Simpedia

Shanta H., Minnesota

Something as simple as playing along with the audio recording can make a huge difference. In my classes we also sometimes play playlist tic tac toe, but you have to play your song without stopping. Mistakes only count if you stop. I’ve noticed that the fun element has helped some of my students too.

Jo D., Australia

Which songs in particular are you finding difficult?  Do they have words you can sing along to? If not perhaps making up some words would help.

Rhythm on the lap -hands separately while singing words. You playing one hand so she can focus on 1 hand at a time. Playing the audio recording while she does one hand at a time. Breaking up the pattern and playing half of it. For example I have an adult who isn’t getting the alma mater blues “here’s humpty dumpty” rhythm so I am getting her to play just the “ty dumpty” on e flat, f, c while we play the audio recording and vocalize. This has helped her a lot.

Darla H., Kansas

I’m not sure I would use the rhythm exercises from reading rhythm early, as this is taking rhythm out of the context of the music. I want my students to first experience success with rhythm in the context of the songs. I would suggest using the audio recording to its fullest potential to work on this dilemma.

First, I would require lots of listening to the audio recording. Then singing along with the audio recording. Then get the body involved with the rhythm: tapping, clapping, etc. while listening to the audio recordings. Perhaps use walking (as in reading rhythm) in the context of the beat of a song–stepping on the beat while singing the song. Usually I find that once a student internalizes the song by using the audio recordings frequently, these early issues with rhythm dissolve.

Helen P., Minnesota

I also think isolating the rhythm by clapping, tapping rhythm sticks, tapping on the piano, or even blinking the rhythm can set it straight once the hands go back on the piano.

Hilary C., Australia

Perhaps getting her to move – walk to the music – as in the beginning of the RR but I would not do any reading, then add a vocalizing. Does she listen and dance to any music – do that in class, with a view to transferring the action to her pieces.

Using the metronome is not something I do any time in Simply Music . The idea is to develop one’s own internal metronome and I don’t think the metronome is helpful here.

If her problem is with Alma Mater Blues I find that eventually it comes good without too much fuss. And listening to the CD is helpful. I always talk in terms of fitting a giant jigsaw together- for it to be the picture you have on the box (ie be what the composer had in mind ) the right bits have to go in the right places – notes, hands interacting…….

Satauna H., New York

I sometimes add words in places to help fill in the gaps. For example, I have a student who doesn’t pause long enough in the first part of Dog.  After “Saw this little dog”, I had her add “so tiny”.

Boy that dog was strange (so tiny)
…
Dogs have changed. (so tiny…)
Etc…

This helped her a lot. Not sure what song(s) your student is struggling with, but maybe you could implement something like the above.

Emily C., California

I actually don’t use the metronome at all, because my experience from when I was still teaching traditionally was that students oftentimes tune-out the sound of the metronome and don’t even “hear” it!  Just like what Neil said in the Reading Rhythm program, students need to feel the rhythm in their body. I also don’t think you should start the RR program early either.

These are usually the steps I do when introducing a new rhythm/ song, like Chester Chills Out Var. or Alma Mater Blues:

1) Play the piece for the student to hear.

2) Tap hands together for demonstration (either on the board, or on my laps if it’s a private lesson), then ask the student to join in together tapping on her laps

(For Chester Var., I’d shorten the pattern if I find the student has trouble remembering. Then, I’d increase it in tiny increments, but only after when I feel she has it mastered.)
If after a while I find that she still could not get it, I’d either tap on her shoulder a couple of times so she could feel it, and/or hold her hands to help her tap.

If she still couldn’t tap the rhythm correctly, I’d just end it there for the moment so she won’t feel exhausted.
I’d move on to something else, whether it be reviewing a song or teaching a new piece that doesn’t require rhythm-learning. If there’s still time before our lesson ends, I’ll come back to it again to see if she has it then.  If not, I won’t assign that new addition that week for her to practice, but I’d keep reviewing it in the upcoming lessons until she gets the rhythm. If that piece is on the CD and isn’t a var. (like Alma.), I’d ask her to listen to it a lot that week.)

3) Once the student can tap the rhythm effortlessly, have her play on the piano one hand at a time first (unless it’s Jackson Var. or Alma. when the RH is already learned and BH are tapping smoothly.)  If she has trouble after a couple of tries, go back to step 2)

One problem that a few students of mine have is the “humpty dumpty” rhythm. They’d play it evenly instead of with the “swing” rhythm.  If they can’t hear that small difference, I’d exaggerate it by saying “daaaaaaa, da, daaaaaaa, da…” That oftentimes helps, along with tapping, of course.

Robin Keehn, Washington

There are students who struggle to keep the beat. Having an internal sense of steady beat beings to be developed in early childhood through rocking, swaying, swinging and singing. Some people were not exposed to music when they were babies and young children and so you really have to catch them up. Probably the most effective way of addressing the apparent lack of a feeling of steady beat is to actually tap the steady beat on the back while the student is playing. It is something that needs to be internalized and felt.

I would talk to your student and ask permission to just regularly keep the steady beat on her back.

One clarification here…we are talking about keeping the steady beat. The “rhythms” that you mentioned are different than the steady beat. Rhythm would be more paying attention to the syllables (i.e. Hum pty Dum pty sat on a wall).

Christine R., Kansas

I have a feeling this is the answer I was looking for. You are so right about keeping a steady beat vs. rhythm!  Thank you Robin, I will let you know how it works out!