Instrumental Activity Book - 4 Beat Compositions

The '4 Beat Compositions' section of the Instrumental Activity Book is designed to teach children about rhythm and layering in music through engaging group activities. The class is divided into four groups, each receiving a 4-beat rhythm card featuring patterns made up of 'Ta', 'Te-Te', and rests. The children are reminded of the value of these rhythmic notations before they begin a series of exercises to internalise their assigned rhythms. These exercises include saying, clapping, thinking, and playing the rhythms in sequence, which helps to reinforce their understanding and ability to perform the rhythms accurately.

Once the class has practised their rhythms, they begin a composition exercise that involves building and reducing layers of sound. The composition starts with one group playing their rhythm and continues to build as each subsequent group joins in after the previous group has completed their pattern twice. After a period of everyone playing together, the groups then gradually stop playing in the reverse order they started, creating a diminishing effect. A loud, steady pulse is maintained throughout to keep the rhythm consistent, and clear conducting is necessary to cue the groups on when to start and stop. For an added challenge, the activity can be extended to 8-beat rhythm patterns. Additionally, the same procedure can be applied to compositions using tuned instruments such as chime bars, xylophones, or glockenspiels, ideally using the notes of the pentatonic scale to ensure harmonic compatibility.