60/100 The Rhythm Clock

A rhythm clock is a pattern of 12 rhythms arranged in a circle like the hours on a clock.

Like this:

rhythm-clock-1

 

You can project this image on a whiteboard, and then start all kinds of fun learning activities. First of all, make sure that everyone knows all the rhythms.

You can clap/play a rhythm, or one of the children can clap/play, and see if they can recognise which one it is.

You can clap – gently – right round the clock, either with a count of 4 in between each pattern, or straight round without a break. (By now everyone’s hands will be a bit hot. You could tell them they shouldn’t have clapped so loudly, and issue everyone with shakers or other instruments.)

You can divide the class in two, and one group claps clockwise, and the other anticlockwise. Or divide into more groups, and play as a round, each group following the next, or all starting at the same time on different numbers.

I use this with djembe classes, playing quavers as tones, and crotchets as bass notes. You could play it using selected notes on various instruments…

Every time I get out the rhythm clock I find another way of using it…try using it as a starting point for composition or improvisation. I hope you and your students have lots of fun useful learning experiences.

This entry was posted in Class Teaching, Composition, Djembe, Improvisation, Percussion, Uncategorized and tagged . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

 

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.