Rhythm Games for Perception and Cognition (Revised Edition) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Unlike the previous reviewer, I found this book useful as a resource for teaching rhythm to groups of children. As is the case with many books on the Dalcroze method, the exercises may make more sense to someone who has had some first-hand exposure to the Dalcroze approach to teaching. The exercises are reasonably simple to begin with, such as passing a ball to a quarter note beat. They gradually expand in complexity to involve dynamics, changes in tempo, changes of direction, and so forth. These may not be particularly innovative from a Dalcroze perspective, yet they are far better than the standard music lesson approach to rhythm that involves clapping back rhythms presented by the teacher, and are simple enough not to lead to confusion.
I particularly enjoyed the accompanying CD. The music was fresh, and added a playfulness and a certain creative dynamic to the exercises. The only drawback to the music is that some of it was faster than what I would have preferred (for skips, for example), or too complex for younger age groups (for the exercise in dynamics). And I agree with the previous reviewer that one exercise was confusing to the student by not giving sufficient time to stop to an accented beat. But as a teacher you always have the option of using a drum, or making up your own improvisation at the piano. As for being a source of Dalcroze exercises, there are books I have drawn from more (such as Heather Gell), but this book is a good one to start with. Abramson doesn't deal extensively with the underlying philosophy of Eurhythmics in this book, or encourage the teacher to experiment, but at the same time, this book is all that I had expected it to be.
By the way, this book is much better than Abramson's other one "Feel It". I would suggest buying this one first.

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Product Description:
The revised edition of Dr. Robert Abramson's time-tested educational pillar. Complete with two CDs, this wonderful collection contains games and activities that follow the Dalcroze model. It encourages teachers and students to invent their own variations for active participation in music and movement. Perfect for all ages.

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