Klarinet Archive - Posting 000543.txt from 1996/08

From: Richard Johnson <rjohnso@-----.COM>
Subj: Re: Need help!
Date: Tue, 20 Aug 1996 11:03:32 -0400

On Tue, 20 Aug 1996, Patrick Kwan wrote:

> This summer, my friends and I volunteered to teach music in a non-profit
> program for unfortunate kids in projects. I got fixed up with an 11 year old.
> I tried everything to teach him how to count but nothing seems to work. I
> tried the "word" method, you know the Apple=eighth notes, Missisippi=16th
> note thing. He doesn't get it. And I tried the tapping method. Anybody know
> another way to teach counting? He does fine on quarter,whole, and half notes,
> but it's the eighth and 16th notes that he doesn't get.
>
My 5th grade band teacher is the only one I have ever seen teach 16th
notes by saying "one-it-is-a two-it-is-a three-it-is-a four-it-is-a".
Most seem to say "one-e-and-a etc." I never did get the hang of
"e-and-a", but "it-is-a" always worked fine for me, for complex rhythms
as well as simple ones. For 8th notes, if 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & doesn't work,
I'm not sure what to say. I had an instructor in college who taught them
saying "Hep-burn", which I found real hokey, besides the fact that it
doesn't tell you which beat you're on (no 1,2,3,4) Good luck!