And the Beat Goes On

Learning how to keep a steady beat is, I believe, the most basic element of musicianship. (It is also, for many people, an elusive skill!) In Kindermusik, a large number of our activities help to solidify this skill, whether it is the primary focus or a secondary benefit.

In Village classes, we help the babies internalize what a steady beat feels like by patting their legs, clapping their hands, helping them shake bells, or dancing purposefully with them. I love doing the chant, "DID-dle diddle DUM-pling, MY son JOHN..." while we exercise the babies' limbs or bounce them on each beat. And doing this with a cross-lateral movement (touching hand and opposite foot together) adds another level of benefits, as it helps train the two sides of the brain to work together.

Once little ones have internalized the steady beat, they are ready to begin to match an external sound source in Our Time. Toddlers hear the music on the CD player or the teacher's singing voice and move their legs and arms slowly when the music is slow and quickly when the music is fast. While most of them won't be able to tap a true steady beat along with the music at this age, they can probably identify whether the beats are fast or slow and then play their instrument or dance accordingly. We have a lot of fun using the sandblocks to swish and tap along to the song "Milk & Cookies", which has a nice strong beat!

Preschoolers in Imagine That! learn to listen intently so they can tap their sticks in time to the music. By this time, many of them have developed their sense of rhythm to the point where they can accurately match an external sound source. Preschoolers may not have the patience to clap the steady beat throughout an entire song on the radio, but they will probably delight in clapping or tapping during the chorus. I love working on this skill during our rain activities! Pit-ter pat-ter pit-ter pat-ter, I can hear the rain...

In Kindermusik for the Young Child, all of this development really begins to show! Not only can most children at this age match a steady beat, but they are beginning to produce that steady beat all on their own! We work on this from the first day of semester 1 when we sing, "I like to play the sticks." (tap tap tap tap) I like to play the sticks." (tap tap tap tap) Adding dynamics (how loudly or quietly we play) makes things even more fun--and challenging!

So why is it important to be able to keep a steady beat? Well, if you want your child to play an instrument or sing in a choir when he/she gets older, this skill is obviously crucial to their success. But what about those who don't think music lessons will be in the plan? The ability to keep a steady beat is important in learning to cut with scissors, dribble a basketball, pedal a bike, and even type well on a keyboard!

How will YOU help your child feel the beat this week?