It is believed that a person has only five ways to perceive the world. They are familiar to everyone: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing. In fact, there are many more, although everyone else can be more difficult to study to understand how they work. This is a sense of self in space, and the ability to maintain balance, as well as a sense of rhythm. For some they are better developed, for others it is worse. But you can work with them, and you can do this even with very young children.
What is a rhythm?
In different areas, this term is understood to mean different, albeit having much in common, phenomena. The rhythm in music is a sequence of sounds and pauses, replacing each other with a certain frequency. This phenomenon accompanies every person from birth to death. Breathing, palpitations, changing seasons, day and night - all this is inherent in rhythm, which was naturally transferred to other areas of life, and most clearly manifested itself in music. And it happened a very long time ago.
There is even a special group of instruments - drums, which are primarily responsible for setting the rhythm for everyone else when it comes to the ensemble. Throughout history, composers and mathematicians have conducted many experiments, many theories of musical rhythm have been built and destroyed, and debate has not subsided to this day. But what is the basis of a person’s ability to reproduce a not always simple sequence of sounds?
Sense of rhythm
Not yet born, the baby hears his mother's heartbeat, conversations. At this moment, his sense of rhythm is laid and begins to develop. In the future, this will largely determine his life, what he will do, and what will turn out not so well. It can still be influenced, but the foundations will be laid precisely at this time. Therefore, during this period it is so important to listen to good music, to read poetry aloud - the fetus perceives all this very well.
The sense of rhythm in many respects determined the development of music at its initial stage. The first instruments known at the dawn of mankind were percussion. To their sounds, people danced, calling for rain, begging the gods to preserve the harvest, bringing gifts, conducting various rituals. And with the development of civilization, this important feeling has not been lost. Later, the rhythm in music developed, acquiring more complex forms, various melodies were superimposed on it. In a word, even today it has not lost its significance.
Why is it necessary
Dancing, playing music, singing, reading poetry, even in ordinary everyday speech there is a certain rhythm! It is absolutely indispensable, even if it comes to elementary activity. Of course, you can live without a sense of rhythm, although this seriously limits a person in some areas.
For example, even with absolute pitch, a person simply cannot play music without a sense of rhythm. Much more difficult are given languages, both native and foreign. This can be expressed in the impossibility of elegantly expressing one’s thoughts, speech will sound unnatural, “torn”. Also, memory may be impaired, some clumsiness is noticeable - in a word, a person misses a lot of interesting things for himself. Therefore, such an important feeling cannot be neglected.
How to develop?
As already mentioned, a sense of rhythm is laid in utero. Therefore, the first classes can be started already at this stage. The expectant mother can do special exercises, playing musical instruments, or read poetry aloud.
Soon after birth, you can expand the range of activities. Children up to a year already love to play "little things", clap, repeat after adults. There are a huge number of nursery rhymes with the help of which our great-grandmothers still nursed children, but which remain relevant today. The constant communication of parents with the child, the special construction of phrases in verses, rhymes - all this contributes to the development of the baby. So, what are the ways to stimulate the development of a sense of rhythm in a child? Which of them can be used at different ages?
Methodologies
There are many different ways to develop musical abilities. Some of them are intended for kids, others - for professional artists. They vary in difficulty levels and the very principles of training. If you constantly perform these exercises, a sense of rhythm will develop. Yes, oddly enough, even with the most modest initial abilities, you can achieve very high results if you practice regularly and hard.
By the way, in kindergartens and elementary schools there is even a special discipline - rhythm. It helps even the smallest ones to feel the capabilities of their body, move to the beat of the music and give energy output. The combination of several techniques at once gives amazing results. During the classes, children listen to music, dance, perform exercises such as "Clap your hands" and learn through the game. So, what is suitable for self-development at home?
Poems and music
Classic tracks are great for kids. You can listen to them even when the baby is not yet born. The same thing with poems - the works of Agniya Barto, Marshak and Chukovsky are easily remembered and familiar to at least a little any modern mother, let alone grandmothers. Up to 3-5 years, children are interested in both listening and repeating rhyming lines for their parents. At the same time, not only a sense of rhythm is trained, but also auditory and associative memory. It is very useful.
Music for kids can also be different. It can be songs from familiar cartoons, and sometimes it's interesting to just repeat the same verses in a chant. There are even special collections that adults will enjoy listening to. Children quickly remember them and begin to sing themselves, which also contributes to an intuitive understanding of what rhythm in music is.
Playing various instruments, like singing, also helps development. Over time, children's pianos and xylophones can be replaced with real ones, or you can choose something else: a flute, drums, guitar, etc. Even if there is no special talent in this area, singing and playing at an amateur level can please a child, help develop him musical abilities - the main thing is not to force him to this.
Clapping hands
Another great exercise is suitable for children who have reached the age when it is easier for them to concentrate on the lesson for at least 5-10 minutes. The game "Clap your hands" should start with simple "cakes", then an adult can ask the child to repeat the beat he beats - first simple, and then it’s more complicated. This will teach the child to carefully monitor the sequence of sounds and pauses and try to reproduce them. When he learns to repeat well, you can complicate the task, pay attention to the duration of pauses and the intensity of claps. Such an innovation will make the game only more interesting.
Children up to 8-10 years old and even older can work with very complex and lengthy variations; this will also be useful for them. At this age, it’s already quite possible to try to reproduce the rhythmic pattern of your favorite songs, especially if the child is already learning to play any musical instrument.
Dancing
Another area in which you need to feel the rhythm in music and life is movement. It is impossible to dance beautifully and organically if you do not feel the accompaniment. But learning is necessary. And dancing is a great way to understand how the body moves, how its muscles work, to realize the principles by which music is built. Therefore, it is not necessary to limit children in self-expression in this way. Dancing in any of their manifestations will only benefit - it develops the body, imagination and sense of rhythm. On the contrary, it is worth inventing games on this basis. For example, a child 4-6 years old can be offered to portray some animal to music. You can clap and stomp to the beat of the melody.
For musicians
Those who are seriously fond of amateurs and professionals, of course, need a well-developed sense of rhythm. The most effective exercise for them is recognized as playing under the metronome - a special instrument that sets the pace. Constant long training sessions hone their skills, which is especially important for drums, bass, but the rest of the performers are nowhere to go. It is especially difficult when it comes to any ensemble. It can be difficult for people to adapt to each other, while avoiding errors in the work. In order for everything to work out, and joint rehearsals are held, where time after time the musicians repeat the passages, polishing the slightest roughness and perfecting them. And without a sense of rhythm, this is simply impossible.