- Definition
A repeat sign in music tells you to play a section of the song again. If you see one at the end of a section, and no matching one at the beginning, you go all the way back to the start of the song and play from there.
When a musician sees the two dots before a double bar line, they know to play the previous section one more time.
How to teach this in 30 seconds
Try this analogy: A repeat sign in music is like the 'replay' button on a favorite part of a song or video.
Ask your child: Why do you think a composer would want you to play a section again?
Common mix-up: Kids might think a repeat sign always sends you back to the very beginning of the piece. The sign actually sends you back to the start or to a matching 'begin repeat' sign.
Examples
- A short piece of music might have a repeat sign at the very end, meaning the musician plays the entire piece twice.
- If you see a repeat sign at the end of measure 16 and a 'begin repeat' at measure 9, you play measures 9 through 16 twice.
repeat is a term used in Ontario’s Kindergarten to Grade 8 curriculum.
Where this shows up
The descriptions on this page are SmartStudy’s own original, plain-language writing — not the Ministry’s wording. They are aligned to the Ontario Curriculum, © King’s Printer for Ontario. For the Ministry’s official wording, see the source link below. SmartStudy is an independent service and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Government of Ontario or the Ministry of Education. Ontario Curriculum and Resources ↗
