Teaching rhythm is a cornerstone of music education, particularly for beginning band and strings classes. I dedicate the first two weeks of instruction exclusively to rhythm, covering the basics: the staff, ledger lines, measures, whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes, and all corresponding rests. This period also allows for any necessary schedule changes and last-minute recruiting. Note reading starts in week three.
During this initial phase, students write the counts beneath the notes. Whole notes are marked as "1-4"; half notes with the starting count followed by a dash and the continuing count, such as "1-2" or "2-3". Quarter notes receive their specific count. By the end of week one and the start of week two, we delve into counting eighth notes. Each rhythm lesson includes the corresponding rests, teaching notes as beats of sound and rests as beats of silence. This method ensures students count during rests and remain actively engaged. When writing in the counts for rests, students use parentheses around the counts, like "(1)", "(2)", etc., to maintain continuous counting throughout the measure.
I created a series of rhythm sheets that progressively get harder but contain a large amount of repetition to ensure students understand the rhythms. For example, rhythm sheet one will be mostly half notes and quarter notes, with a few quarter rests. Number two increases the number of quarter rests and places half notes starting on count 2 instead of 1 or 3. I also add half rests and a few whole notes in rhythm sheet two. Each rhythm sheet is a full page. Ideally, students can count all the rhythms that appear in the first semester of their beginning band or orchestra book by the end of the second week of school. This lets students focus more on note reading, proper posture, hand position, and tone production of the instrument.
To link rhythm to performance, students count and clap the rhythms aloud with a metronome set to 90 bpm with eighth note subdivision. They maintain proper posture while tapping one foot with the heel on the ground. Loud, clear counting and clapping are essential, as counting simulates air moving into their instrument, and clapping mimics finger movement on an instrument. For rests, students push their arms outward, resembling parentheses, reinforcing the concept that notes make sound and rests are silent. There is a lot of repetition; students count each line several times before moving on to count “chunks” of lines together. I have students count an assigned section, usually two lines, at the end of the week for their first test. They do this in front of everyone from their seat with the metronome on. The metronome is always on, and students have to be able to count loudly and clap in time to pass the assigned line. This not only instills the importance of rhythmic accuracy but also sets a positive tone for the rest of the year. Students get immediate feedback, work hard, and see the accomplishment. They also begin performing in front of each other from the first day of school.
In our next post, we'll explore issues caused by rhythm that aren't often attributed to it, and practical ways to incorporate rhythm into warm-ups.
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