Rhythm difficulty dictates the ordering of meters and rhythm patterns in both rhythm immersion and interactivity. Duple meter is easier than triple meter, which is easier than the unusual meters. Macro/micro beat patterns in any meter are easier than patterns with divisions in that meter, which are easier than those with rests, ties, or upbeats. Some macro/micro beat patterns are more difficult than others, and some with divisions are more difficult than others with divisions. For example, in duple meter, two eighth notes followed by a quarter note is easier than two quarter notes. The latter requires that the musical mind be able to pulse micro beats in order to know how long to hold the macro beats. Rhythm difficulty guides the teacher both in expectations for children’s response and in designing activities for immersion and interactivity.
Immersion serves interactivity, while interactivity serves immersion. Immersion can take children beyond what they can deliver, but as with language, they will interact most directly when prompted at their own level of development. Interactivity with each level of content difficulty better prepares children for more advanced content for immersion, which prepares them for more advanced content for interactivity. Content for interactivity always lags behind that of immersion, as children need to hear the more difficult content before being ready to deliver it.
“Meter chants” are the prime vehicle for immersion—chants without words in various meters, which can include more and less difficult rhythm patterns as needed. Chants in duple meter with macro and micro beat patterns are easier than chants in triple meter with macro and micro beats, and easier than chants in duple meter with division patterns. Chants offer ongoing opportunity for children to experience more and more difficult rhythm patters in each meter.
Rhythm Dialogue and Macro/Micro Beat Activities are the prime vehicles for rhythm interactivity, with Rhythm Dialogue providing the readiness for Macro/Micro Beat Activities. Rhythm dialogue provides a voice for rhythm knowing and guides the teacher as to appropriate rhythm difficulty for each student. Macro/Micro Beat Activities help the musical mind to grasp meter in flight, to hold steadfast to meter whatever the level of difficulty of rhythm patterns. Ultimately, Macro/Micro Beat Activities can serve for immersion as well as for interactivity, as new rhythm patterns are introduced into the context of secure macro and micro beats.
The ongoing contrast between meters is essential to rhythm development. The difficulty of each meter and the patterns within that meter have to be taken into consideration. For example, you might be immersing your children in chants in duple, triple, unusual paired and unusual unpaired meters, all with macro and micro beats, with perhaps divisions in duple and triple meters, while engaging your children interactively with macro and micro beats in all four meters, but with division patterns only in duple meter. You might then try to engage them in division patterns in triple meter, finding their response imprecise, but that experience will propel greater precision with divisions in duple meter. Interactivity in any one meter strengthens skill development in the other meters, as long as immersion and interactivity in the various meters continue.
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