In the fall, much of the focus in lower elementary music is on rhythm. By playing with percussion instruments and through movement, speaking, and clapping, students learn to repeat rhythm patterns, recognize rhythmic notation, and become proficient in using rhythm syllables to read music. If you’ve ever heard your child saying “ta, ti-ti, tika-tika, ta," you know what rhythm syllables are! As we prepared for the Winter Concert, the focus moved to melody, musicality, and matching pitch. This month, while children in each grade continue on to a deeper dive in melodic exploration, they are also reviewing rhythm concepts. First Grade’s rhythm review consisted of creating their own patterns using quarter notes, quarter rests, and pairs of eighth notes. They then chose animal “lyrics” to go with their rhythms. Students began by working with a partner and were able to create their own solo piece in the next class. Most importantly, of course, these young composers had fun! In the coming weeks, we’ll warm up using one or two of these student-created rhythm patterns at the beginning of each class. More fun will, most certainly, ensue!