First, my core student population is 8 years old and younger. I teach children starting at birth, although I believe strongly that rhythm development begins earlier—at least three, maybe four or five, months earlier. During this time, the aural experience repetition of diverse rhythmic and stylistic repertoire is key. There is no rhythm content that should be off-limits with the relatively rare exception being pieces that have no consistent beat or meter. I wouldn’t necessarily avoid Chopin being played rubato, but I wouldn’t encourage it either. Twentieth century works whose composers actively sought to avoid conventional rhythms and meters would be something I would discourage. Any piece with too much subjective of meter (experts could disagree and both be right) would also be discouraged.
On the other hand, the most complex content of some rhythm traditions, such as northern Indian tabla drumming, I believe would make for extraordinary acculturation. Rhythm repertoire represented in broad categories of traditional jazz, classical, blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, Latin, African, African diaspora, and other styles should comprise the meat of a child’s listening vocabulary, though important potatoes of Rock and Roll should certainly be included. Styles such as Rap, Hip Hop, contemporary R&B, and more do certainly have value. Still, they do not, in my opinion, typically and consistently provide what is an adequate foundation for a child’s rhythm listening vocabulary. The rhythm content simply is not broad enough without the inclusion of my A-list genres. Please understand that I already stated they certainly have value. Perhaps these lower and higher limits are self-imposed due to the level of my personal rhythm aptitude. I won’t deny that cultural bias, too, might play a role. (I’ve opened up a Pandora’s Box.) There are good and band exceptions in every kind of music. I adhere to this as gospel. As Duke Ellington said, "There are simply two kinds of music, good music and the other kind."
Regarding classroom teaching and rhythm learning, I always ask each child to perform (or just listen to) rhythm patterns individually that incorporate these beat functions in this hierarchical order:
A) macro/microbeats (starting at 9 months if they want to),
B) divisions (at 2 years old if they want to using ba-da-ba-da, not bah bah bah bah),
C) elongations (whenever they show me they are imitating if not audiating divisions, as early as 2)
D) pick-ups (whenever a few elongation patterns are imitated or audiated)
E) ties (whenever the above are being imitated consistently)
F) rests - the most difficult patterns. I will try these to find the most rhythmically inclined child, but I’d rather acculturate them, or have them imitate and audiate A-E above. Rest patterns are just silently audiated bits inside all the above patterns.
Rhythm performance alone is not as important as movement alone. Said another way, encouraging a child to move has more value than having them perform rhythm patterns, especially early in life. Large body movements incorporating flow and weight are crucial to a child’s rhythm development. Continuous fluid movement (or CFM) is a major player in what I model for children and parents. But, I do not model CFM exclusively. (I don’t subscribe completely to the common CFM vocabulary I’ve seen. It’s typically far too limited and dynamically flaccid. [Ouch!]) I concentrate on modeling three elements—flow, weight, and space— while keeping a greater emphasis on flow. I move as expressively and as dynamically as possible. I conduct using my entire body, never shying away from being Bernstein, Ozawa, or Ormandy with legs and a full stage, not just upper body on a small podium. Simple and solid macrobeat movements I model keep flowing, moving between beats. Stillness, though, can be a valuable preparation for the next beat if prepared with movement and a demonstrative breath. Coordinating macro and microbeats simultaneously in the body is as important as rhythm pattern performance. Both are crucial.
Rhythm performance combined with movement is that much better. It is content and context happening simultaneously in a physical, objective reality. Further, helping children to feel form while audiating rhythm and moving is the holy grail. I lead function-feeling activities for the purpose of pure acculturation whereas moving rhythmically while performing rhythms has a different purpose of furthering rhythm performance audiation. (For example, the A section of an ABA piece is accompanied by locomotor move and the B is not.) These activities give children the opportunity to acculturate to form, a sort of longitudinal rhythm.
[Ideas for expansion.] Beat keeping is best done with the tongue or mouth first.
Coordinating the voice with rhythmic movement. Rhythmic coordination sequencing.
Why I don’t teach beat functions beyond macro- and micro-beats.
So, say that I have had some children at the 99.99 percentile, (and I’ve had a few in my 30 years since BGE [Before the Gordon Era]) who can perform and create all of the above by the time they’re 6 or 7. I have never felt compelled to teach them the labels of the beat functions. I just didn’t use the terms divisions, elongations, ties, upbeats, and rests. There was no present need. It wasn’t going to help their audiation. Neither were there questions from the children or the sense of them missing something by not having the labels.
Unlike beat functions, the label of a tonal pattern as tonic or dominant is specific. Labeling a rhythm pattern as one with divisions is not specific enough. And what of patterns with many different beat functions? I don’t feel that we’re given them any more meaning to rhythm than by performing it accurately and expressively. That one pattern has macro, micro, and elongations and that another has micro, elongations and divisions does not give you but cursory information relative to the musical meaning of the rhythm pattern itself. Labeling a pattern doesn’t bring any more understanding to the rhythm pattern itself. On the other hand, tonic and dominant functions can be audiated. Divisions cannot (or may I don’t) until you make them specific by putting them into a rhythm pattern that includes divisions. . .or maybe also has macrobeats, or microbeats, or both, or rests, or ties, etc., included with the divisions. A pattern of only divisions is like a pattern of only macrobeats—that is, not useful except at the Theoretical Understanding level of Skill Learning Sequence.
These are my initial thoughts. This is a first draft with a few hours of editing. The writing is not the best. I hope it is clear.
Responses are most welcome.
Hi Eric! Thank you for your excellent and very interesting article about teaching movement and rhythm patterns to young children. I agree with everything you wrote and will use some of your wonderful ideas and suggestions in my work. I would like to ask you some questions though as I am not sure I understood everything well. I understand and agree that teaching labels to children 1-7 yo is too early. Movement (and context) is more important then patterns itself - which are second important. Gordon said that movement is the most elementary level of instruction when we teach Rhythm Learning Sequence of formal audiation. When we teach preparatory audiation it must be the same. My questions are:
1. You said you always ask children individually to sing for you certain beat functions. Is it possible at all to do it with such young children? Do they keep steady beat motion or it doesn't matter at this stage? I teach children from 7 yo up and many of them can't keep staedy beat movements. But I guess you ask only to repeat singing without the proper movement coordination...
2. You didn't mention divisions/elongations patterns in your list. Do you sing them too?
3. Gordon said that an up-beat function is the most difficult. You said that the rest funtion is the most difficult. Why do you think so?
4. Do you have any video examples of your mevement exercises you do with youn children? There is so little of good examples available. Even Music Play DVD doesn't have much. I would appreciate it very much if I could watch them.
5. I like your idea of acculturating children to such variety of styles in rhythm. Do you use CD recordings to do it? If yes, what kind? Could you give me some examples of the good rhythmic recordings you use with children of this age?
Again, thank you very much for your wonderful article and great ideas. Best, Marek Runowski
Posted by: Marek Runowski | 02/11/2018 at 12:02 PM
1. You said you always ask children individually to sing for you certain beat functions. Is it possible at all to do it with such young children? Do they keep steady beat motion or it doesn't matter at this stage? I teach children from 7 yo up and many of them can't keep staedy beat movements. But I guess you ask only to repeat singing without the proper movement coordination…
**It's more than possible. It's necessary. Chant simple two beat patterns to the unborn. They're absorbing. Never too early. They don't have to respond at all. I just give them a chance. I have 1 year olds imitating on occasion. I'm not looking for assimilation or audiation, or I am, but it's never expected. You are looking at this through the eyes of formal instruction. Informal guidance and instruction do not necessarily have any expectations on the children. They can do what they want. They are always perfect in preparatory audiation.
2. You didn't mention divisions/elongations patterns in your list. Do you sing them too?
**Not when there's a possibility of them imitating. The divisions and elongations make it next to impossible for them to imitate. Those more difficult patterns forces them into absorption.
3. Gordon said that an up-beat function is the most difficult. You said that the rest funtion is the most difficult. Why do you think so?
**I disagree with Gordon. My students in imitation or assimilation often speed up over rest patterns. They won't audiate a full macro beat or longer without speeding up. On the other hand, I have 2 year olds that will do pickup patterns. Certainly by 3 or 4, but I've seen it earlier.
4. Do you have any video examples of your mevement exercises you do with youn children?
**Yes. I'll send a link. There's expressive movement and then there's rhythmic coordination. This is rhythmic coordination, but mostly just trying to get them to create patterns on their own in PreK. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiC1zg4mv3U&index=29&list=PL227DDC0E472E518E
First time doing RPs individually.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1dY0hh9dQi8&index=30&list=PL227DDC0E472E518E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kfqSOKVqhY&list=PL227DDC0E472E518E&index=31
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nTmPXQPMUo&list=PL227DDC0E472E518E&index=32
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqRY2jtZbuE&list=PL227DDC0E472E518E&index=33
Leads to reading like this by 2nd grade:
https://youtu.be/XOq48z0p7uk
5. I like your idea of acculturating children to such variety of styles in rhythm. Do you use CD recordings to do it? If yes, what kind? Could you give me some examples of the good rhythmic recordings you use with children of this age?
**My Spotify playlists: http://bit.ly/DrEric1
DrEric2, 3, 4, 5
These are for expressive movement.
https://youtu.be/m8em1F4RU7w
https://youtu.be/toekwmEYARk
**My Spotify playlists: http://bit.ly/DrEric1
http://bit.ly/DrEric2
http://bit.ly/DrEric3
http://bit.ly/DrEric4
http://bit.ly/DrEric5
Enjoy!
Posted by: Dr. RizzRazz | 02/11/2018 at 03:49 PM
Eric, thank you very much for your wonderful and detailed answer. I don't have any more questions for now.
Posted by: Marek Runowski | 02/12/2018 at 06:47 PM
Eric, I've watched the rhythm exercises clips on YT. These are amazing materials. I've learned a lot just from watching them. What do you think, what makes these kids move? They seem to be unable not to move. Is it the way you chant and your voice or maybe the patterns itself? There is a lot of groove and drive in your singing that may encourage them to move. Don't you think? And I believe the idea is to move them first so then they have some context to repeat or improvise the patterns. Thank you again. I appreciate everything you do! Best, Marek
Posted by: Marek Runowski | 02/16/2018 at 03:23 PM