Use Traditional Counting to Teach Rhythm

This is the first entry point in our series—How to Teach Rhythm Using Multiple Entry Points, a Seven-Part Series. To read an introduction to multiple entry points and why music teachers should use them, check out the previous article “How to Teach Rhythm Using Multiple Entry Points”.

Traditional Counting is Simple and it Works

Our first entry point in this series is traditional counting. 

With traditional counting, numerals are familiar and easy for students to say. This is a quick and readily accessible entry to learning rhythm. This might be an obvious entry point for teaching rhythm, but when other popular and sometimes more complex rhythm teaching methods become our go-to systems, we might overlook the use of traditional counting, and it shouldn’t be. It is simple, but it works for many students.

Familiar Numerals and Vowels

Traditional counting also makes use of vowel sounds together with numerals. 

The vowel sounds (long e and short a) are also familiar and easy to say. When these numerals and vowels are used in combination,they sound musical and transfer easily to musical phrasing. 

Traditional Counting Helps Students Keep Track

Unlike other systems, traditional counting offers students a way to keep track of the beats in the bar. By literally saying 1,2,3,4, students know the exact beat they've landed on. Additionally, students will know where the bar begins and where it ends. 

Traditional counting reinforces a deeper understanding of the time signature. Numerals help students keep track of where they are in the bar. 

Forward Linear Movement

The use of familiar ordering “1,2,3,4” supports the eyes to continue reading from left to right, emphasizing movement forward. Reading from left to right is a transferable skill students can borrow from and bring to the practice of reading words and a variety of texts in their everyday lives. 

Keeping Count Helps Keep Tempo

Traditional counting has within it an inherent beat. Students most likely feel a natural pulse when they count. The familiar chant of a steady “1,2,3,4” reinforces playing a steady tempo. 

Traditional counting is a tried and true method. It is logical and accessible to most students. It is sometimes the most effective system for struggling students, while it is a solid foundational approach for thriving students.

Look for our next part in the series to learn about “counting the subdivision” as a multiple entry point to teach rhythm. 

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