Music Teacher Tip #41:
Would you like your students to move to a steady beat? If they’re K-2 and the beat is on the slower side, they won’t be able to march to it accurately and it’s probably not because they can’t keep a steady beat. It’s because in order to march slowly, one has to actually balance on one foot while waiting to be able to place the other foot on the floor. Young children don’t yet have the coordination to be able to do this.
Let’s say the tempo is quarter note = 60 bpm. Instead of having students march on the quarter note or “macro beat,” have them march to the eighth note. While that seems fast to us, children have a much faster inner tempo. They will be able to march to 120 beats per minute (the micro beat) with much more success. Try it!
Happy teaching! ❤️🎶