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Activities for strengthening sense of pulse nearing the concertDate: October 13, 2009 by Case Carvell
 Hello all,
The last time I had some trouble figuring out how to help my students I found this forum to be immensely helpful, so I thought I would ask again. I am a young conductor currently in student teaching and I am trying to think of some engaging ways to work on solidifying the pulse for the singers at my placement on Dawson's "Ain'a that Good News." These kids are pretty smart singers and the biggest problem is they are just so excited to sing the piece that they rush through the line. Ideas that I have thought of implementing are having the students tap the pulse to increase pulse awareness through movement, singing everything staccato for a run, and count singing. I want to avoid using a metronome as the end of the piece has significant rubato and we are close enough to the concert I want them to be independently responsible for the beat. Any other suggestions for fun and engaging activities that continue to work on this, as well as warm-ups to reinforce this concept of a steady beat.
Case Carvell
Paul S. Meers on October 13, 2009 7:51am
HI Case,
Try the following, esp. good w. the spiritual you have.
1. Have them snap the after-beat, not on the beat, "cool jazz cat" style. You can even say that to them, let them goof on it for a minute, then interiorize that off beat feeling. Spirituals and swing have similar division-pulse conventions, which emphasize the after- beat throughout. The same thing also works well in baroque/walking bass style mvts. which tend to rush. This raising awareness of the pulse division allows the tempo to stabilize, and to have that ineffable sense of swing which spirituals need.
Other methods slower, unsyncopated music:
2. Count singing, as you mention is great. However, I would avoid it near a performance because it causes the music to sound wooden and mechanical. But it's a great learning tool.
3. Tap division of beat with free hand on the sternum or wrist/palm of hand. Hand -tapping is audible, which allows the ensemble to hear each other. Foot tapping is not very dependable, feet being what they are, and IMO a terrible distraction.
best, Paul
on October 13, 2009 7:54am
Often the issue is not an inability to tap the beat, but rather an inability to feel the beat when NOT tapping.
One excercise I do is I assign each section a number 1-4 (this can also be done in a scattered pattern) Then I conduct a standard four pattern, and ask the students to say the number on the appropriate beat. This develops their ability to feel the beat as you conduct, on the beats they are NOT saying. You may want to start with simply everyone counting 1 on the downbeat, then just 1 and 3, then work in sections on different numbers. When they're really skilled try working in the up beats as well. Eventually try having the rest of the group do the counts while one section sings their part.
on October 14, 2009 10:26am
My all time favorite:
Start conducting a standard pattern in a steady tempo. Ask the singers to start counting verbally with you as you conduct ("1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4"), then tell them to count silently and maintain the pulse when you stop conducting. Then, ask them to clap on a specific beat: "Clap on 3," "Clap on 2," "Clap on 4," etc. You'll soon find out who's rushing. As they get more adept, have fun with non-standard meters (9, 13, etc.).
on November 10, 2009 1:39am
Hi, Case--
Especially if your problem is one of ensemble unity, I've found it to be really effective to have students tap on their neighbors. Have each student put a hand on his/her neighbor to the left or right, at your discretion, and you'll be surprised how quickly they'll lock in to each other. Alternatively, have them hold hands as they sing; they'll feel their neighbors' movements and keep better time with each other.
Good luck!
AJ Lund
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