In this activity, inner hear strong or weak beats of a known song that is not written on the board.

Step 1. The students play a known song, melody or passage.

Step 2. Students deduce the time signature as 2-4 or Duple Metre and sing the rhythm names of the song, melody or passage while conducting.

Step 3. Students then play the known song, melody or passage, inner hearing all notes that occur on the strong/first beat of each bar.

Step 4. Students repeat Step 3., inner hearing all notes that occur on the weak/second beat of each bar.

• Play known songs, melodies or passages using different dynamics as chosen by the group.
• One group of students plays the beat on a chosen note while another group of students plays the rhythm of “Dog and Cat” on another (complimentary) note. On a given signal from the teacher groups swap what they are playing.
• Have small groups of students create melodic ostinatos to go with various known canons—these are played while the rest of the class sing the canon.
• Discuss the chosen ostinatos and whether they work or not and why this might be.

In this activity, students improvise two-beat rhythms to fill bars in abstract Duple Metre rhythms.

Step 1. Students are given an abstract 2-4 rhythm on the board.

Step 2. When the rhythm is written on the board, all students play these on their instruments while tapping the beat with their feet.

Step 3. Using a given rhythm set (e.g. Crotchets, Quavers & Crotchet Rests and Semiquavers), students take turns to improvise each bar that is missing two beats by individually playing these while the rest of the group continues keeping the beat with their feet.