The musical mind that is steeped in the various meters senses the difference between meters in sound. Rhythm syllables give voice to the uniqueness of each meter. Rhythm Discrimination Activities provide for the musical mind to compare and contrast meters in sound—to become “mindful” of the musical mind’s sense of difference.

The musical mind now perceives Duple meter and Triple meter and can chant in either with rhythm syllables. Rhythm Discrimination Activities lead the musical mind to awareness that Duple and Triple are different meters. The musical mind, (like the thinking mind), learns what something is by knowing what it is not. Rhythm Discrimination Activities provide the opportunity for the musical mind to playfully compare and contrast meters aurally. They place contrasting meters “next to each other” in sound and syllables, inviting the musical mind to compare and contrast meters, much like a child playfully explores size with a set of stacking cups. It is in hearing and comparing the contrasting meters “side by side” aurally with syllables that the musical mind becomes aware of the characteristics that distinguish one meter from another, and takes greater command of its own knowing.

Rhythm Discrimination Activities begin with the contrast of Duple and Triple meters—not so children can label or recall Duple or Triple meter without syllables, but so that they become aware that the two meters are different. Subsequent contrasting of either Duple or Triple meter with either Unusual Paired or Unusual Unpaired meter makes the next discrimination between Duple and Triple easier, as the contrast between usual and unusual meters is greater than the contrast between Duple and Triple meters. The labels, Duple, Triple, Unusual Paired or Unpaired are incidental at this point.  They simply indicate that the meters are different, inviting the musical mind to tune in to the distinguishing characteristics in sound and syllables that make them different from each other. It is not important that a child recite the name of a meter, but rather, learn to aurally distinguish one meter from another with syllables, as rhythm syllables reflect, represent, and reinforce distinguishing characteristics. The names of the meters will in time become the verbal representation of the difference between the meters, but the purpose of Rhythm Discrimination Activities is for children to become aware of that difference in sound through syllables. 

Perhaps the most challenging aspect of Rhythm Discrimination Activities is to keep the thinking mind out of the way—to avoid well-meaning verbalizations of the differences between meters, tips on what to listen for, or use of language between “side by side” meters in sound. Language interrupts the very process of comparing and contrasting sound.