This class is not age-specific. Learners of all ages 6 and up (younger children of 5 see note below) will have no trouble following along in this interactive class. My piano students have loved this intro to rhythm for many years: the time flies and they stay engaged until the end! Best of all, they come away with a basic understanding of rhythm through active practice. 


The focus will be placed on the importance of "the beat" in rhythm. The teacher will lead students in thinking and naming objects with 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 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 individually so they can use their imagination to picture them. We will make corrections after revealing the rhythm note symbols and comparing theirs.  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 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 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. A basic understanding of rhythm will help students in many areas of study, especially language and math.

*Age note: 
I have previously made this available to 5-year-olds and it generally works well but it does move quite fast so they need to be able to keep up with the drawing, playing the rhythms is pretty easy for even under 5. 

A word about my teaching style. I never shame students who don't come up with quick answers. I encourage them to double-check their answers and then have confidence. I will stretch students and ask them to use deductive reasoning skills to find the correct answers based on prior information and inference. I teach with patience and faith that all students will pick up these rhythms because I have seen it happen for over a thousand students during my teaching career.  I have been teaching these concepts for over 20 years and have tweaked and streamlined my method for strong acquisition and speed, only giving the instruction necessary to get them to make music. I have the patience to ensure my learners are successful! 

If you would like your child to participate in more of my music classes, I suggest building upon "I've Got Rhythm," with "I've Got Rhythm Level 2" Also, I teach a great class about the notes of the scale in "Do, Re, Mi and Me!"