The easiest and quickest way to excellent rhythm skills

Do you want to improve your students’ rhythm skills?

Whether you’re a music teacher, instrumental or vocal teacher, Kodály musicianship teacher or a class teacher your students can benefit from this quick and easy rhythm game.

If you want to know what the game is, and also why and when to do it, then this blog post is for you.

Rhythm Echoes

What are rhythm echoes?

It’s something every primary teacher knows well. Up and down the country, and probably across the globe, primary teachers will grab the attention of the class by clapping a rhythm. Some of the class will clap it as an echo, and the rest of the class get a clear signal that the teacher wants quiet and attention. Some teachers use the same pattern each time. Some mix it up. Some are simple. Some are complex or syncopated.

For our activity we’re going to keep the phrases short and simple. Just four beats. It’s important to keep the length of the phrase the same every time so that your students feel the reassurance and confidence that comes with familiarity. If you do use a longer phrase later in their journey then you’ll need to have established it as a new rule and ideally have a gesture to indicate. But for now, short and simple.

Why is it useful in a music lesson?

In a music, musicianship or instrumental lessons it’s so much more than a fun game or an attention grabber. Our students need regular repetition of the rhythms they are learning. Not just by reading, but by doing, physically.

This is such a fast and effective way to do it. We can fit it into any lesson in one minute, and when done frequently it needs no introduction.

Plus it touches so many of the Kodály Approach features

When should we do it?

Before, during and after introducing a new rhythm – and every lesson from then on! Ok, sure, I might switch it out for some solfa echoes but at least one or the other will likely make an appearance every week.

Before learning a new rhythm

Before a new rhythm is introduced we can start to include the new rhythm without fuss. Remember those primary class teachers? They’re not limiting themselves to known rhythms. The children are just copying aurally, just like they copy sounds when they’re learning to speak or singing a new song. We’re learning unconsciously.

During the learning of a new rhythm

Gradually you’ll take the rhythm from the unknown to the known and then….

After learning a new rhythm

After you’ve presented your new rhythm you’ll be doing more advanced practice activities in your more focussed segments of your lesson. Remember though, that not all learning is done when your brain is working hard. You can work hard when you’re sight reading, completing rhythm dictations and on the spot decoding activities. However a quick and easy echo clap with no requirement to analyse or decode can be both fun and relaxing, yet will still have a positive effect. Making those higher concentration activities easier.

Which rhythms to use?

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