Two printouts, two jobs
The colour chart is the whole piece on one page: every part's rhythm on a line, each pitch under its note as a coloured circle with its letter, bars numbered, and the colour key at the top. It is for the board, the projector, or the front of the room when everyone plays together. The one-bar cards break the same piece into single bars, one to a card with its bar number, so a small group can work on one bar without the rest of the piece crowding it.
Every circle prints its letter, and sharps and flats print with their sign, so a child who cannot tell two colours apart, or a chart printed in black and white, still reads correctly. Colour helps; it is never the only cue.
Paper and printing
| Paper | Size | Where it is the default |
|---|---|---|
| A4 | 210 by 297 mm | Most of the world |
| US Letter | 8.5 by 11 inches (216 by 279 mm) | The United States and Canada |
Choose the paper in the maker before printing; the chart is laid out for that page, not stretched onto it. In the print dialog choose actual size, or 100 percent, never fit to page. Print a test page first and check the colours against your instruments: some printers turn yellow pale and purple dark, and the colour key at the top makes that easy to spot.
Setting up the stations
Plan one station per bar for a 4-bar piece, or one per part for a layered one. Each station gets its card, the instruments that bar needs (only those, so nobody plays a wrong note by reaching for a spare one), and a job: play the bar 4 times in a row without stopping, then say it in syllables, then swap instruments inside the group. The cards show the syllables under the notes when the board has them turned on.
Worked example: Bell tower in four stations
The starter Bell tower is 4 bars for bells in 4/4 using C, D, E, F, G and A. Print its colour chart once on A4 for the board, and its cards: 4 bars make one page of 4 cards. Station 1 has bar 1 (C, E, G, E) and the C, E and G bells; station 2 has bar 2 (D, F, A) and those three; station 3 has bar 3; station 4 has bar 4 (D then C). With 28 children that is 7 to a station. Groups rotate every 6 minutes, so after 24 minutes every group has played every bar. The last minutes are the whole class reading from the chart with the play-along video.
Common mistakes
- Printing at fit to page. The chart comes out small and the circles crowd; print at actual size.
- Charts in one convention, instruments in another. Match the colours in the maker's settings to your set before printing.
- Every instrument at every station. Put out only the notes each card needs.
- No job at the station. A card on its own is a puzzle; a card with “4 times without stopping” is practice.
- Skipping the whole-class finish. The stations are the parts; the piece is the point.
Sources
- ISO 216: Writing paper and certain classes of printed matter, trimmed sizes, A and B series, International Organization for Standardization. The A4 size, 210 by 297 millimetres, that the A4 charts are drawn for. Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
- National Core Arts Standards: Music, National Coalition for Core Arts Standards. Reading and performing from notation in small groups, the goal of the stations. Last reviewed 19 October 2026.
Clapchart is not affiliated with any instrument maker, publisher or music exam board.