Your cart is currently empty!
“Where’s the Beat?”
A Teaching Tip by Andrew Payson
One thing I’m always listening for as a piano teacher is a sense of the beat. The beat is the invisible pulse in the music that all rhythms are built on. As piano teachers, we understand that, but it is easy to forget that many beginner students don’t. The beat can seem abstract or confusing at first and it requires special attention. Students not only need to understand the beat, they need to feel it.
Count along while your student performs.
When a student performs, I often count along. I might be counting out loud, tapping along, or conducting with my hand. I want to help the student become aware of the beat. If I don’t hear a sense of the beat in their performance, I remind them that they should always know where the beat is. They should feel the beat, actively count it in their heads, or both. Even before they play a single note, they should know what the tempo is.
Counting the beat while your student performs not only emphasizes an essential musical concept, it also helps you engage with the student. It’s like you are performing together. There’s an elevated sense of energy in the lesson because you both need to actively listen.
Counting along is simple advice, but to me it is essential to teaching piano.
