Lesson 1: Learning “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”

Aim: How can we explore pulse and backbeat with “I Heard It Through the Grapevine?”
Summary: Students learn to sing and move along to “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” while deciphering beat and backbeat. 
Materials: Music Explorers online audio, rhythm sticks (optional) 
Standards: GA: ESGMK-2.PR.3; ESGMK-2.RE.1; ESGMK-2.RE.2; ESGMK-2.RE.3; ESGMK-2.CN.1; ESGMK-2.CN.2 
SC: MGK-2.1, MGK-2.2, MGK-2.3, MGK-2.5, MGK-2.6 
Vocabulary: backbeat, pulse, steady beat
See Glossary →

Listen to “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”
  • Listen to Laiken sing “I Heard it Through the Grapevine,” Track 03. Invite students to sing along if they are familiar with the song. 

Track 03 – I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Explore the Steady Beat in “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”
  • Listen to “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Track 03. Pat the steady beat while listening to the song. Pat and count each beat up to four; one count for each pat: 1, 2, 3, 4. Then repeat the sequence. 

Track 03 – I Heard It Through the Grapevine

  • Explain to your students that the steady pulse you feel in music is called the steady beat. The steady beat is like the heartbeat in music.
  • Everyone’s heart makes their own beat; it’s called a pulse. Place your finger on your neck to see if you can feel your pulse. 
  • The steady beat in music is the steady pulse that you feel in a tune, just like your heartbeat, or the ticking of a clock. 
  • Using SG10, help students visualize the steady beat in “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.” 
Explore and Move with the Backbeat
  • Typically, in Western European music, beats 1 and 3 are strong, while beats 2 and 4 are weak. However, in some kinds of music, such as soul, the drummer or other musicians will emphasize beats 2 and 4. This is called the backbeat. Soul music combines a strong backbeat with soulful singing.
  • Beats are equal in time, but they can feel different. Some can be described as heavier or stronger and some have less emphasis or can be described as weak. Which beats in this song sound strong to you? 
  • Listen to the backbeat of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine,” Track 04. Pat or clap with the music on beats 2 and 4 only. 

Track 04 – I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Backbeat Only)

  • Next, divide your class into two groups. Have one group pat or clap on 1 and 3, and one group pat or clap the backbeat. 
  • Brainstorm a list with students on different ways they can keep the beat; e.g., clap, pat, stomp, etc.
  • Ask a student leader, or half the class, to count the beat (1-2-3-4) while the rest of the class chooses from the class list how they want to move to the backbeat on beats 2 and 4. 
  • As a challenge, have the student(s) who are keeping the beat get faster and slower. 
  • Once your students have demonstrated an understanding of backbeat, invite them to dance the grapevine with Laiken, using the video provided online. 
  • Listen to “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” again, inviting students to create their own backbeat dance moves using ideas from the class list or trying new ideas. 
  • For older students, have them work in small groups to choreograph (create) a new dance to the backbeat. Students can share their ideas with the class. 

Learning “I Heard it Through the Grapevine” from Savannah Music Festival on Vimeo.

Explore the Lyrics in “I Heard it Through the Grapevine”
  • Share the lyrics of the chorus in “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Discuss with your students what it means to hear something through the grapevine. 
  • Play “pass the grapevine” with students. Arrange students in a circle. Begin by whispering a simple sentence or phrase into one student’s ear (example: “I sing soul on Saturday”). That student will whisper what they hear to the next student, and so on. The last student in the circle will say aloud what they heard. Discuss with the class how the sentence changed as it passed through the “grapevine.”
“I Heard It Through The Grapevine”

It took me by surprise, I must say
When I found out yesterday
Don’t you know that I heard it through the grapevine
And I’m just about to lose my mind

Literacy Extension: Violet’s Music

In Angela Johnson and Laura Huliska-Beith’s Violet’s Music, there’s nothing Violet loves more than music, and she plays or sings every chance she gets. But where are the other kids who think and dream music all day long?

Musical Word Wall

Add the words backbeat, pulse, and steady beat to the Musical Word Wall.
See Glossary →

PDF Downloads

SG10 – Find the Steady Beat ↓ Download File

Audio Tracks

Track 03 – I Heard It Through the Grapevine

Track 04 – I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Backbeat Only)


Lesson 2: Exploring a Soul Music Medley →