Rhythm Instruction Contents & Teacher's Guide (Grades 5-12)
Table of
Contents
The following are automated RhythmBee instructional units in curriculum sequence. The text indicates the instructional topic and sometimes the format of the unit. This material is also available in a special Strings Edition which develops left hand motor skills and demonstrates proper bowing.
The Elementary Edition (Units 1-36) also includes our Kodaly Kounting Kurriculum. It is comprised of instructional units that cover all rhythms from whole notes to sixteenth notes.
Unit Topic and format
In rhythm instruction, music educators often engage in "drive-by teaching."
That is . . . We teach toward our class, move on, and look back over our shoulder to see who got it.
And we know that everyone won't get it. To our shame, we don't expect them to - nor do we monitor closely enough to adjust our teaching so that everyone has a chance of learning accurate rhythm performance.
We have been guilty of this failing for decades, and the reasons span a range including time limitations, performance demands, minimal staffing, and the prejudiced belief that not everyone can learn it. The result is that we teach to those who get it quickly.
Two types of students succeed quickly in rhythm performance. Those whose agile brains seem to be thinking of several things at once are successful in most scholastic endeavors - as they are with rhythm performance. We are accustomed to the easy success of the mentally gifted. They are our favorites - the teacher's pet.
There is another group that is successful very early in the process of learning rhythm performance. Students who are physically gifted often succeed quickly in rhythm instruction. Their bodies and minds are so directly and effectively linked that they can perform even complex physical skills with minimal practice. It usually seems that they were born being able to do many things very well. In truth, they simply require very little practice to engrain activities into muscle memory. This fact exposes an important human characteristic that allows us to develop strategies for teaching all students the physical skill of rhythm performance.
Physically gifted students are able to see an action - even one of significant complexity - and repeat it with amazing accuracy. So, when we ask them to tap their foot, they simply turn it on and can forget it while they concentrate on the printed music. To them, just starting the activity establishes muscle memory. They don't have to think about that action again, because the mind-body connection is so efficient that practice is not necessary. That is the enlightening fact.
Muscle memory is common to all humans. Whether it is tying our shoes, signing our names, walking, chewing, or driving a car, we use muscle memory every day. There are hundreds of actions that we perform without conscious thought. And that is the case for almost everyone. Only the most profoundly disabled do not develop actions into a muscle memory response to minimal mental activity. It requires a different amount of repetition for each of us, but muscle memory is possible for everyone.
Therefore, because of the physical nature of rhythm performance, rhythm is the most accessible of the many skills required of musicians. With persistence and determination on the part of a teacher who takes full responsibility for instructing AND inspiring every student, rhythm is the skill that opens the door to music literacy. In fact, rhythm alone is the key to music literacy. Without the ability to read and perform printed rhythms, printed music is mysterious gibberish - however sharp the ear or agile the instrument.
But with mastery of rhythm reading and rhythm performance, printed music is immediately familiar. Students tackle the other elements of music notation as intriguing puzzle parts that fit within an already established frame. With strong rhythm skills developed before - or during - the first year of ensemble instruction, students have confidence that the demands of music reading can be met with the same diligence and work ethic that allowed them to become rhythmically proficient. With a belief in one's abilities and a willingness to work toward a worthy goal, music literacy is within the grasp of every student. And successful student musicians stay in successful music programs!!
At the same time, I was using rhythm to link elementary and middle school music instruction. So, two instructional priorities joined forces, and RhythmBee was born. As the program developed, several surprising benefits became apparent.
So don't try to reinvent the wheel. RhythmBee
has incorporated tried and true methods and techniques which
deserve your consideration.
Best wishes for a successful experience with RhythmBee - the leader in
automated rhythm instruction.
Attention: There is no sound in any of our rhythm instruction material. See the explanation in the section that immediately follows the introduction.
In rhythm instruction, music educators often engage in "drive-by teaching." That is . . . We teach toward our class without serious monitoring of success, move on to something else, and look back over our shoulder to see if someone got it. When we do this, we know that everyone won't get it. To our shame, we don't expect them to - nor do we monitor closely enough to adjust our teaching so that everyone has a chance of learning accurate rhythm performance.
We have been guilty of this failing for decades, and the reasons span a range that includes time limitations, performance demands, minimal staffing, and the prejudiced belief that not everyone can learn it. The result is that we only teach those who get it quickly.
Two types of students succeed quickly in rhythm performance. Those whose agile brains seem to be thinking of several things at once are successful in most scholastic endeavors - as they are with rhythm performance. We are accustomed to the easy success of the mentally gifted. They are our favorites - the teacher's pet.
There is another group that is successful very early in the process of learning rhythm performance. Students who are physically gifted often succeed quickly in rhythm instruction. Their bodies and minds are so directly and effectively linked that they can perform even complex physical skills with minimal practice. It usually seems that they were born being able to do many things very well. In truth, they simply require very little practice to engrain activities into muscle memory. This fact exposes a human characteristic that allows us to develop strategies for teaching all students the physical skill of rhythm performance. Physically gifted students are able to see an action - even one of significant complexity - and repeat it with amazing accuracy. So, when we ask them to tap their foot, they simply turn it on and can forget it while they concentrate on the printed music. To them, just starting the activity establishes muscle memory. They don't have to think about that action again, because the mind-body connection is so efficient that practice is not necessary. That is the enlightening fact.
Muscle memory is common to all humans.
Whether it is tying our shoes, signing our names, walking, chewing, or driving a car, we use muscle memory every day. There are hundreds of actions that we perform without conscious thought. And that is the case for almost everyone. Only the most profoundly disabled do not develop actions into a muscle memory response to minimal mental activity. That installment into muscle memory requires a different amount of repetition for each of us, but muscle memory is possible for everyone. Therefore, rhythm performance is the most accessible of the many skills required of musicians.
With persistence and determination on the part of a teacher who takes full responsibility for instructing AND inspiring every student, rhythm is the skill that opens the door to music literacy. Without the ability to read and perform printed rhythms, music remains mysterious and printed music is gibberish - however sharp the ear or agile the instrument. But with mastery of rhythm reading and rhythm performance, almost all printed music is immediately familiar at the most important level. Rhythm fluency lets students tackle the other elements of music notation as intriguing puzzle parts that fit within an already established frame. With strong rhythm skills developed before - or during - the first year of ensemble instruction, students have confidence that the demands of music reading can be met with the same diligence and work ethic that allowed them to become rhythmically proficient. Rhythm fluency instills a belief in one's musical abilities and a willingness to work toward the worthy goal of music performance. At this point, music literacy is within the grasp of every student. Successful student musicians stay in successful music programs!!
We all reach a crossroad in our profession, with one or more opportunities to change directions. That common experience among music educators accounts for the development of RhythmBee. Searching for any means of teaching all students rather than sorting for musical talent, I began with a teachers tutorial that would ensure consistency across an entire secondary music cluster. At the same time, I was using rhythm to link elementary and middle school music instruction. So, two instructional priorities joined forces, and RhythmBee was born.
As the program developed, several surprising benefits became apparent.
Best wishes for a successful experience with RhythmBee - the leader in automated rhythm instruction.
RhythmBee stresses one physical or musical element at a time. The first element that we learn is the foot tap. When we learn even simple counting first, we have to add the foot tap, which is not as easy and automatic as most of us think it is. So we DO NOTHING but tap the foot for more units than many think is necessary. However, new information is constantly introduced from the very beginning. The gentle but persistent purpose is to call the mind away from active control of the foot tap. If there are students who make that muscle memory connection very early, help them stay engaged by conversing with them while they tap. When all seem to have an engrained foot tap, ask the class questions which require a choral response. Then lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance, or incorporate other activities that will challenge them. The ultimate is to ask them to read prose DURING the foot tap units while they keep their foot going perfectly in time. To let them show off a bit, you might give them a written or oral quiz on what they have read.
There will be students in every class who find the foot tap to be just that easy. It is important to keep all students engaged. And it is also important to let those who perform effortlessly understand that it cannot be too automatic. Guard against allowing your sharpest students to use their agile minds to just move from one task to another to simulate muscle memory. Performance must be a muscle memory response for everyone. Some will resist the necessary practice because it seems so easy and they think they don't need the practice. Just keep giving them new tasks DURING the foot tap units so that they have to depend on practice to the point of "automaticity."
On the other end of the spectrum, there will be students who resist participating. As usual, it is important to encourage them personally and privately so that they learn that this program will not run away from them in favor of the bright and compliant students. Remember that the instruction is automated so that the teacher can move around and relate to every student on a personal basis. Those hesitant souls will appreciate your willingness to sit by them and talk quietly while the rest of the class is moving through the unit. As they come to understand that they will not be sorted out of the "good group," and they will not be singled out as unsuccessful, they will join the rest of the class in the fun of learning to read music - a skill that is mastered by less than 2% of Americans.
By maintaining the ideal of teaching every student throughout the RhythmBee Program, teachers will experience rewards that page-bound music instruction cannot provide.
There is significant variety that a teacher can employ with any particular teaching unit. RhythmBee is no different. The most unusual non-musical feature of RhythmBee is what we call "The BellRinger."
The BellRinger begins every rhythm instruction lesson with a digital clock that the teacher can set for a variety of times. This visual timer makes each student responsible for being on time for the start of class. No longer do we have to stand at the appointed place in the room to encourage the slow and admonish the noisy. With a large timer that is visible to everyone, no one can claim ignorance of the time. And such a carefully structured beginning seems to even quiet the noisy while it expedites the slow movers.
So you are in class, the BellRinger has expired, and since you didn't have to be time keeper and promptness police, you are still in a good mood. What do you do now? It is very simple:
If it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work.
The following are automated RhythmBee instructional units in curriculum sequence. The text indicates the instructional topic and sometimes the format of the unit. This material is also available in a special Strings Edition which develops left hand motor skills and demonstrates proper bowing.
The Elementary Edition (Units 1-36) also includes our Kodaly Kounting Kurriculum. It is comprised of instructional units that cover all rhythms from whole notes to sixteenth notes.
-
Foot tap (finger tap for strings)
-
Foot tap and quarter rest (finger tap for strings)
-
Foot tap (finger tap for strings), quarter rest, eighth rest, arrows (Units 3.1-3.6 are similar to 4-9 but without Walbert, the little green man who provides purposeful distraction so that the brain is encouraged install performance demands into the brain's autonomic functions.)
-
Quarter notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Quarter notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Quarter notes, ties, half notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Quarter notes to whole notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Quarter notes to whole notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Quarter notes to whole notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Quarter notes to whole notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Quarter notes to whole notes - Reading Music - Subdivision
-
Two measures per page - Serious music reading
-
Comprehensive review - The first page turn!
-
Rules 1 & 2 - Quarters and eighths
-
Use of Rules 1 & 2 in a quartet format
-
Quarters and eighths - Quartet
-
Quarters and eighths - Quartet
-
Quarters and eighths - Quartet
-
Assessment in RhythmBee Festival format
-
Eighth rests on the beat - Quartet
-
Eighth rests on the beat - Quartet
-
Quarters & eighths - Quartet
-
Quarters & eighths - Quartet
-
Dotted notes and ties
-
Dotted quarter practice - Quartet
-
Syncopation
-
Syncopation - Rag #1
-
2/4 time - Quartet
-
Unit 29 - 3/4 time - Quartet
-
Assessment in R-B Festival format
-
Strict canon - Quartet
-
Review Rules 1&2 in the rhythm of a tune we all know
-
Assessment with Maestro
-
Assessment with Maestro
-
Assessment with Maestro
-
Assessment in Festival Format - Big 60 The End of the Elementary Edition
-
Rules 1&2 review - Unison
-
Triplets - Rule 3 - Instruction and drill
-
Triplet ties - Unison
-
Triplet Trio
-
Triplets vs. compound time
-
Triplets & eighths close by - Unison
-
Triplets and eighths trio - Parts 2 & 3
-
Triplets and eighths trio - All parts
-
Triplets and eighths trio - Maestro and fewer arrows
-
4/4 Trio with Ostinato - Ostinato first
-
4/4 Trio - Ostinato review - work top part
-
4/4 Trio - Review then work middle part
-
4/4 Trio - Practice for speed
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4/4 Trio - few arrows
-
Unit 51 - Review Rules #1-3 and Learn Rule #4
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Sixteenth note practice - Unison
-
Sixteenth note patterns - dotted 8th - 16th
-
Practice and drill all 4 Rules - Duet
-
Practice & drill - Duet - fewer arrows
-
Practice & drill with Maestro - No arrows
-
Practice & drill with Maestro - No arrows
-
Sightread - practice and drill with Maestro
-
2/4 - All rhythms - few arrows - Duet
-
3/4 - All rhythms - few arrows - Duet
-
5/4 Trio - simpler rhythms - few arrows
-
4/4 - More difficult - Trio
-
4/4 - Even more difficult - Quartet
-
4/4 - Simple vs. compound - Unison
-
4/4 - Triplets plus 16ths - Unison
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4/4 - Triplets, 1/4 note triplets, 16ths - Unison
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4/4 - Triplets, 1/4 note triplets, 16ths - Duet
-
6/8 using skills from 65-67. Duet
-
4/4 - 1/4s, 1/8s, dotted 1/4 & 1.8s. Duet
-
4/4 - More simple meter review - Duet
-
6/8 - Difficult rhythms - Duet
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4/4 - Difficult on top - easier on bottom - Quartet - End of Secondary Edition
-
3/4 - Review of all rhythms - Quartet
-
2/4 March - Quartet
-
2/4 March with rests - Quartet
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2/4 - Rhythmic Puzzle - Independence test - Quartet
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5/8 in two - (1 › 2 › › ) - Quartet
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5/8 in two - (1 › › 2 › ) - Quartet
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5/8 in two - (1 › 2 › › 1 › › 2 › ) - Quartet
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7/8 in three - (1 › 2 › 3 › › ) - Quartet
-
3/4 with 7/8 thrown in - Quartet
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5/8, 3/4, 7/8, 3/4 - Quartet
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Sixteenth note challenge - Quartet
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Speed reading practice (tachistoscope effect) - Duet
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More difficult speed reading (tachistoscope effect) - Duet
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4/4 Very difficult assessment in RhythmBee Festival Format
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4/4 More difficult assessment (ultra tachistoscope) in RhythmBee Festival Format
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6/8 march-like review - Quartet
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3/4 - 6/8 alternated - Quartet
-
Cut time - Unison
Teacher's
Guide
Introduction
Introduction
In rhythm instruction, music educators often engage in "drive-by teaching."
That is . . . We teach toward our class, move on, and look back over our shoulder to see who got it.
And we know that everyone won't get it. To our shame, we don't expect them to - nor do we monitor closely enough to adjust our teaching so that everyone has a chance of learning accurate rhythm performance.
We have been guilty of this failing for decades, and the reasons span a range including time limitations, performance demands, minimal staffing, and the prejudiced belief that not everyone can learn it. The result is that we teach to those who get it quickly.
Two types of students succeed quickly in rhythm performance. Those whose agile brains seem to be thinking of several things at once are successful in most scholastic endeavors - as they are with rhythm performance. We are accustomed to the easy success of the mentally gifted. They are our favorites - the teacher's pet.
There is another group that is successful very early in the process of learning rhythm performance. Students who are physically gifted often succeed quickly in rhythm instruction. Their bodies and minds are so directly and effectively linked that they can perform even complex physical skills with minimal practice. It usually seems that they were born being able to do many things very well. In truth, they simply require very little practice to engrain activities into muscle memory. This fact exposes an important human characteristic that allows us to develop strategies for teaching all students the physical skill of rhythm performance.
Physically gifted students are able to see an action - even one of significant complexity - and repeat it with amazing accuracy. So, when we ask them to tap their foot, they simply turn it on and can forget it while they concentrate on the printed music. To them, just starting the activity establishes muscle memory. They don't have to think about that action again, because the mind-body connection is so efficient that practice is not necessary. That is the enlightening fact.
Muscle memory is common to all humans. Whether it is tying our shoes, signing our names, walking, chewing, or driving a car, we use muscle memory every day. There are hundreds of actions that we perform without conscious thought. And that is the case for almost everyone. Only the most profoundly disabled do not develop actions into a muscle memory response to minimal mental activity. It requires a different amount of repetition for each of us, but muscle memory is possible for everyone.
Therefore, because of the physical nature of rhythm performance, rhythm is the most accessible of the many skills required of musicians. With persistence and determination on the part of a teacher who takes full responsibility for instructing AND inspiring every student, rhythm is the skill that opens the door to music literacy. In fact, rhythm alone is the key to music literacy. Without the ability to read and perform printed rhythms, printed music is mysterious gibberish - however sharp the ear or agile the instrument.
But with mastery of rhythm reading and rhythm performance, printed music is immediately familiar. Students tackle the other elements of music notation as intriguing puzzle parts that fit within an already established frame. With strong rhythm skills developed before - or during - the first year of ensemble instruction, students have confidence that the demands of music reading can be met with the same diligence and work ethic that allowed them to become rhythmically proficient. With a belief in one's abilities and a willingness to work toward a worthy goal, music literacy is within the grasp of every student. And successful student musicians stay in successful music programs!!
RhythmBee Development
We all reach a crossroad in our profession, with one
or more opportunities to change directions. That very situation
accounts for the development of RhythmBee. Searching for any means
of teaching all students rather than sorting for musical talent, I
began with a teachers tutorial that would ensure consistency across
an entire secondary music cluster.At the same time, I was using rhythm to link elementary and middle school music instruction. So, two instructional priorities joined forces, and RhythmBee was born. As the program developed, several surprising benefits became apparent.
-
Students pay better attention when they must watch for the tempo. So there is no sound on the RhythmBee Units.
-
Because of the multi-sensory nature and laser focus of RhythmBee instruction, a student can join a successful RhythmBee class anytime during the school year and quickly catch up to the class.
-
Even mentally challenged students are learning to count accurately with the RhythmBee Program because it is impossible for them to get lost.
-
Teachers are free to develop positive relationships with those non-compliant students that are often counseled out of secondary music ensemble classes.
-
Students enjoy the program because of the light-hearted nature of each RhythmBee unit.
-
The BellRinger is a more powerful idea than we ever expected it to be.
-
The regimen of the program keeps teachers and students on task.
Best wishes for a successful experience with RhythmBee - the leader in
automated rhythm instruction.
Teacher's
Guide
Introduction
Introduction
Attention: There is no sound in any of our rhythm instruction material. See the explanation in the section that immediately follows the introduction.
In rhythm instruction, music educators often engage in "drive-by teaching." That is . . . We teach toward our class without serious monitoring of success, move on to something else, and look back over our shoulder to see if someone got it. When we do this, we know that everyone won't get it. To our shame, we don't expect them to - nor do we monitor closely enough to adjust our teaching so that everyone has a chance of learning accurate rhythm performance.
We have been guilty of this failing for decades, and the reasons span a range that includes time limitations, performance demands, minimal staffing, and the prejudiced belief that not everyone can learn it. The result is that we only teach those who get it quickly.
Two types of students succeed quickly in rhythm performance. Those whose agile brains seem to be thinking of several things at once are successful in most scholastic endeavors - as they are with rhythm performance. We are accustomed to the easy success of the mentally gifted. They are our favorites - the teacher's pet.
There is another group that is successful very early in the process of learning rhythm performance. Students who are physically gifted often succeed quickly in rhythm instruction. Their bodies and minds are so directly and effectively linked that they can perform even complex physical skills with minimal practice. It usually seems that they were born being able to do many things very well. In truth, they simply require very little practice to engrain activities into muscle memory. This fact exposes a human characteristic that allows us to develop strategies for teaching all students the physical skill of rhythm performance. Physically gifted students are able to see an action - even one of significant complexity - and repeat it with amazing accuracy. So, when we ask them to tap their foot, they simply turn it on and can forget it while they concentrate on the printed music. To them, just starting the activity establishes muscle memory. They don't have to think about that action again, because the mind-body connection is so efficient that practice is not necessary. That is the enlightening fact.
Muscle memory is common to all humans.
Whether it is tying our shoes, signing our names, walking, chewing, or driving a car, we use muscle memory every day. There are hundreds of actions that we perform without conscious thought. And that is the case for almost everyone. Only the most profoundly disabled do not develop actions into a muscle memory response to minimal mental activity. That installment into muscle memory requires a different amount of repetition for each of us, but muscle memory is possible for everyone. Therefore, rhythm performance is the most accessible of the many skills required of musicians.
With persistence and determination on the part of a teacher who takes full responsibility for instructing AND inspiring every student, rhythm is the skill that opens the door to music literacy. Without the ability to read and perform printed rhythms, music remains mysterious and printed music is gibberish - however sharp the ear or agile the instrument. But with mastery of rhythm reading and rhythm performance, almost all printed music is immediately familiar at the most important level. Rhythm fluency lets students tackle the other elements of music notation as intriguing puzzle parts that fit within an already established frame. With strong rhythm skills developed before - or during - the first year of ensemble instruction, students have confidence that the demands of music reading can be met with the same diligence and work ethic that allowed them to become rhythmically proficient. Rhythm fluency instills a belief in one's musical abilities and a willingness to work toward the worthy goal of music performance. At this point, music literacy is within the grasp of every student. Successful student musicians stay in successful music programs!!
Visual vs. Aural Tempo Cues
Please be aware that there is no sound in our rhythm instruction material. This absence of sound is the result of hard-learned lessons from great teachers. Dr. Green, the developer of this program used a metronome throughout his career as a band and orchestra director and consistently encouraged teachers to do so. Let's review the results of that practice.
Following those early days of beginning classes, many teachers find it difficult to transition the instructional energy into ensemble performance. Most of us recall the first time that we put all of our beginner classes together each year. That can be a torturous experience for everyone. The teacher may approach panic as she realizes that the students have no basis for understanding the imperative of watching for tempo. Sometimes, the only effective emergency measure is to make the metronome (or the percussion section) louder, which only compounds the mis-teaching that has already occurred.
In the early days of RhythmBee's development, every instructional unit had a subdivided click track. That is - there was one click for the down beat and other distinctive sounds for each subdivision. One of the program's first advocates began to turn her computer sound off. Dr. Green had spent months placing those clicks into the program, so he objected strenuously, to say the least. The master teacher simply said, "They pay better attention when there is silence."
That simple statement began a research project to discover the best way to use the program. As you can guess by now, the master teacher was proved to be right, and the benefits of using a visual tempo cue from the very beginning surprised everyone involved. So all of the months of adding those sounds was corrected in just a couple of evenings as Dr. Green purged every unit of sound files. In spite of frequent requests to add a click track, the program continues to innovate by insisting that students rely on visual tempo cues.
Conclusion: Of course an audible tempo cue teaches metric consistency. But it also teaches other things by implication unless we work very hard to disabuse the students of these erroneous notions. Here are some of the undesirable assumptions that our students make when we use a metronome for tempo cues while training them for ensemble participation.
Please be aware that there is no sound in our rhythm instruction material. This absence of sound is the result of hard-learned lessons from great teachers. Dr. Green, the developer of this program used a metronome throughout his career as a band and orchestra director and consistently encouraged teachers to do so. Let's review the results of that practice.
Following those early days of beginning classes, many teachers find it difficult to transition the instructional energy into ensemble performance. Most of us recall the first time that we put all of our beginner classes together each year. That can be a torturous experience for everyone. The teacher may approach panic as she realizes that the students have no basis for understanding the imperative of watching for tempo. Sometimes, the only effective emergency measure is to make the metronome (or the percussion section) louder, which only compounds the mis-teaching that has already occurred.
In the early days of RhythmBee's development, every instructional unit had a subdivided click track. That is - there was one click for the down beat and other distinctive sounds for each subdivision. One of the program's first advocates began to turn her computer sound off. Dr. Green had spent months placing those clicks into the program, so he objected strenuously, to say the least. The master teacher simply said, "They pay better attention when there is silence."
That simple statement began a research project to discover the best way to use the program. As you can guess by now, the master teacher was proved to be right, and the benefits of using a visual tempo cue from the very beginning surprised everyone involved. So all of the months of adding those sounds was corrected in just a couple of evenings as Dr. Green purged every unit of sound files. In spite of frequent requests to add a click track, the program continues to innovate by insisting that students rely on visual tempo cues.
Conclusion: Of course an audible tempo cue teaches metric consistency. But it also teaches other things by implication unless we work very hard to disabuse the students of these erroneous notions. Here are some of the undesirable assumptions that our students make when we use a metronome for tempo cues while training them for ensemble participation.
- We listen for accurate tempo.
- Listening to other ensemble members is less important than
listening for tempo.
- We should keep our eyes on the music.
- Watching the conductor (the visual tempo cue) is of secondary importance.
RhythmBee Development
We all reach a crossroad in our profession, with one or more opportunities to change directions. That common experience among music educators accounts for the development of RhythmBee. Searching for any means of teaching all students rather than sorting for musical talent, I began with a teachers tutorial that would ensure consistency across an entire secondary music cluster. At the same time, I was using rhythm to link elementary and middle school music instruction. So, two instructional priorities joined forces, and RhythmBee was born.
As the program developed, several surprising benefits became apparent.
- Students pay better attention when they must watch for the tempo. So there is no sound on the RhythmBee Units.
- Because of the multi-sensory nature and laser focus of RhythmBee instruction, a student can join a successful RhythmBee class anytime during the school year and quickly catch up to the class.
- Even mentally challenged students are learning to count accurately with the RhythmBee Program because it is impossible for them to get lost.
- Teachers are free to develop positive relationships with non-compliant students that are often counseled out of secondary music ensemble classes.
- Students enjoy the program because of the light-hearted nature of each RhythmBee unit.
- The BellRinger is a more powerful idea than we ever expected it to be.
- The regimen of the program keeps teachers and students on task.
So don't try to reinvent the wheel.
Best wishes for a successful experience with RhythmBee - the leader in automated rhythm instruction.
Teachers Guide
RhythmBee stresses one physical or musical element at a time. The first element that we learn is the foot tap. When we learn even simple counting first, we have to add the foot tap, which is not as easy and automatic as most of us think it is. So we DO NOTHING but tap the foot for more units than many think is necessary. However, new information is constantly introduced from the very beginning. The gentle but persistent purpose is to call the mind away from active control of the foot tap. If there are students who make that muscle memory connection very early, help them stay engaged by conversing with them while they tap. When all seem to have an engrained foot tap, ask the class questions which require a choral response. Then lead them in the Pledge of Allegiance, or incorporate other activities that will challenge them. The ultimate is to ask them to read prose DURING the foot tap units while they keep their foot going perfectly in time. To let them show off a bit, you might give them a written or oral quiz on what they have read.
There will be students in every class who find the foot tap to be just that easy. It is important to keep all students engaged. And it is also important to let those who perform effortlessly understand that it cannot be too automatic. Guard against allowing your sharpest students to use their agile minds to just move from one task to another to simulate muscle memory. Performance must be a muscle memory response for everyone. Some will resist the necessary practice because it seems so easy and they think they don't need the practice. Just keep giving them new tasks DURING the foot tap units so that they have to depend on practice to the point of "automaticity."
On the other end of the spectrum, there will be students who resist participating. As usual, it is important to encourage them personally and privately so that they learn that this program will not run away from them in favor of the bright and compliant students. Remember that the instruction is automated so that the teacher can move around and relate to every student on a personal basis. Those hesitant souls will appreciate your willingness to sit by them and talk quietly while the rest of the class is moving through the unit. As they come to understand that they will not be sorted out of the "good group," and they will not be singled out as unsuccessful, they will join the rest of the class in the fun of learning to read music - a skill that is mastered by less than 2% of Americans.
By maintaining the ideal of teaching every student throughout the RhythmBee Program, teachers will experience rewards that page-bound music instruction cannot provide.
There is significant variety that a teacher can employ with any particular teaching unit. RhythmBee is no different. The most unusual non-musical feature of RhythmBee is what we call "The BellRinger."
The BellRinger begins every rhythm instruction lesson with a digital clock that the teacher can set for a variety of times. This visual timer makes each student responsible for being on time for the start of class. No longer do we have to stand at the appointed place in the room to encourage the slow and admonish the noisy. With a large timer that is visible to everyone, no one can claim ignorance of the time. And such a carefully structured beginning seems to even quiet the noisy while it expedites the slow movers.
So you are in class, the BellRinger has expired, and since you didn't have to be time keeper and promptness police, you are still in a good mood. What do you do now? It is very simple:
- You have already previewed the first few units so that you have an understanding and a confidence in the program.
- Turn on the RhythmBee unit of the day. Insist on accuracy (perfection) from Day #1.
- Most teachers prefer to use a remote mouse to control the computer from anywhere in the room. Others assign a reliable student to be the operator. However it is accomplished, the teacher must be free to circulate among the students and provide assessment and correction each day.
- Don't try to catch student learning (cognition) up to the task at hand - let them learn by doing. Just turn it on and ask them to do what the program asks.
- Don't perform with them in any way. They perform - you adjudicate - NO CLAPPING OR PROVIDING OTHER AURAL TEMPO CUES!! Make tempo their responsibility.
- Walk around so you can monitor and adjust for every student.
If it doesn't work for you, it doesn't work.
