Elementary Music Rhythm Reading – Standard Notation vs. Stick Notation
Elementary music teachers, are you considering starting your young students with standard notation instead of stick notation? See this post.
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When you introduce rhythm reading in the elementary grades, which should you begin with standard music notation or stick notation?
Some music teachers want to turn this into a big debate, but it doesn’t have to be. Here is the short version.
If class time is limited, start with standard notation. Young children can learn standard notation just as easily as stick notation and it actually saves time in the long run.
Why? There’s no transition period later.
What’s in this post? Click to open the Table of Contents
Quick Takeaways
- Young children can read standard notation.
- Standard notation does not slow learning.
- Skipping the stick-notation transition saves valuable class time.
- Icons + standard notation work together perfectly in early grades.
Standard Notation vs. Stick Notation – The Back Story
When I graduated from college, I fully expected to teach middle or high school band forever. That plan changed quickly.
After 1½ years in my first band position, my husband accepted a job 250 miles away and I was pregnant with our first child. A band director schedule was no longer realistic. I also realized something uncomfortable:
I also realized something uncomfortable: I wasn’t well prepared to teach elementary music.
When I was offered a 5/8-time elementary position, I gladly accepted. The reduced teaching load was a great fit for a new mom. Still, I knew I had a lot to learn.
Kodály Training
When a local college began to offer Kodály certification courses, I jumped in and began to build my elementary music teaching skills and repertoire. A few years later, when our second child started kindergarten, I returned to full-time teaching at a new school
Each year, I felt more pressure to teach more with less time.
The Shift: Dropping Stick Notation
As an experiment, I dropped stick notation and redesigned my materials to begin with iconic notation leading directly to standard notation.
The results were clear.
- Students actually learned faster.
- Progress was obvious.
- Parents, administrators, and classroom teachers noticed that kids were reading standard notation earlier.
To be clear:
I did not skip the aural preparation phase. I just introduced standard notation instead of stick notation when it was time to read visually.
I felt guilty at first. I felt like I was breaking a “rule.” I only shared this with a few trusted friends.
Then I heard a nationally respected music educator say she had been teaching early elementary students standard notation for years. That was the moment I stopped second-guessing myself.
Why Standard Notation Makes Sense
Here’s the rationale that sealed it for me.
Think about how children learn to read language. We don’t teach that two vertical lines | | mean “H,” only to later say, “Actually, now connect them with a line.”
We teach uppercase and lowercase letter (H and h) together from the start.
Children are capable of learning real symbols. Music is no different.
When we oversimplify music reading, we often create more confusion later, not less.
Students Can Learn Standard Notation Quickly
You may hear that stick notation helps students better distinguish between quarter notes and eighth notes. I have found no difference.
When presented clearly:
- Students read standard notation just as quickly.
- Half notes are often learned faster with standard notation, because. . .
- Students focus on the whole symbol, not just stems and beams.
And when you begin with standard notation, you eliminate the transition period when you move from stick to standard notation. This approach saves time.
Popsicle Stick Dictation
This doesn’t mean you won’t ever use stick notation. Popsicle dictation is one of my favorite activities. Children easily figure out how to represent notes with popsicle sticks or other manipulatives.
I like to do rhythmic dictation with pretzels and Skittles at the end of the year. Yum!
The difference is this:
Stick notation becomes a tool and not a stepping stone that must be unlearned later.
Real-World Music Matters
When students learn standard notation early, something powerful happens.
They start noticing music everywhere:
- In hymnals or songbooks.
- In a sibling’s band music.
- In a parent’s choir folder.
They recognize symbols they can actually read.
That visibility builds excitement and advocacy for your music program. When parents and administrators see young children reading real music, support for the music program grows naturally.
(You can read more about this here: Increase Music Advocacy by Developing Music Literacy.)
So… Standard or Stick Notation?
Every teacher and every school is different. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. But if time is tight (and when isn’t it?) starting with icons and standard notation can simplify your teaching and accelerate progress.
If creating materials from scratch feels overwhelming, there are no-prep music literacy lessons available that:
- Introduce icons and standard notation.
- Use flexible rhythm reading systems.
- Work well across multiple grade levels.
In the end, standard notation vs. stick notation doesn’t have to be a big deal.
What matters most is helping kids become confident music readers.
Find more ideas for building music reading skills here:
Elementary Music Literacy.
Meet the Author
Terri Lloyd is an experienced music educator with over 25 years of teaching in elementary music classrooms. She holds a Master’s in Education, an Instructional Technology Certificate in Curriculum Design, and a Bachelor of Music. Her resources are designed to help music teachers develop students’ music literacy and performance skills while enjoying learning.
She presents music education workshops, develops curriculum, and writes for her blog. Terri is on the music staff at her church and leads a children’s program. She performs as a active community musician with a local Big Band, pit orchestras, and at various events.
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