Estimated reading time 2 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
Do you have a student who has a problem keeping the steady beat? Does your child struggle with rhythmic concepts? Color coding combined with physicalizing the beat makes for a powerful teaching aid. Keep reading How to Color Code Music to Optimize the Steady Beat to learn how it works.
This post uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the article.
Video: How Effective is Color Coding in Music Lessons?
How to Color Code Music to Optimize the Steady Beat: Why Use Footprint Silhouettes?
I started using the footprint silhouettes to help an autistic student who was entirely non-verbal:
- I needed a way to teach the steady beat and basic rhythm concepts, and alternating between footsteps helped me turn them into concrete, physical actions.
- I first learned about this from a special needs drum teacher who had a very complex system based on footsteps, which I’ll leave for him to teach.
- However, I was fascinated by his assertion that groups like gospel choirs would organize the beat using alternating footsteps.
So, I took the gospel choir concept and combined it with my colored rhythmic notation.
How to Color Code Music to Optimize the Steady Beat: How Does It Work?
How to teach the first footprints diagram
- Show the student the footprints diagram and demonstrate rocking back and forth between the feet to a regular pulse.
- Explain that this is the steady beat and help the student to do it.
- Then, tell the student that each footprint gets one beat.
- Demonstrate alternating between feet while clapping, saying, “1, 1, 1, 1.”
- Next, help the student do it.
How to teach the second and third footprints diagrams
- Explain to the student that you don’t always clap on every beat.
- Next say, “When the number is red, you clap, but when it’s blue, you don’t clap.”
- Demonstrate alternating feet to the steady beat while clapping on every other footstep, saying, “1, 2, 1, 2.”
- When the student has successfully clapped the second diagram, try the third one.
- Clap saying, “1, 2, 3, 4.”
After this, you can create longer exercises if necessary, or you can progress to teaching the colored rhythmic notation if the student is ready for it.
Color Guide for Clapping:
- Red = clap
- Blue = do not clap
For more information on colored rhythmic notation
- How to Color Code Rhythm
- Color Coded Quarter Note Clapping
- Color Coded Eighth Note Clapping
- Color Coded Quarter Rest Clapping
- Playing the Piano with Colored Rhythm, Fingering, and Notes
Knowing how to color code music will help any child to learn but is particularly helpful for young students and students with ADHD, dyslexia, and autism. For information on music software that can color music notes:
Also, color coded music has been scientifically proven to help special needs students read music. For more information on the research:
Final Thoughts on “How to Color Code Music to Optimize the Steady Beat”
Takeaway points:
- The footprint silhouettes create a physical way of teaching the steady beat and basic rhythmic concepts.
- Color coding has been scientifically proven to be an effective teaching aid.
- Combining the two together gives you a powerful teaching tool for young children and developmentally delayed children
Related Posts:
- How to Graduate from Colored Music Notes: Part 1
- How to Graduate from the Colored Sheet Music: Part 2
- How to Graduate from the Colored Music Score: Part 3
- How to Graduate from the Colored Music Notation: Part 4
- How to Graduate from Colored Music Symbols: Part 5
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
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Glossary
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