Teaching rhythm to beginning piano students: An analysis of various counting systems and the integration of Kodaly and Orff rhythm strategies

This research paper intends to show how the Kodaly and Orff approaches to teaching rhythm are better suited for beginning piano students than numeric counting and the delayed introduction of the eighth note. First, the author conducts an examination of the way children learn best and then outlines the types of numeric and syllabic counting systems available. Next, an analysis of five piano method books reveals the approaches these method books use to teach rhythm. Also, an examination of the Kodaly and Orff philosophies shows how these approaches gear their treatment of rhythm specifically toward children. Finally, by means of a survey, method book authors give their opinion on various aspects of teaching rhythm and the Kodaly approach.;Of the method book authors surveyed, seventy-five percent of those that responded had a basic familiarity with the Kodaly approach. Half of these authors said that they preferred to use numeric counting rather than syllabic counting. Studies showed that while none of the method book authors would consider adopting the Kodaly approach to counting, twenty-five percent agreed that students understood and learned rhythm better when using a syllabic counting system.;Method book authors and publishing companies should seek to offer piano teachers alternatives to piano method books that use numeric counting systems. The development of a piano method book that uses Kodaly's approach to rhythm would aid others in further research. In the future, conducting research that compares the level of rhythmic ability between students using a numeric counting system and those using a syllabic counting system would provide more definitive results.