Submitted by Dan Leopold, Riverdale, New York

Idea posted January 20, 2003

I find with my kids, most of who are below grade level in math and reading, and most who are on medications that have side effects which interfere with their normal functioning (for better or for worse), that REPETITION is the first step to understanding.

Now for me to state that is unusual, because I am from the UN-Conservatory School of Music Education, but when it comes to rhythm, by its very nature we are talking about something that repeats itself in a pattern that we can comprehend on a precognitive level.

I start with a clapping exercise where the kids have to follow my pattern which is first a beat that changes to simple rhythms and then more complex rhythms until everyone's hands get tired. ;)

Then I do in a showman-like fashion this echo exercise with hand movements:

RHYTHM IS

-  step forward with one foot and present with right hand

THE LONG

-  stretch both hands out

AND THE SHORT

-  quickly bring both hands in

SOUNDS

-  hand to ear

THAT REPEAT

-  wheels on the bus motion

IN TIME

-  point to wristwatch (or where it would be)

TO THE PULSE

-  pretend to take pulse on wrist

OR THE BEAT

-  put hand on HEART

PULSE IS

-  step forward with one foot and present with right hand

THE VIBRATION

-  shake legs and point to the floor

THAT YOU FEEL

-  hug yourself

AND SOMETIMES HEAR

-  put hand to ear

THAT REPEATS

-  wheels on the bus motion

THE SAME

-  cup with hands apart equal distance first left, then center, then right

From there we sometimes do meter and tempo depending on timing and questions, then I set up the board as follows.

I then go over the values and syllables for quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, and whole notes and their corresponding rests, followed by setting up the list on the board.

A)
B)
C)
D)

Students come up with their own four-beat rhythm using the values we just covered for A, B, C, and D.

Then next to that, I put in 5 spaces.

_______

  _______    _______    _______    _______

I ask the class which letter rhythm they want in the first space, second space, third space, etc. The final step is to play the 5-measure rhythmic pattern over and over and over again without stopping - or increasing the tempo, or doing it in a round format - the possibilities are endless.

This has been working for all my rhythm classes, because it always reviews the basics and works upwards from there.