work correctly?
Now you try
0 of 3 correctBuild 3 measures
All 3 activities are visible. Fill each measure with the right note values to continue.
Your measure:0 / 4 beats
Write it on a staff
Try your Lesson 1 rhythm piece in Noteflight
Open Noteflight through MusicFirst in a new tab. Sign in with your usual MusicFirst account if asked, then return to this tab to keep practicing.
Musical requirements
- Measure 1: one whole note on C
- Measure 2: two half notes, C then D
- Measure 3: four quarter notes, C D E F
- Measure 4: eight eighth notes, using only notes from the C major scale