INSTRUMENTAL CONNECTIONS: GARY SULLIVAN AND ANNE SULLIVAN MILESKI
B u ild in g R h y th m ic S k ills : C o n n e c tin g S e c o n d a r y
In s t r u m e n t a l E n s e m b le s t o t h e E le m e n t a r y M u s ic C la s s r o o m
Observations from the Band Room
Secondary students enter high
school with a range of reading skills.
Conductors are challenged with
short rehearsal-performance cycles,
festival sight-reading expectations,
immediate performance demands,
and performance evaluations. It is
hoped that the ability to read rhythm
is now part of the student skill
set, because the time to establish
rhythmic understanding is less with
the shorter performance cycles
common to secondary ensembles.
Most directors, however, face the
reality that many of their students
don’t read very well. Conductors
have a nagging feeling that
everything could be accomplished
with more efficiency if students had
stronger individual reading skills,
or independence in the reading of
rhythm.
As a conductor of secondary
instrumental music (band) for
many years, it became obvi-ous
to me that the secondary rhythmic
issue had many causes. Students
entered high school with a variety
of rhythmic skill levels. They were
taught and had learned different
counting systems advocated by
individual teachers. Some were
adept at following others instead
of actually reading themselves.
Others exhibited difficult classroom
behaviors— passive rhythmic
engagement, resistance to rhythmic
drill, lack of consistency in
maintaining a physical feel for the
beat.
Prior teaching, though well-
meaning, sometimes complicated
the rhythmic learning issue. Some
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students would ask me, “How
does this go?” The import of that
question is the request for rote
teaching. I believe that teachers
who provide the rhythmic answer to
that question deny the opportunity
for rhythmic learning. Providing
the rhythm instead of teaching the
rhythmic process is often found
with “sing-a-long” conductors,
conductors who clap the rhythm
during playing, teachers who play
along with their horn or piano (not
to be confused with instrumental
modeling). Rhythmic confusion
results when ensemble sight-reading
utilizes music that is not properly
sequenced (grabbing a piece out
of the file prior to class). Near
total rhythmic inefficiency results
when there is a lack of the K-12
connections. Secondary teachers
need to know the elementary music
teaching processes and elementary
music teachers need to know the
musical strengths and weaknesses
of students entering secondary
programs. Establishment and strict
adherence to a well thought out
music curriculum is essential.
I had experimented with many
counting systems and explored
numerous “rhythm methods.” As
a student, I had learned the basic
counting system taught to most
American students at the time
(one-and-two-and, one-e-and-a)
and was informed of the necessity
to maintain a physical feel for the
beat. My personal application of
the system was augmented with
durational counting through the
longer durations while intoning the
beat’s number (1--------- ) and saying
the word “rest” through the rests. I
drilled my 9th grade band students
on rhythm by forcing them to count,
then play, while forcing the foot tap
as best I could.
My warm-up routines drilled
articulations with units, divisions,
and subdivisions, in the hope I
could “infuse” my students with
rhythm. I explored TAKADIMI
with my private stu-dents to access
its beat-based counting theory. All
of these efforts worked to some
degree, but when performance
music became more polyphonic,
rhythmic independence was still
“wanting.” The road to rhythmic
security was more complex than all
of this and though a teacher needs
to take students “where they are”
and move them forward, it seemed
to me much of this fundamen-tal
teaching needed to be accomplished
earlier in my student’s learning.
My teaching needed to be a part
of a well-designed instructional
sequence, rather than responding to
various remediation needs.
I became focused on the real
need to solve rhythmic teaching
issues in the district. For one
summer, as part of my doctoral
work, I collaborated with my
colleagues and set out to update the
district curriculum document. That
process provided much insight into
what was working and what was
not. For me, rhythm was at the top
of the “to do” list. Spending some
time with the Kodaly elementary
music pedagogy texts led me to
apply some of the concepts with
my 9th grade band students This
was the point where I had the
K o d a ly Envoy
time and the need to strengthen
the rhythmic set. Though later in
their development than usual, for
them it was “new” material and at
first removed rhythmic concepts
from the instrumental performance
complexities. An added benefit was
the engagement of those students
who had been previously resistant to
my rhythmic learning drills.
Finding Inspiration from the
Elementary Music Classroom
In contrast to most secondary
ensemble settings, elementary
general music focuses pre­
dominantly on experiencing skill
building through active music
making. That is, students experience
musical concepts through embodied
modes, categorized widely by aural,
visual, and kinesthetic preparation.
The preparation classification refers
to students’ ability to fully immerse
themselves in experiences that
exhibit an understanding of musical
language conversationally, without
specific ties to formal notation.
These modes of exploration can
be utilized in instrumental en­
sembles as well; teaching rhythmic
and melodic concepts is best
accomplished, first, through ab­
straction, or apart from instrumental
performance.
As Kodaly-inspired educators
know well, aural, visual, and
kinesthetic modes of preparation
are not experienced in isolation,
but rather in combination with one
another through different modes
of embodied music making. For
example, very rarely would we
have students simply look at iconic
notation (a visual representation of
pitch or rhythm), without singing/
saying the text or clapping or
showing contour. Furthermore,
the very thought of “sitting &
singing” does not align with our
philosophy and discourages the Teacher: bah-bah bah-bah bah-
type of ownership and enactive bah bah-bah (eighth notes)
response we love so dearly about (students echo while conducting)
this approach. Therefore, finding The exercise would continue with
new and different ways to explore all of the different permutations
concepts through aural, visual, and needed. A similar exercise could
kinesthetic means that stretch both take place with clapping and
our and our students’ comfort zones saying combinations. Eventually,
should be considered—whether in finding text that fits the pattern of
the elementary music classroom or a each rhythmic element proves to
secondary instrumental ensemble. provide context and transferrable
information to the students. For
Example: The Birch Tree - Using
example: “walk” - quarter note,
locomotor movement to discover an
“tip-toe” - paired eighth notes,
unknown song through rhythmic
“Stretch” - half note, “stretch, hop”
rote teaching.
- dotted quarter, eighth note. If
The main modes of kinesthetic
students experience this particular
exploration for rhythmic concepts
text through both a conducting and
are (1) conducting, and (2) tapping
rhythmic “reading” (with iconic
or clapping the rhythm. These
notation) of this text, moving from
are the comfortable preparation
the non-locomotor exploration
tactics that are familiar to many
opportunities to the less familiar,
music educators and students
alike. As such, these should not be likely less comfortable lo-comotor
exploration opportunities is likely to
overlooked, but should also serve as
be success.
a jumping off point, rather than an
After a fair amount of
endpoint, for kinesthetic exploration
differentiated and carefully
of rhythm.
scaffolded exploration opportunities,
Consider the following rhythmic
teachers can move students into
elements: quarter notes, paired
applying these skills to repertoire.
eighth notes, half notes, dotted
Since we are simply fitting puzzle
quarter followed by an eighth note.
pieces together, and building
How might we allow students
from known to unknown, this
(again, regardless of age) to
is an organic way to sequence
experience these different rhythmic
discovering a new song through
concepts through conducting?
rhythmic exploration. For example,
One example would be to use a
take the Russian Folk Song, The
neutral syllable (“bah” or “bum”)
Birch Tree
as students conduct through space,
through echo imitation.
A simple exercise of
this fashion would go as
follows:
Teacher: (all
conducting in a
continuous four
pattern) bah bah bah
bah (quarter notes)
(students echo while
conducting)
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Although the text on the second line
makes a slight variation, the rhythm
of this text can be taught through
AABB. Then, when looking at the
notation, students will be able to
discriminate the difference between
what they have experienced in the
body and what they are reading
through formal notation.
To begin, students should
get comfortable echo imitating
patterns in chunks of 6 beats. If
teachers have taken care to facilitate
preparation activities that include
both conducting and clap-ping
rhythmic building blocks in varying
meter, this should be a general
part of students’ understanding of
rhythmic concepts and be a simple
transfer. After playing with different
permutations, make the second to
last pattern one element away from
the A section (i.e. “tiptoe, tiptoe,
walk, walk, walk, walk) and the
final pattern the A section itself (i.e.
“tiptoe, tiptoe, walk, tiptoe, walk,
walk). Then, have students do that
pattern twice in a row.
Once the A section is mastered,
have students internalize the text,
but still move the A section as an
ostinato. The teacher should then
sing the entire melody (AABB)
on a neutral syllable. Repeat this
exercise until students notice where
the discrimination occurs. Then,
scaffold the B section as done with
the A section, ending with “stretch-
hop, walk, tiptoe, walk, walk.”
Then, give students the opportunity
to move the entire song and then
refer to notation.
Through this extended
exploration of embodied music
making, students own the rhythmic
content more completely and
are able to transfer their active
experience to the notation. Not only
are we facilitating the overall pulse,
but the concept of short vs. long
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durations in rhythmic permutations.
Extending Rhythmic Learning
Skills to Sight Reading
Effective ensemble sight reading
units utilize sequenced sight­
reading material. Avoid the random
selection of something from the files
(prior to class?). Carefully select
materials in ad-vance and in the
proper sequence.
Begin with simple textures
and progress to the more complex
textures. Student ensembles are able
to read monophonic— one line, one
rhythm material, easily, because
the readers lead the non-readers.
Students abandon independence
of rhythm and follow the stronger
players. Homophonic— one rhythm
harmonized is the next level in the
sight-reading sequence. Slightly
more difficult, students must
navigate their own pitches in the
more complex texture. The final
and most difficult progression in the
selection of sight-reading material
is polyphonic music— multiple lines
and rhythms.
It is important to sequence
the complexity of the basic
rhythms. Begin with beat-based
rhythms, progress to divisions,
then subdivisions. Eventually
introduce connected divisions and
subdivisions. Be sure to consider
extended durations and the counting
of rests.
Metrical organizations are
important, as well. Begin with
simple meters and divisions.
Progress to compound meters and
divisions. As students become more
competent, explore asymmetrical
meters and the organization of beats
in asymmetrical measures. Include
something scored in proportional
notation.
Advanced ensembles (through
adult) often read fairly well but
perform with less than perfect
precision. I often told both my
student and adult groups to “play to
the point of the beat and the center
of the pitch.” Groups often start
tones well, but do not terminate
tones uniformly. Advanced groups
sometimes “approximate” precision
but lack optimum clarity. Clarity
is frus-trated by non-uniform tone
initiations and poor response.
Large ensemble clarity problems
result from individual technical
development issues and conceptual
issues. But in terms of rhythm,
rhythmic clarity is improved with
internalized units, divisions, and
subdivisions.
Reframing Rhythmic Precision:
Isolating Conceptual Issues from
Technical Issues
There is no doubt that the most
foundational rhythmic concept
we teach and re-teach as music
educators, no matter the level, is
steady beat. Ensuring that students
have a strong internal pulse,
physical feel for the beat, and
outward demonstration of both is
something we all work on from
the moment students walk into our
music rooms. What makes this issue
even more complex is the different
ways music manipulates this
concept in the form of macro and
micro beats. This is the beginning
scaffold to internalizing pulse,
divisions, and subdivisions.
In an instrumental setting, it’s
often difficult to tell whether or
not students are having a difficult
time internalizing the steady
beat, or have a facility issue that
is causing them to have a false
start or poor response. Like the
previous example, the best way
to assess whether students are
having difficulty conceptually or
technically, is to focus on embodied,
Kodaly Envoy
active music making separate from
the instruments.
Example: Passing the Beat and
Magic Words
The starting point for this
exercise is, again, echo imitation.
Begin by using a circle shaped
clap to show a steady pulse and
have students imitate. The idea
behind this strategy (inspired by
Dalcroze Philosophy) is to show
the time, space, and energy required
to keep a particular tempo. This
becomes increasingly important as
we manipulate the pulse faster or
slower, or more mathe-matically in
terms of macro and micro beat.
Once the class or ensemble is
able to keep a unison steady beat
(which will transfer to a breath and
downbeat for instrument technique),
move on to the manipulations.
Add a slight accelerando and/
or ritardando. As long as either
is gradual and shown through
the leader appropriately circle
clapping (with appropriate time,
space, and energy for the shift), the
group should be able to maintain a
unison. A fun twist on this activity
is to allow different members of
the class to lead— which is much
more difficult and takes much more
awareness than following.
A similar exercise can take
place for exploring immediate shifts
between macro/micro beats and
divisions/subdivisions. Choose a
word for “twice as fast” and another
for “twice as slow.” In Dalcroze
circles, the chosen text is often “hip”
and “hop.” Begin in echo imitation
and then magically say either word
while still maintaining the clapping
to change the pulse to the micro
or macro beat. The more students
have the opportunity to experience
this exercise, the more they will
naturally begin subdividing the
Spring 2019
pulse in order to make the quick
transition.
The next level for either of these
permutations is to give students an
opportunity to pass the beat. Begin
in a circle where each student gets
2 claps— one to accept the pulse,
and one to pass it to the next person.
Since each individual has the
opportunity to show the circle clap
(time, space, energy) they have the
opportunity to change the character
of the beat.
Conclusion
In an effort to provide a
useful conclusion to the forgoing
discussion, consider the following
rhythmic action items:
• Update curriculum— agreed
upon by all, written out, and in
alignment with current standards.
• Achieve K-12 collaboration in
the teaching of rhythmic methods,
counting systems, teaching, and
learning processes.
• Teach proper scope and
sequence— specific rhythms learned
by all students at appropriate levels.
• Carefully plan and select
ensemble sight-reading repertoire,
progressing from simple to
complex.
• Establish core repertoire
used through entire program with
applications K-12 for common
referencing and connected teaching.
• Communicate with music
staff. Discuss what works and where
issues exist. An elementary solution
may solve a secondary problem.
• Combine the warm­
up routines with rhythm and
articulation drills. It builds rhythmic
stability, rapid single tongue, and
emphasizes style.
• Extract problem rhythms
from the program literature and drill
during warm-up.
• Don’t teach in isolation.
• Be curious— know the
methodologies.
• Explore new ideas— the
variety will improve you and your
ensembles.
Dr. Gary Sullivan holds a
Doctor o f Musical Arts Degree from
Michigan State University, a Master
o f Music Degree in Theory and
Composition from Miami University,
a Bachelor o f Music Degree in
Instrumental Music and Theory
from Michigan State University, and
has completed additional graduate
work in conducting and low brass
performance at the University o f
Michigan.
Dr Sullivan held faculty
positions at Ohio Northern
University, Adrian College, North
Branch High School; a graduate
teaching assistant position at
Miami University; and twenty-
seven years as Director o f Bands in
Charlotte, Michigan. Currently, he
conducts the Lansing Concert Band,
composes on commission, mentors
young musicians, and adjudicates
fo r several professional music
associations.
Anne Mileski is an elementary
music specialist in Eastern
Washington. She is certified in Orff-
Schulwerk, Kodaly, Smithsonian
Folkways World Music Pedagogy,
Music Learning Theory Elementaiy
General Level I, and has completed
coursework in Dalcroze Eurythmics.
Ms. Mileski holds a Bachelor
o f Music degree in Trumpet
Performance from the University
o f Michigan and a Master o f Music
degree in Trumpet Performance
from Southern Methodist University.
In addition to her applied music
studies, Ms. Mileski holds a Master
o f Music degree in Music Education
from Southern Methodist University.
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