Rhythm Circle Throwback Thursday
I first drew these Rhythm Circles by hand for my students when I was a classroom music teacher. Does anyone remember Spirit Masters! 😆 Or remember when your school first installed a Xerox machine?
Well, rhythm hasn’t changed and these handouts make it really easy for students to learn how many 16ths equal a whole note. Included is a version with 8th notes (no 16ths) and one in black and white that students can color or if you have large groups.
In a way, these worksheets go along with my previous post a few days ago about how important I think it is to introduce sixteenth (or any rhythm value, really) when students are capable, not when the concept happens to appear in a method book. If students are late elementary age, we have to stop delaying teaching some of the concepts until they get to them in a method book.
This is a good worksheet for that. Of course, they also need to learn how to clap basic sixteenth notes, so don’t leave off that part.
This is a helpful worksheet, but depending on your student, it might take the entire lesson for students to draw sixteen 16th notes! I have some students who are very slow and this takes them forever. Here are some suggestions to speed it along:
• Work with them and fill it out together.
• Students fill it partly out and finish at home for homework.
• They can fill it out while they wait for a sibling or for a parent and finish at home.
• Give it as a theory homework assignment.
• Use at a theory class.
• Great for homeschool classes!
