by David E. Knauss
Let’s Begin--Open the Book to Page 1--The Quarter Note Equals One Beat. Really? It does? Who made that rule? Some traditional music education misconceptions must cease! How many music teachers start a beginner with those words? The real question is: “Why do music teachers teach rhythm by how it LOOKS, rather than how it FEELS related to what happens around it?” (What matters more--the mathematical value assigned to the beat, or the beat itself--how it feels and where it happens?)
What are the results of this error? Years later, that same student cannot feel the beat, or has other rhythmic problems! Along with failing to feel beat, that student also cannot feel divisions of beats or subdivisions of beats, or elongations of beats, divisions, and subdivisions. The result? That student cannot accurately perform rhythm patterns comprised of various notes, dotted notes, rests, or ties, while maintaining a consistent meter. WHY? The look of a quarter note NEVER provides for feeling beats!
Tonal Skills Are Relational, Not Visual. It is generally accepted that singing in tune (pitch matching), maintaining tonal and modal relationships among 7 scale notes (major, minor, dorian, etc.), and singing harmony (3rds, 6ths, I-IV-V chords, etc.) are all based on the inner ability to hear tonal RELATIONSHIPS. Why then don’t we teach from the same belief concerning rhythm? We don’t open a book on the first lesson, point to a middle C on the staff and say, “This is a middle register note, not high or low, and it equals the tonal center.” In how many instances would that statement about middle C be as equally false as claiming the quarter note equals one beat? The look of a middle C note NEVER provides for hearing tonality!
Rhythm Skills Are Relational, Not Visual. Like tonal, rhythm is also learned through RELATIONSHIPS. But one must be careful in what order relationships are approached. Many music teachers teach rhythm patterns first (Ta--Ta--Ti-Ti--Ta). Bad news! Two things are wrong with this! (1) That’s still teaching Look instead of Feel, because every Ta = quarters, and every Ti = eighths. (2) How can one accurately feel a divided beat if (s)he has not first learned the beat? In proper sequence, we learn to feel the beat--within all styles of music in a variety of meters and tempos. We then learn to feel a divided beat (beat division) in all ways that create rhythm patterns. Basic beat divisions are two parts (duple) or three (triple). After beat divisions, we learn subdivisions. We also learn to combine beats, divisions, and subdivisions. These are known as beat elongations, division elongations, and subdivision elongations. Rests and ties can occur within any of these components.
Try Out On Your Students. If you would like correctly written Rhythm Flash Cards to try out on your students, please contact Dr. Knauss. You will be provided with a sample set of Duple rhythm patterns #1-11 and the same #1-11 rhythms in Triple. The best learning happens when students experience contrasts--Duple vs. Triple. Duple and Triple patterns #1-11 are the first two contrasting sets in a sequence of 18 sets (187 rhythm flash cards in all). The best learning also happens when only one new (unfamiliar) item is added to what students already know (familiar). Each flash card set features only one new item added. Dr. Knauss can also provide you with a sample set of Tonal Flash Cards upon request.
Please feel free to contact me at any time, as often as you please, with any mentoring, music teaching, music curriculum, or classroom management questions.
David E. Knauss
Ph.D. in Music Education.
www.classroom-music.info
Dr. Knauss mentors student teachers and regular teachers into teaching excellence. He taught for 3 decades in inner-city public schools, winning over street kids into being like family, became one of the principle curriculum writers for an award-winning, internationally-recognized music department. He retired from public schools, completed a Ph.D. in Music Education, and presently is an adjunct music education professor at Baptist Bible College.
Let’s Begin--Open the Book to Page 1--The Quarter Note Equals One Beat. Really? It does? Who made that rule? Some traditional music education misconceptions must cease! How many music teachers start a beginner with those words? The real question is: “Why do music teachers teach rhythm by how it LOOKS, rather than how it FEELS related to what happens around it?” (What matters more--the mathematical value assigned to the beat, or the beat itself--how it feels and where it happens?)
What are the results of this error? Years later, that same student cannot feel the beat, or has other rhythmic problems! Along with failing to feel beat, that student also cannot feel divisions of beats or subdivisions of beats, or elongations of beats, divisions, and subdivisions. The result? That student cannot accurately perform rhythm patterns comprised of various notes, dotted notes, rests, or ties, while maintaining a consistent meter. WHY? The look of a quarter note NEVER provides for feeling beats!
Tonal Skills Are Relational, Not Visual. It is generally accepted that singing in tune (pitch matching), maintaining tonal and modal relationships among 7 scale notes (major, minor, dorian, etc.), and singing harmony (3rds, 6ths, I-IV-V chords, etc.) are all based on the inner ability to hear tonal RELATIONSHIPS. Why then don’t we teach from the same belief concerning rhythm? We don’t open a book on the first lesson, point to a middle C on the staff and say, “This is a middle register note, not high or low, and it equals the tonal center.” In how many instances would that statement about middle C be as equally false as claiming the quarter note equals one beat? The look of a middle C note NEVER provides for hearing tonality!
Rhythm Skills Are Relational, Not Visual. Like tonal, rhythm is also learned through RELATIONSHIPS. But one must be careful in what order relationships are approached. Many music teachers teach rhythm patterns first (Ta--Ta--Ti-Ti--Ta). Bad news! Two things are wrong with this! (1) That’s still teaching Look instead of Feel, because every Ta = quarters, and every Ti = eighths. (2) How can one accurately feel a divided beat if (s)he has not first learned the beat? In proper sequence, we learn to feel the beat--within all styles of music in a variety of meters and tempos. We then learn to feel a divided beat (beat division) in all ways that create rhythm patterns. Basic beat divisions are two parts (duple) or three (triple). After beat divisions, we learn subdivisions. We also learn to combine beats, divisions, and subdivisions. These are known as beat elongations, division elongations, and subdivision elongations. Rests and ties can occur within any of these components.
Try Out On Your Students. If you would like correctly written Rhythm Flash Cards to try out on your students, please contact Dr. Knauss. You will be provided with a sample set of Duple rhythm patterns #1-11 and the same #1-11 rhythms in Triple. The best learning happens when students experience contrasts--Duple vs. Triple. Duple and Triple patterns #1-11 are the first two contrasting sets in a sequence of 18 sets (187 rhythm flash cards in all). The best learning also happens when only one new (unfamiliar) item is added to what students already know (familiar). Each flash card set features only one new item added. Dr. Knauss can also provide you with a sample set of Tonal Flash Cards upon request.
Please feel free to contact me at any time, as often as you please, with any mentoring, music teaching, music curriculum, or classroom management questions.
David E. Knauss
Ph.D. in Music Education.
www.classroom-music.info
Dr. Knauss mentors student teachers and regular teachers into teaching excellence. He taught for 3 decades in inner-city public schools, winning over street kids into being like family, became one of the principle curriculum writers for an award-winning, internationally-recognized music department. He retired from public schools, completed a Ph.D. in Music Education, and presently is an adjunct music education professor at Baptist Bible College.
