A sense of meter is a non-verbal understanding of the organization of beats. It is developed through experience with a variety of meters—without tonal, without words—and through movement, and it is essential to music learning. A sense of meter provides the framework for rhythmic precision; a structure within which rhythm makes sense to the musical mind; an internal grid within which rhythm falls in place. Experience with a variety of meters in sound and movement stimulates the musical mind to attend to the organization of beats, to discover differences in organizational schemes, and to secure the internal structure that propels rhythmic precision in every meter.
A lone beat has no meaning. It is only in relation to other beats that a beat has meaning. The musical mind processes beat groupings, with attention to how those beats are divided. Beat groupings are generally in twos or threes. The big beats, “macro beats,” are divided into “micro beats.” Pairs of equal macro beats divided into two micro beats gives rise to duple meter. Pairs of equal macro beats divided into three micro beats gives rise to triple meter. Each meter has its own grouping of macro beats, which divide into micro beats.
Intellectual definitions of meters, beat values and counting speak to the thinking mind. Immersion in the various meters and engagement with them in movement speak to the musical mind. The experience of various meters creates a “sound environment” in which the musical mind can sort, compare, and draw conclusions about the various meters through its own way of knowing, without the interference of the thinking mind.
Movement manifests weight in meter—the physical energy that defines macro beats and provides the framework for the placement of all rhythm. Weight of the body on macro beats articulates meter and propels rhythmic performance. Covert movement in the classroom and choral rehearsal leads to overt movement in performance—rhythmic precision, momentum, and vitality.
A sense of meter anchors rhythm, secures tempo, and provides the foundation for all music learning. The more your students develop a sense of meter, the more they will they will exhibit what is often referred to as a strong sense of rhythm or beat, and the greater their rhythmic precision will be in every musical encounter.
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