Transcribing Rhythm in the Reading Program
Found in: Reading
Carrie L., Michigian
I have several students that I transferred over from traditional lessons to Simply Music.
Two of those students (in a shared lesson) I’ve started on the Reading Rhythm program. I’ve gone through up to the Masters of the Rhythm project, and I am having trouble explaining to these kids who already read music quite well, why they need to work on these projects. They are not thrilled about transcribing rhythms onto the page when they already get it.
Do you have some advice for me? I’d like to help them understand why this is important for them and also to understand where the reading program goes and the process.
Joanne J., Western Australia
I have begun to realise that it is all about ‘feeling’ the rhythm in your body and expressing it with the fingers rather than it being mathematically decoded in your brain and then translated to your fingers – which in turn replicate the message correctly – hopefully.
I was trained traditionally to read music so had to make a very specific determination to let that sit quietly on the sidelines while I opened up another pathway for this [SM] information to be processed. IT IS PROFOUNDLY DIFFERENT. I believe it is because the Simply Music approach is actually a more direct route to the fingers taking less brain power once the ability is developed. Does it take a fair bit of regular exercise for a while (only a couple of minutes a day) for it to become an instant recognition by the fingers – absolutely – but worth every second of it when the result means that the brain is then free to translate the other 6 languages on the page.
As for the writing being a little tedious for the students, don’t set too much at a time, and explain why the generative action is invaluable rather than just receptive. A bit like learning to skate or ride a bike from a book and never having the experience in reality – quite inadequate I should imagine!!! The magic thing about this way of learning it, once they have it, it is theirs for life – an imprint in the body is far longer lasting than just an ‘intellectual’ knowing in my experience.