How to conduct music for kids: patterns in 2, 3, and 4

A conductor draws a shape in the air for each measure of the music. The shape has one stroke for each beat. The first beat always goes down, and the last beat always goes up. The patterns for two, three, and four beats are simple enough for a child to learn.

Before you start

• Stand tall, with feet apart.
• Use the right hand for the beat. A left-handed child can use the left hand and swap the sideways strokes.
• Hold the hand at chest height, palm down, with the elbow away from the body.
• A baton is not needed. A pencil or a chopstick is fun, and a bare hand works well.

Each stroke lands on its beat with a small bounce. Players watch for the bounce.

The pattern in 2

Beat	Where the hand goes
1	Down
2	Up

Say “down, up” as you move. The path is close to a letter J: down, a small curve out, and back up.

Practice with: a march. Try The Stars and Stripes Forever, by Sousa, or the Russian Dance from The Nutcracker.

The pattern in 3

Beat	Where the hand goes
1	Down
2	Out to the right
3	Up

Say “down, out, up.” The path is a triangle.

Practice with: a slow waltz or a minuet. Try the Minuet from Eine kleine Nachtmusik, by Mozart. Conductors often beat fast waltzes with one stroke to a measure, so pick a slow piece to learn on.

The pattern in 4

Beat	Where the hand goes
1	Down
2	In to the left
3	Out to the right
4	Up

Say “down, in, out, up.”

Practice with: Ode to Joy, by Beethoven, or Canon in D, by Pachelbel.

How to know which pattern to use

The top number of the time signature tells how many beats are in each measure. Two on top means the pattern in 2. Three means 3. Four means 4.

With no music to look at, listen for the strong beat and count until the next one. Read time signatures explained and measures and bar lines explained.

Starting a group

Players cannot start together on a word. A conductor starts them with a breath.

1. Raise the hand, and wait until everyone is looking.
2. Breathe in, and lift the hand for one beat at the speed you want. This is the upbeat.
3. Bring the hand down. The music starts on that downbeat.

The speed of the lift tells the players the speed of the piece.

Stopping a group

To end a note together, draw a small loop with the hand and close the fingers. Everyone stops when the loop closes.

What the other hand does

The right hand keeps the beat. The left hand often does other jobs.

• Louder: palm up, and lift.
• Softer: palm down, and press down.
• Your turn: point to a player or a section just before they come in.
• Hold: an open hand held still.

Size matters too. Big strokes ask for a loud sound. Small strokes ask for a soft one. Smooth strokes ask for joined notes, and sharp strokes ask for short ones. Read dynamics in music and staccato and legato explained.

Games to play

Mirror. Stand face to face. The child copies the adult’s pattern, as in a mirror. Then swap.

Family orchestra. Hand out pots, spoons, and shakers. The conductor starts the group, changes the speed, and stops it. Players must watch.

Loud and soft. The players hum one note. The conductor makes the strokes bigger and smaller, and the hum follows.

Freeze. The conductor beats a pattern and stops with no warning. Any player who makes a sound after the stop is out.

Guess the pattern. One person conducts in 2, 3, or 4 with no music. The others say which.

Conduct a recording. Play a piece with a clear beat, and conduct along. Set a metronome first if the beat is hard to find.

Common troubles

What happens	What to try
The arm goes stiff	Shake it out, and make the pattern smaller
The beat speeds up	Conduct along with a metronome
The pattern in 4 goes the wrong way	Say “down, in, out, up” out loud
The child loses count	Draw the pattern on paper first, and trace it with a finger
The players do not watch	Stop, and wait for every eye

What a real conductor adds

The beat pattern is one small part of the job. A conductor studies the music ahead of time, decides how it should go, and leads the rehearsals where the orchestra learns it. Read what does a conductor do?

To watch a conductor explain music to children, read Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts.

Print and play

Print the tempo and dynamics word cards. Hold one up, and the conductor has to show it with their hands. For more games, read music games for kids with no equipment.