Introduction

Have you heard of 4four? Although not as common as a musician might think, it will fast become a classroom favorite once you have a chance to explore it! 4four is a website dedicated to all things rhythm! It has a wide variety of tools and trainers that aim to be quick and easy ways for students to practice rhythm concepts. The simple design of each tool makes them great for even beginner music students.

5 Must-Try Tools & Trainers

When you first navigate to the 4four website, it is hard to know where to start! There are so many awesome things to look at and try out.  Although it was hard to narrow down my favorites, here are the top 5 tools and trainers I plan on introducing to students in my classroom to get them practicing rhythm. 

1. Odd One Out

This trainer shows students a 4 beat pattern and also plays a 4 beat pattern for students to hear. The student’s job is to figure out which beat that they see does not match what they hear.  I love this trainer because it is a simple twist on many of the rhythm practice activities we do in our classroom already. You could use this as a whole class to warm up or students could practice individually if they have their own devices available.

2. Call and Tap

This trainer requires students to “play back” a rhythm pattern using their device. It is a great practice tool for them to see and hear how their rhythm skills compare. Free music download An added bonus is that you can set the accuracy the student must have to continue on. This helps to give students immediate, and somewhat private, feedback for assessing their own skills.

3. Rhythm Dice

There is no longer any need to spend hours making rhythm dice for your classroom! As long as you have one teacher device or several student devices, you can have prep-free rhythm dice to use for any classroom activity!