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1.7 The necessity of this method

Having worked for two decades in both higher education music major classrooms and as

a studio piano teacher of every age and level, I have come to realize that many rhythm problems

are common to a variety of music students. I believe that a practical manual of rhythmic

instruction, focusing on a wide assortment of rhythmic topics and usable in many pedagogical

settings, will fill a void in available literature. My intention with this method is that it can

service a broad population of musicians in training. The method will accommodate group

settings, as it includes single line drills, duets to be performed in student pairs or by teacher and

student(s), and ensembles based on familiar tunes. The method was also created with studio

teachers of any instrument or voice part in mind. Private instruction teachers can use the single

line drills as well as the duets during lessons so that a few minutes each week can be spent with a

focus on pure rhythm. Studio teachers who hold monthly group lessons can use the ensembles,

and any ensemble experience can be enhanced by the use of rhythm instruments, such as hand

drums, tambourines, finger cymbals, and claves.

Many ear training textbooks currently on the market have some drills in rhythm, but a

private instruction music teacher wouldn’t necessarily want to purchase an expensive, bulky

college text for their studio, and would certainly be hesitant to require that of their students. The

most common ear-training textbooks fall into one of two categories: 1) the book has rhythm

drills but lacks instruction or explanations; or, 2) the book includes rhythmic instruction,

summarizing all of the basic rhythmic concepts in just a few pages, with very few or an absence

of practice drills.