Reply To: Cut Time and 6/8

[nafmeadmin]

You might want to try having students moving to feel the new meter. Students can sway side to side in their seats to the big beats in 6/8 time. You can also have them pat on their laps for 1 and 4 (big beats) and clap for beats 2,3, 5, and 6 (small beats). This creates a pat-clap-clap patchen that will enable the students to feel the big beats and the smaller beats in between. Have them sing (or chant) their parts while you play an accompaniment on piano. Sing for them while they patchen. Try introducing the compound meter in a way that is more focused on how the meter feels rather than a mathematical break down of how the meter looks on the page. You can have them take familiar tunes in duple meter and change them to compound meter easily by singing first with the patchen and then playing.

I hope this helps. Good luck!