I've Got Rhythm! (Ages 9 - 14)

My piano students have loved this intro to rhythm for many years! The time flies and they stay engaged to the end! Best of all they come away with a basic understanding of rhythm through active practice. Focus will be placed on the importance of "the beat" in rhythm. The teacher will lead students in thinking and naming objects that have a beat. Tempo or the speed of the beat will be discussed as the teacher leads the students in making a correlation between the beat of the physical organ the heart, and the beat in music. With the introduction of the metronome, students will understand beats per minute or BPM and how the heart and the beat in music can be fast, slow, and somewhere in between. I will then introduce the note that represents the beat and we will practice it and the other the subsequent notes by counting along with the metronome using "Takadimi" rhythmic solfege, a fun and easy way to count rhythm notes. I will have the students draw the notes by describing them one by one so that they have to use their imagination to picture them. After revealing the rhythm note symbols and comparing theirs, we will make corrections.  We will then move on to more practice with the notes as I show them the symbols and we count and play the rhythms. I will add more difficulty to the rhythms as we progress through to the end of the class. As there may be a slight delay on the internet, I will mute the students as we practice the rhythms so that they can only hear me to avoid confusion. I can check for accuracy by watching their hands as they play and their mouths as they count. I will provide solo time to students who volunteer to play by themselves to further check for understanding as we go. The basic understanding of rhythm will help students in many areas of study especially language and math.