Band Director at Harlem Middle School; Harlem, Georgia Purpose of Study: The purpose of this study is to determine the rhythm reading improvement among students after using the "Rhythm In Reach" software program
Overview:
A class of students will be given a pretest on a set of rhythm patterns. The instructor will record the results and find the score per student and determine a class average. A sample group will be selected to use the software over the next three days during class. They will all take turns using the software using an iPod device with earphones. At the end of the three days of instruction, the posttest on rhythm patterns will be given to the group of students. The instructor will record the results and find the score per student and determine the class average. The instructor will then determine the scores of the individuals in the sample group and record the differences.
Study Details:
Dakota, Burt, Ray, and Zeke are members of the Seventh grade band and chorus classes. These students demonstrated a weakness in recognizing basic rhythms and had many difficulties in clapping or playing basic rhythms in 4/4 time. I tested these students, along with the entire class, by having them clap or play multiple examples of many rhythms in 4/4 time. Then each of the chosen or targeted students was given ten minutes during class time to work with the application "Rhythm In Reach". They did this for four days. On the last day, I retested the entire class on the same rhythms and added additional rhythms which were more developed or intricate in nature.
Results:
Scores ranged from 100 down to 55 for the pre-test in the classes. The four chosen students scored 55, 55, 65, and 75 respectively. Other scores were all passing, with scores of 90 or above. Scores for the post-test for the chosen students were all passing showing an improvement. They scored 85, 90, 100, and 100. All other students passes with their scores remaining the same or slight improvement.
Summary:
The students targeted for the study have expressed their desire to have the application at their disposal to work on it during their free time at home and after school. The application is a very wonderful drill and practice item with immediate feedback. Especially helpful were the notifications of exactly what was incorrect in their rhythms, such as a note late or early in a specific measure. The students could see their rhythmic reading improve almost instantly. It also assisted me in reinforcing the concept of dotted quarter notes and subdivision. I highly recommend this application to any music teacher wishing to improve individual student's rhythm reading skills.
Download the study here.