Recognize that the five lines that music is written on are called staff lines. There are two main sets of staff lines, called the treble clef and the bass clef. The treble clef is the top set of lines (the higher notes), and the bass clef is the bottom set of lines (the lower notes).
Recognize that music is divided into measures. These measures are divisions of beats and are marked by vertical bar lines.
Look for the time signature at the beginning of the music. The time signature usually consists of one number on top of another. The top number tells you how many beats are in each measure, and the bottom number tells you which type of note gets one beat.
Look for the key signature at the beginning of the music as well. This will be marked by "#" symbols, "b" symbols or no symbols. The "#" symbol is sharp sign. The "b" is a flat sign. Sharps and flats tell you to raise or lower a note by a half step.
Look at the lines of the treble clef. The lines are (from bottom to top): E, G, B, D and F. Also notice the spaces which are (from bottom to top): F, A, C and E. A note that is just below the first staff line is a D, and the a note below D that also has a tiny line through it is middle C.
Look at the lines and spaces of the bass clef. The lines are (from bottom to top): G, B, D, F and A. The spaces are: A, C, E and G. A note just above the top line is B, and a note above B that has a tiny line through it is middle C. (Some notes can be written on either clef.)
Observe the basic types of rhythm note. A whole note looks like a white circle with no stem attached and gets four beats. A half note is a white circle with a stem attached and gets two beats. A quarter note is a black circle with an attached stem that gets one beat. An eighth note is a black note with a stem that has a flag on it or with a stem that is attached the the stem of another note; these notes get one-half of a beat.