There are many fun ways for students to practice syncopation, and each one focuses on a different aspect to help them internalize the concept and be able to transfer their knowledge to a variety of repertoire. A few ideas include: Sing the song or target phrase with lyrics. Sing the…
Category: Rhythm
Alcitrón with a modified cup game
It seems like most elementary music teachers right now are teaching at least some virtual lessons. We’re also faced with social distancing, which complicates most of the games we’d normally play during class. That’s why I recommend using the song Alcitrón for your lessons. Here are a few reasons to…
Folk Songs 
18 more rhythm examples for ’18
As we close out 2018, here’s a gift of eighteen more folk song rhythm examples. Simply click on the individual titles to see the music and save them, or go to the Rhythm page to see an alphabetical list of all the folk song rhythm examples available and save the…
Differentiation part 2
Several years ago I wrote a post titled Differentiation in the Elementary Music Classroom. It was one of my first experiences providing leveled worksheets for my students that would be appropriate for their varying levels. Today’s post takes this a step further. Each time my students complete a worksheet in class, a few…
Listening for ta-dimi
My third graders just learned ta-dimi, an eighth note followed by two sixteenths, so we listened to “Fossils” from Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns this week. My students have heard this piece in the past. In second grade they heard it and read the first four beats of rhythm: takadimi…
Post Office Rhythm Game
It’s the beginning of another school year and time to review, review, review! All those previous concepts must be reinforced before preparing new ones. I put a new spin on a game Lamar Robertson taught in Kodály training called Post Office. There are three free sets for download: quarter and eighth…
Book Review – Jazz Baby
Book: Jazz Baby Author: Lisa Wheeler Illustrator: R. Gregory Christie Publisher: Harcourt, Inc., 2007 “Brother’s hands tap. Sister’s hands snap. Itty-bitty Baby’s hands CLAP-CLAP-CLAP!” Jazz Baby uses body percussion, singing, scatting, and dancing. The text mentions drummers and bass players, but we do not see any instruments, only a record player. The rhythm…
Simplify Concentric Circle Games
My classroom is rather spacious, but pull out the risers and a few instruments and suddenly the movement space dwindles. Here are a few ideas for implementing exciting lessons in small spaces. Tideo and John Kanaka both have concentric circles as part of the game formation. However, I teach Tideo…
Drumming
Yesterday two groups of music education students from the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor visited my elementary music classes to observe drumming lessons and they were great! In my district, we teach twelve 25-minute classes on Fridays and see half the school. I like to use these class times to reinforce…
Quarter Rest Prep
My awesome colleague, Cindy Hayes, shared this idea with me and gave me permission to share it here. This technique could be used with multiple songs, but the chart I made matches the rhythms to Pease Porridge Hot. While you’re preparing quarter rest, show the students the page with the…