Beat is the ongoing, steady, repetitive pulse that occurs in song, chant, rhyme, and music. The steady beat is the most fundamental concept in music. It is the part of music that makes you want to tap your toes, clap your hands or dance. Even newborn babies respond to the steady beat of music, and it is no surprise when you consider they have been listening to the steady beat of their mother's heart from inside the womb.
Most children learn to beat on a drum and keep a steady beat with their arms. This is necessary for being able to use a hammer, saw, or scissors. Through musical exploration in the Kindermusik classroom, your child may develop steady beat competency in the legs & feet as well. This lower body competency is necessary for playing sports, especially dribbling and shooting basketballs, as well as for dancing, skipping, running and even walking easily.
Total body beat competency even emerges in the ability to speak and read with a smooth cadence, thereby enhancing communication abilities. Studies also show that ability to keep a steady beat is connected with fluency in reading. A study by Phyllis Weikert showed that being “able to keep a steady beat helps a person to feel the cadence (rhythm) of language” and can also affect their sense of equilibrium (earlychildhoodnews.com).
