How to Teach Rhythm Using Multiple Entry Points

Over the next several weeks, we will offer tips on how to teach rhythm to your students using multiple entry points. Each blog article will focus on a different entry point. You’ll learn a little bit about each method or entry point, how it’s useful, and why it works. Most importantly, you’ll understand why it’s important to use multiple approaches when teaching rhythm.

What are Multiple Entry Points? 

Multiple entry points refer to a teacher’s implementation of a variety of strategies in combination to teach a specific concept or a skill. Teachers use multiple entry points for inclusivity and to meet the varied learning styles of their students. Since students learn in a variety of ways, one method or entry point is not enough to best meet the learning needs of all students.

Why Should You Use Multiple Entry Points?

Multiple entry points level the playing field and make learning accessible to all students. Given that one specific teaching strategy might challenge one student but not another, we can assume that by increasing the number of strategies we offer, we will support more struggling students while challenging our thriving students to think or learn in a new way.

How Multiple Entry Points Benefit the Music Classroom?

Multiple entry points are useful to music teachers just as they are to teachers of all subjects but additionally helpful in serving the needs of a wide range of musical skill sets. Some students have had private music lessons for years, while others have had very little exposure to music education. Your students will also have varied exposures to styles of music and ways of learning music. By providing a variety of approaches to learning rhythm, you are sure to reach all of your students.

How Multiple Entry Points Benefit Rhythm Learning

It is beneficial to your entire music class to look at rhythm from various angles. Some students are visual learners, others are auditory, kinesthetic, or reading and writing learners. Meanwhile, all students will benefit from the reiterations that the various approaches offer.

Follow along with this seven-part series to learn a variety of ways to teach rhythm to your music students. Discover the first entry point, traditional counting, in our next blog article.

By using multiple entry points to teach rhythm, you’re sure to reach all students and learning styles, and leave no student behind.