“Catching” a Steady Beat with very Young Children

A STEADY BEAT is an unchanging continuous pulse.  This is different from the Rhythm Patterns of a specific song.  To illustrate a steady beat, tap with each underlined syllable as you sing the song.

Do you know the Muffin Man, the muffin man, the muffin man.

Do you know the Muffin Man, who lives on Drury Lane.

RHYTHM PATTERNS are patterns of sound that fit within the steady beat.  To illustrate this, tap as you sing each word of “The Muffin Man”. The ability to keep a steady beat is developed over time, and can be started with very young children.  This skill is required for walking, talking, using a pair of scissors and  bouncing a ball, as well as many other abilities.  Feeling and moving to steady beat develops a sense of time and the ability to organize and coordinate movements within time.   

Encourage, don’t Impose

           

 Notice how Kim is helping Bobby learn a new way to keep a beat.  She helps his hands swish across each other with his hands going up and down.  THEN – she lets go, and continues and focuses on Bobby, watching to see how he chooses to keep the beat.  She continues to sing “Wishy Washy Whee” and keep the motion going just in case he looks to her and tries to imitate her actions.  WOW!  Thanks Kim for a great example! 

Observe, Notice, Question, and Expand  -  Repeat

(See postings under “Scaffolding” for more details on this method of teaching.)

The following few postings include fun ways to “catch a beat” – appropriate to the age / ability of your child.  Any of the ideas for younger children can be used for older children. When adding new skills or concepts, keep in mind the goal of increasing their self-concept as a competent musical person.   Try to remember to use these BEST TEACHING METHODS:

• observe first  (watch to see what they already know, or if they remember what they learned last time)
• Verbally NOTICE THEIR actions (label, comment, and imitate what they are doing);   
• Initiate activities to expand on what they are doing well and are motivated to do.  Start by asking questions:  “What else can you do?  Can you ___?  How ____ can you do it?  Where else can you tap it?”  You can even make connections  “That looks like a _____ !” 
• Invite and help them try something new, “Can you do it like this?”  Let them try to imitate, but if having difficulty, assist them physically to get the idea, then let go and see if they can do it.  (Like Kim shows us.) 
• Sit back and watch to see what they have learned.  Then repeat the skill in a multitude of ways to reinforce their abilities, for example, swishing hands high / low, or swishing feet.

 The Progression of Abilities in Keeping a Steady Beat

The ability to react to the beat in music is an important learning process.  This beat is basically a walking pulse.  Many young children are able to steadily tap to an “inner beat”.   Yet they may have difficulty changing their “inner beat” to correspond to the pulse of music or a drumbeat.  Encourage, but don’t impose an external beat too early, it may result in tension, resistance, or loss of confidence in their abilities.  Encourage practicing a beat in a variety of ways (see the following posts for each specific age group).  Realize that children will progress through these developmentally appropriate stages as they grow and develop their abilities: 

·         Let them experience a steady beat, by tapping on their knees / body part.

·         Start your own beat and verbally encourage them to imitate.

·         Have them walk or march (without recorded music), and watch carefully for their “inner beat”.  Imitate their beat with hand movements, drum, sticks, or tongue clicks, then pace a rhyme or song to their own “inner” beat. 

·         Play music with a strong beat, and “catch” the beat with their hands on top of yours (clapping or tapping), or with them bouncing on your legs, etc.,

·         With your hands over theirs, start beat, but remove hands after a few beats.

·         While singing, practice with variety of hand movements and body movements.

·         While singing, practice with percussion instruments.

·         With recorded music, practice with movements and instruments

·         Use beat to play simple accompaniments on melodic instruments, ie. xylophones.