I find that my piano students have a difficult time with rests (places in the music where you don't play). Most have a very difficult time even acknowledging that a rest exists in the song. Even after I point out a rest, students seem to forget they are there. After a student sees the rest they seem to not be able to count for it. They will count fine up to the rest, wait a brief moment, then resume counting (where they had left off) on the note after the rest. They are confused at the fact that their counting gets off, but have a difficult time understanding how it happened.
I don't think that students are being lazy about rests. I just think that their brains can't make sense of these exact quantities of nothing. As students get into high school rests seem to become easier and fairly solid by the time they are adults. Is this due to introduction of more complex, theoretical math or some cognitive developmental thing? Being the concrete sequential that I am, I don't think I ever had difficulties with rests so I'm fascinated with this common problem. Any theories?
| April 29, 2004 08:52am | 
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because there’s nothing that amuses me more than hearing your pathetic opinion
Isn't the concept of 0 resevered for like 4th grade and then only a place holder. Zero as nothing is a pretty advanced concept.
k | April 29, 2004 11:54AM
K's ranting on a website that is not hers... Beware of the benevelolent organization. Benevolent org is supposed to give things away to those in need. This should be a joyful process. beware the red tape. if you work in the stinky feet department and have certified the client as a stinky feet person, have worked with the client for a year to get his feet replaced and no longer stinky do no be so egomaniacal as to thin you can give the client new shoes. No the new shoes people must interview the client, determine he had stinky feet, determine he now has a need for no-stinky feet shoes. Who needs benevolence when you can pay cash?
k | April 29, 2004 3:12PM
damn. for a rant it was quite witty and well spoken. and I'm so sorry that you work in the stinky feet department...
nomad | April 29, 2004 5:23PM
i agree with k (not the rant bit, even though that was very good) - zero is used as only a palceholder in elementary school.
maybe you could teach them that a rest is something - like a breath, or an empty count like an empty glass of milk, or something. i dont know.
Valette | April 30, 2004 7:19AM
I've been trying to teach that a rest is where you lift your hands so there is some specific activity to fill that space. That definitely helps. When having students clap rhythms (apart from actually music) I have them separate their hands in a sort of reverse clap for rests. That actually works well. It just isn't translating into their music very well.
nomad | April 30, 2004 8:41AM