Rhythm has to do with beats.  Tonal has to do with pitch.  Rhythm can be tapped on a table.  Tonal needs a pitched instrument or a voice to deliver.  We can “chant” rhythm.  We can “sing” tonal.  A drum solo in a jazz ensemble is rhythm without tonal.  An instrumental soloist, however, will not deliver only tonal, as both tonal and rhythm are necessary for melody. 

Tonal and rhythm skills are essential to music learning at all levels of music development, including improvisation, music reading, and performance.  Children learn best when tonal and rhythm are separated, making each more accessible, unencumbered by the other. 

CCS Tonal and Rhythm activities make rhythm and tonal tangible, providing aural “tonal and rhythm toys” for your child to “play” with—to listen to, manipulate, interact with, chant with, sing with, dance with.  Just as your child learns a particular kind of skill and understanding by manipulating a wheeled toy, different from what he might learn from a toy with dials and buttons, your child will learn different skills from the Rhythm Activities than from the Tonal Activities.  CCS Tonal and Rhythm Activities provide the foundation for all music learning.