Dear Music Educator and Student:

If you or your students struggle to figure out rhythms from written notes and rests, I’d like to offer a simple learning tool that I developed when I started teaching music. I call it the "Beat Bar Method". This method is fully explained in my book Learning Rhythms. In the book I provide explanations, examples, and numerous progressive exercises that will help you or your students master basic rhythmic patterns.

Here is the background.

For years I observed music students struggling to learn basic rhythms through the Western notation system. When I started to teach music, I created a simple intermediate system for rhythmic learning to help my students bridge the gap between the notes they saw and the musical rhythms they were trying to create. I call this approach the "Beat Bar Method". Ideally, the "Beat Bar Method" should be employed before the students are introduced to notes and rests so they can master basic rhythmic patterns before being confronted with (and often confused by) notes and rests. However, since this is usually not possible, the Beat Bar Method is best used in conjunction with conventional music instruction.

The Beat Bar Method uses rhythmic symbols to provide a framework for understanding and mastering musical rhythms. Once the rhythms are mastered, notes and rests are superimposed over the Beat Bar symbols. This method enhances comprehension of basic rhythmic patterns, including triplets, quintuplets, and sextuplets. Additionally, it speeds understanding of rhythmic expression when notes of different values are used to represent one beat. Once this foundation is laid, you or your students can reverse the process and produce rhythmic expression from the notes.

If you are already familiar with music notation, the Beat Bar Method is an excellent tool for strengthening comprehension of rhythmic patterns.

Click on the "Who Can Benefit", "What is Covered", "Sample Text ", "Sample Exercises", and "To the Teacher" navigation links to learn more about Learning Rhythms.

Learning Rhythms is available in e-book format for $5.00. Contact me by email to place an order. [Note: I can also provide soft cover editions upon request. Please contact me regarding price and availability.]

Music Educators can evaluate Learning Rhythms free of charge. Please click on Music Educator Book Evaluation in the navigation bar for more information.



Click View of Book Cover to see the Learning Rhythms book cover.

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