Intermediate Rhythm Games

High-and-Low

To help a child learn to differentiate between high and low pitches, demonstrate the sounds on their instrument. You will obtain a low pitch by striking the center of the drum head, and a higher pitch when striking the edge. The LP RhythMix 3-Piece Box Shakers come in three different sizes and corresponding sounds. The large-sized box has the lowest pitch, the middle-sized box has the medium pitch, and the small-sized box has the highest pitch. Use the mallet to strike the LP RhythMix Tone Block near the handle to obtain a higher pitch, and towards the top edge to obtain a lower pitch.

After a few moments of demonstration, ask your child to give you a “thumbs up” or “thumbs down” to identify the note as high (up) or low (down). Once they've become comfortable with identifying high or low notes, you can ask them to play a high or low note on request.

Fast-and-Slow

This is a slightly more advanced exercise. Select any one of the rhythmic phrases from the Rhythm-Talk exercise and beat, tap, clap, or shake it for your child. The next step is to demonstrate how to play it in augmented (faster) rhythm. Practice the two together, coaching your child to copy your example in augmented rhythm. The options are endless, but a few rhythms to start off with follow:

Hickory, dickory, dock!
Follow the yellow brick road!
Row, row, row your boat gently down the stream.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star!

Then switch! To teach diminution, ask your child to copy your fast rhythms with a slower rhythm. Keep the game interesting by asking your child to suggest portions of their favorite songs, nursery rhymes, or theme song from their favorite TV show!

Long-and-Short

To teach children to differentiate between long and short notes, begin with a simple demonstration. A triangle with an easy-to-hold handle is perhaps the most practical instrument to illustrate this concept. Striking a triangle while gripping one of its sides will reduce the instrument’s resonance and produce a short note. Striking a triangle while holding its handle (or other grip), allowing it to resonate fully, will produce a much longer note.

A large drum is another excellent instrument for this particular exercise. Striking the drumhead using a "slap-release" technique will yield a long, sustained note due to the head’s resonance. Striking the head with a "slap-hold" technique will muffle the sound by reducing the head’s resonance, resulting in a shorter note.

After a few moments of demonstration, ask your child to stand up and open their arms wide to identify each note you play as long, or to close their hands together to identify the note as short. Once they’ve become comfortable with identifying long and short notes, you can ask your child to play them on request.

Once again, kid-friendly phrases can be interpreted into a series of long and short notes:
Oh, Susannah!
(LONG-LONG-short-LONG)

Then I’ll huff, and I’ll puff, and I’ll blow the house down!
(short-short-LONG-short-short-LONG-short-short-LONG-short-short-short)
The people on the bus go up and down…
(short-short-short-short-short-short-LONG-LONG-LONG-LONG)

Loud-and-Quiet (Crescendo and Decrescendo)

A great way to teach crescendo (loud) and decrescendo (quiet) sounds is to play this simple game: demonstrate loud and quiet rhythms, and alternate between them. Ask the child to listen and lift their arms over their head to denote loud rhythms, and to fold their arms over their chests when they hear quiet rhythms.