Sharon Gratto (Gettysburg College), Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Jennifer Snodgrass (Appalachian State University), Boone, North Carolina
Assisted by Katie Stephens
Gettysburg Seventh Day Adventist School, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
April 4, 2008
This workshop was presented to students in grades Kindergarten – Eighth Grade.
The purpose of this workshop was to introduce participants to the Takadimi Rhythm Method and traditional Melodic Solfege. It began with an introduction to the Takadimi Counting Method. Students were then taught to improvise using Takadimi in order to apply the method to a musical context. The workshop continued with an overview of Melodic Solfege and its relationship to the major scale. After the students worked with both Takadimi and Solfege, they read through a standard piece of choral literature utilizing the two systems. Appropriate literature was crucial to the students' success, as was the use of a projector displaying the choral score and rhythmic flashcards. Students were excited when they actually “performed” the piece using correct rhythms and Solfege Syllables. The workshop was well received and a wide range of students made progress with the Takadimi Counting Method. One of the kindergartners was seen excitedly chanting rhythms as he walked down the hall following the workshop.
