Make a Rhythmic Pattern

A Quick Fun Idea for Music Teachers and Parents

by Debbie O’Shea

Are you a Music Teacher scratching around trying to find something that will translate well into learning@home?

Are you a Parent tearing your hair out trying to keep your children engaged and learning effectively at home?

If you are in one of these categories, then I hope this blog post will help.
If you are a Music Teacher or a Parent who is all over this home learning gig, then you too might like to use this idea, and then share your success secrets with the rest of us! 🙂

The activity is as simple as this:

Using the rhythmic elements that the child knows, create a rhythmic pattern using objects they can find.

Have a look around your house. What do you have that you can use to create the rhythms?
here is one made from things I found in my kitchen drawers.

Out in the yard, I found sticks and create a rhythm on the stones of the driveway. This rhythm is a little more advanced.

This rhythm was created from the contents in my desk drawer.

You can set more parameters if you wish such as the number of beats and the elements they can use, or let them ‘go’ and see what they come up with.

If you are setting this work remotely, here are a few extra ideas.

The student could:

• take a photo of their composition and send it to you on whatever program you are using or in an email
• video the composition with them saying the rhythm.
• perform it using body percussion
• perform it on an instrument at home or even a home made instrument (spoons/ saucepan drum…)
• perform it with their family
  

As their Music Teacher you could:

• send some out to your other students to try
• make a collage of these compositions for later use.
• create a slide presentation or a movie for the class to perform when you are back face to face.
  

What a fun way to compose at home!
To further inspire others, please post pictures of yours and your students compositions below.