Eighth notes are worth half as many beats as quarter notes in 4/4 time… therefore they are played twice as fast as quarter notes. We count 1+2+3+4+… blah, blah, blah.
That was how I used to introduce eighth notes to my piano students. It was what the method book told me to do… and it was how I had learned about eighth notes as a child.
It was also how I would lose my students’ attention faster than you could play… an eighth note. For my young piano students, the concept of fractions was not something they had encountered in school… and they weren’t too thrilled to bump into it in piano lessons.
As I gained more experience in teaching, and as I began to see just how much rhythm should be a full-body learning experience, I quickly changed my approach. And so these days when I introduce eighth notes to my piano students… I break out the rhythm instruments!
If you too are interested in switching up your eighth note introduction, keep reading as we explore rhythm instruments as a teaching tool.
Why Use Rhythm Instruments To Teach Eighth Notes?
My “feel it first” approach to teaching eighth notes does not mean we ignore the underlying theoretical concepts. It simply means that before we dig down into the nitty-gritty, we learn by doing. Why?
- Using hands-on materials that are fun and interactive provides a lasting memory. Students catch on to the concept fast… committing it to their long-term memory.
- “Full-body learning” is a powerful tool that works especially well for young children. Studies are showing that children learn best when they are active and moving..
- Rhythm instruments allow you to focus solely on rhythm without worrying about pitch. Taking note-reading out of the equation allows your students to focus on eighth notes in isolation, allowing for a smooth transition back to the keys.
- Using rhythm instruments is the perfect way to include off-the-bench activities that are still coordinated with your lesson’s overall learning goal.
- Using rhythm instruments turns an “on-the-page concept” into an “off-the-page dance”. Feeling rhythm improves fluency when your students return to the piano.
5 Ways To Use Rhythm Instruments To Teach Eighth Notes
You can use rhythm instruments to teach any rhythmic concept, but I never, ever forget to bring them out when eighth notes are first being introduced (because hey… it’s a lot more fun than banging, shaking and tapping whole notes). 😉
Here are the 5 ways I use rhythm instruments when teaching eighth notes. All you need are some basic rhythm instruments (think simple drums, maracas, castanets etc.) and some eighth note vs. quarter note rhythmic patterns. After demonstrating how quarter notes and eighth notes differ, try the following:
1. Choose two rhythm instruments that have contrasting sounds
Designate one instrument to be the “quarter note instrument” and one instrument to be the “eighth note instrument”. Play through a rhythmic pattern using the appropriate instrument. For example, if your student has a drum and a maraca, she would bang the drum for each quarter note and shake the maraca for each eighth note.
2. Give your student a rhythm instrument and keep one for yourself
Designate one person to be the “quarter note person” and one person to be the “eighth note person”. Turn your rhythmic pattern into a duet, with each person tapping or shaking their chosen note value. Switch instruments and try again!
3. Give your student a shaker instrument
Brainstorm fun ways that your student can play the shaker instrument (above her head, behind her back, side-to-side, low to the ground). Next, choose just two of the brainstormed methods (one for quarter notes and one for eighth notes) and then have your student move accordingly while shaking the rhythm.
4. Give your student drum sticks and an instrument she can tap
Designate quarter notes to one hand and eighth notes to the other. Have your student tap out the rhythm, switching hands as the note values change. Then, switch up the designated hands and try it again!
5. Give your student two instruments and divide your rhythm into measures
Have your student practice tapping or shaking the rhythm while switching instruments with each bar line. For example, measure one would be tapped on a drum, measure two shaken on maracas, measure three tapped on a drum, measure four shaken on maracas etc.
Make Rhythm Training “Full Body” With This Resource
When rhythm is taught using movement it becomes a memorable learning moment. Change the way you approach rhythm training with your tweens and teens using the Lap Tap Clap Revolution. We’ve paired pop piano solos with awesome-sounding body percussion accompaniments! Find out more here.
Christy says
I keep a box full of rhythm instruments close by…castanets, egg shakers, shaker bells, rhythm sticks…but the students almost always choose the hand drum! I also often use a set of castanets (one for each hand) on a closed keyboard for not only reading rhythm, but distingishing right hand notes from left hand notes on the grand staff. I encourage parents to invest in a set for at home rhythm practice, too.
Andrea says
Sounds like lots of fun Christy! 🙂
Ashley says
I use rhythm instruments in my lessons a lot! We have several small hand percussion instruments, homemade boomwhackers, trash can lids and drum sticks, plastic solo cups, and glass pop bottles to blow across (each filled with different levels of water for different pitches). I found that once they have the rhythms down the pitches come easily. The students LOVE the opportunity to express a rhythm in a variety of ways! It seems to work with all age groups, from the littlest to the teen to the adult.
Andrea says
oooh trash can lids… you are one brave lady Ashley! Your students must love it 🙂 Your variety is so cool – thanks for sharing the ideas.
Mary says
A friend found a big black box at a thrift store that had been used at a grade school-in it were all sorts of percussion instruments. We used to do worship here with a large group on Saturday evenings and those instruments were used to make a “joyful noise.” We added snail drums, buffalo drums in various sizes, a rain stick, shaker fruits and vegetables, bongos, djembes, maracas etc. We no longer get together on Saturdays, but the instruments are put to good use in my studio-keeping time for the Native American songs, and doing echo rhythms of what I tap out. One student asks every week which instruments are we going to use at his lesson. Fun!
Marilyn says
Hi, I would love to see a video of this in action! I know taking videos with kids can be a problem, but even if we saw it from the back of them, so that their faces wouldn’t
need to be seen, would be great!
Andrea says
I’ll see what I can do Marilyn 🙂
Zelna van zyl says
I use thythm instruments all the time. The children love to improvise “background music” to the story of Ruby Riglesworth and play the different rhythmic patterns on the jembe.
Andrea says
What a great way to use that book Zelna! I just love hearing of all the inventive ways that teachers use the PianoBookClub books 🙂
Lisa Emmick says
I love to use a small set of bongos – students can tap right and left hand rhythms on them easily.
Chris Morrow says
I never used to use rhythm instruments in my lessons, but then I received Orff training for classroom music. I no longer teach classroom music, but wanted to incorporate some of those concepts into my private teaching. I find that drumsticks or rhythm sticks are big hits, as are hand drums. The students always look so surprised when I pull them out, and I love that look on their faces!
cheryl says
I’m fortunate to have access to a variety of rhythm instruments from the children’s department at my church where I teach. My whiteboard is located in an area with musical equipment. Ahh ! a full size Ricky Ricardo conga drum ! It had been there for a while, so I decided it would be a nice addition for my rhythm activity. My students had a blast with it (one was only a head taller than the drum but he loved it). Of course, I had a “babalooo” solo with it before it went back into storage 😉
Andrea says
That’s awesome Cheryl!