Master the Rhythm

Summary

Mix and match activities to create a fun lesson on basic rhythm notes, their shapes and values. Integrate solfeg.io in teaching the structure of the rhythm pyramid and its rhythmical subdivisions: the whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes, as well as corresponding rests.

🎲 What's included in the activities:

• Getting to know the from of pyramid
• Choosing a song
• Learning the rhythm pyramid and its note names
• Clapping different rhythmic values from the rhythm pyramid
• Clapping different rhythmic values in a song
• Reflecting
• Ideas for homework & further lessons (Beyond the lesson)

💻 Materials:

• Solfeg.io web app best used with Chrome browser
• Projector or computer and access to Wi-Fi
• Simple rhythm instruments (optional)

Pyramids in general

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Find links between the topic of today's lesson and extra musical phenomena;
• Get acquainted with the shape of the pyramid, if necessary.

🎲 Activity:

• Ask your students general questions about pyramids:

What does the shape of the pyramid look like?

Have you learned about it in geometry?

Are you familiar with the famous Egyptian pyramids?

Introducing the song

🕐 Time: 2 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Get acquainted with the chosen song and its rhythmical notation.

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Choose a song from the ‘Song suggestions’ list, for example, ‘Riptide’ by Vance Joy. Tell your students about the song! You can pick some facts from the song description.
• Make sure 'Notation' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals' is selected. Play a fragment of the song to introduce the different rhythm notes.

Theory warm-up

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Understand what a bar (measure) is;
• Count the beats per bar in the selected song;
• Understand the rhythmical subdivisions of the rhythm pyramid.

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Explain what a bar (measure) is.
• Explain that the selected song has 4 beats per bar.
• Tell about the 'rhythm pyramid' (also called 'note tree') and the hierarchy of basic rhythm notes. Explain to students the functions of rhythm and its basic elements.
• Discuss the note names in the rhythm pyramid (whole note, half note, quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth note or semibreve, minim, crotchet, quaver, semiquaver depending on your region).

Rhythm pyramid comes alive

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Build rhythm skills;
• Play different rhythm parts in a group;
• Try out different percussion instruments (if available), body percussion types and surfaces.

🎲 Activity:

• Divide students into 5 groups (or select 5 individual students).
• Assign each of them a different rhythmical value (the whole, half, quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes).
• Each of the groups/students chooses a playing style that fits their assigned rhythmical value. The students can clap, play on different surfaces or use any simple rhythm instruments available.
• Groups then build the pyramid, playing the different rhythms together. One group (for example, the one playing quarter notes) starts, the other groups join in gradually.
• Different tempos could be explored - try playing faster or slower!

Identifying Rhythms

🕐 Time: 5 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Identify different rhythm notes in a song

🎶 Recommended Songs:

🎲 Activity:

• Play and excerpt of the selected song (e.g. Verse). Make sure the notation of rhythm lines is visible (select 'Notation' under 'Tools' - 'Visuals').
• Ask students to identify all the different rhythm note values in the excerpt. You can play the excerpt multiple times by using the Loop function in Solfeg.io.

Clap along the song

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Learn to play the rhythm part of a song.

🎶 Recommended Songs:

‍

🎲 Activity:

• Mute the harmonic section in the 'Sound Controls' menu, leave only the rhythm parts that contain the basic note values.
• Divide students into groups and assign each of them a specific rhythm part (first rhythm line, second rhythm line, etc.).
• Students practice performing their assigned rhythmic part on percussion instruments or body percussion. Tempo can be adjusted as needed.
• After practicing, each group will demonstrate their rhythmic part for the class.
• The class puts all rhythmic parts together with the full track.

Discussion

🕐 Time: 3 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Consolidate the knowledge on basic rhythmic values;
• Describe the rhythm playing experience.

🎲 Activity:

• What rhythm values did you learn?
• Which rhythm lines were the easiest/most challenging to play? Why?

Quiz

🕐 Time: 10 min

🎯 Objectives:

• Test students' knowledge on the rhythmical subdivisions of the rhythm pyramid;
• Recap the topics, as needed for each individual student.

🎲 Activity:

• Give the quiz “Master the Rhythm I” and/or “Master the Rhythm II” to students as an individual activity at the end of the lesson or as homework.