Pulse - There is a lot of discussion today about �the foot� and how much or little (if at all) it should be used by musicians, young and old. Personally, I am a big �foot� man myself, but it really does not matter, as long as some pulse method is used to avoid slowing down or speeding up when the music gets more challenging. I have found, that if a student cannot verbalize his/her method of pulse conceptualization, he/she rarely can perform beyond a rudimentary level. Use whatever method works for you, but bottom the line is �You Gotta Have It�.

Subdivision - The most efficient and effective method I have found, is using the down and up stroke of the foot. Peter Potosky turned me on to a way of reinforcing subdivision, using a tactile approach he refers to as �Down Touch Up Touch�. Drummers are notorious for what I call �click subdivision� like that used in marching band warm-ups (which is very effective for them). Here again, it really does not matter what you use, but use it as often, and reinforce the concept, as much as possible. Use the verbalization test with your students. If they can explain to you in words how to do it, they are half way there. The rest is just practicing its application.

Phonics Implementation - Not to �tweak� your interest in future articles, but I hope to cover in much more detail at another time. The basic idea is teaching our beginning students counting the same way a kindergarten or first grade teacher introduces reading to his/her classes. The thought process is the same. You establish simple and basic rules for �sounding out� rhythms, and practice the verbalization of rhythms, first at a very slow speed and then gradually speeding it up. The key here is to develop an effective and efficient �phonics� system that builds upon itself, where you do not contradict some of the �basic� rules further on down the line of instruction.

Whole Language Drills - After your �phonics system� is in place, you want to drill on a series of similar rhythms, at the same basic level, until these newly introduced or challenging rhythms become like �sight words� to a first grader. If you plan ahead, this can be done very efficiently and methodically, with very little rehearsal time used in the effort. The steps are as follows: a. analyze the rhythm, b. verbalize it (phonics), c. Drill a series of rhythms at a similar level (for comparison purposes), d. then evaluate, to be sure you have effectively gone through the transition from �phonics� to the assimilation into each student�s �Whole Language Vocabulary�. I have organized all these steps in my �Rhythm Masters� Books I & II. Each series of exercises, at the various levels of difficulty, takes only 3 to 5 minutes max. It establishes a solid counting foundation and then builds from there. With proper reinforcement of pulse and subdivision, it really is an unbeatable approach to the mastering of counting and rhythms.

Over Processing - When every minor individual aspect of the rhythm is broken down we expect a student to process into reading music, it is not hard to understand why they sometimes just hit the point of �overload�. Analysis, pulse, subdivision, numbers, letters, foot or no foot, not to mention markings above and below the staff, it can be overwhelming at times. We all have limits as to what we can handle, and I have found, in my clinics, that if you can eliminate maybe one or two of those factor , the task then becomes manageable. For example, try not using numbers. Eliminating the process of not having to figure out if you are on count two or three or whatever, might help. Rework the section limiting the processes used, and as the student gets comfortable, add the other aspects required. Hopefully, this will aid when those occasional �meltdowns� do occur.

Drop In Tolerance Level - Writing music for honor band sight reading auditions can be interesting. I have found that music does not have to be difficult to trip up students. Sometimes just a little �tricky� is all it takes. A well-placed tie, or a few consecutive rests are often especially troublesome. If the student is not concentrating, or lets his or her tolerance level drop, he or she can be caught off guard with one of these. Be sure not to overlook these areas in your practice and audition preparation.

�It Can�t Be That Easy� - If a piece is moving along at a relatively fast velocity (IE. �A lot of black�) challenging the students counting skills, then changes to basic 8th notes, or even quarters or halves, mistakes will frequently occur. The brain wants to anticipates the worst, and because it is �sight reading�, the brain assumes the music must be difficult all the time. A few simple rhythmic patterns, �out of the blue�, can throw even the most seasoned veteran off-guard on occasion. So remember gang: �Yes, it can be that easy�.

�Looks Different, Sounds Same� - This is another one of those mind games that fit into the, �tricky� but not difficult category. As an example; simple down beats and up beats can be written in a variety of different ways, using both combinations of 8th & 16th notes and rests. If a simple pattern is written, and then a few counts later, a more complex looking pattern is inserted that sounds basically the same, the brain will normally refuse to accept those two rhythms being so similar. Consequently, it will interpret the second rhythm in a different fashion than the first. Watch out for these pitfalls. Your best defense is to implement a solid pulse and subdivision system. This is the only thing that can override the brains �if it looks different, it must sound different� mentality.

�Brain Lock� - This is a tough one. Ironically enough, it tends normally to occur mostly among your more intelligent students. As a rule, if the student plays a rhythm incorrectly, if you want to play it safe, have him or her analyze it, or break it down phonetically. But, lets say you want to save time, so you go back and try it again. Of course you could sing it for the student, but you want to avoid rote teaching and also want to work with your student(s) on their reading skills. Realize though, the brain has interpreted what it thinks that rhythm sounds like. If an effort is not made to re-direct this interpretation, even with the director�s warning, the student may very likely play it incorrectly the same way a second time. Now you have unwittingly reinforced an incorrect rhythm, and are in the process of reinforcing the mistake as a �sight word�. Now, if you dare go back and have the student play it again, and it is played incorrectly the same way a third time, That�s It !!! Sell Off The Farm!!! It�s All Over!!! The Fat Lady Has Just Sang!!! Your student has just come down with the most dreaded disease known to the Rhythm Doctor, �BRAIN LOCK�. Sometimes you can spend 20 minutes trying to change it. You can drop your lofty standards and even sing it for the child. But with some students, once �Brain Lock� sets in, �that�s all she wrote�. As I put it, you have wipe out the hard drive, and re-install the software. Put it down and approach it later, maybe when the brain has forgotten its original interpretation. Then go back, start with the rhythm�s analysis, verbalize it phonetically, etc. and reprogram the brain with the correct interpretation. Until the original memory of the error is wiped clean, you have no chance of re-teaching the problem section correctly.