The Skill Every Musician Needs (That's Often Overlooked)
Beat comes before rhythm — yet many piano lessons skip it entirely.
Think about this for a moment.
How many times have you heard a student play all the right notes… but something still feels off?
They’re counting.
They’re concentrating.
They’re trying really hard.
And yet — it doesn’t gel.
More often than not, the missing piece isn’t technique or note-reading.
It’s beat.
Beat: The Foundation We Rarely Teach Explicitly
Every ancient culture developed some form of drum to anchor the beat in their music.
Before notation. Before theory. Before instruments like the piano.
Beat came first.
And yet, in traditional piano teaching, beat is often assumed rather than taught.
Most of us weren’t trained to develop beat as a separate, foundational skill. It was something that we did or did not develop over time. So it doesn’t always occur to us that we can really help our students move forward more quickly by creating activities that intentionally build the sense of beat. Some students naturally have a strong inner pulse.
Many don’t.
And plenty of adults struggle with it too.
If beat isn’t secure, everything else becomes more difficult.
Whilst the best place to start is with beginners, it’s never too late and a little time focussed here is well spent.
Why Beat Matters More Than We Think
Music isn’t music unless it’s rhythmical.
Without a steady beat:
- pieces sound unstable
- sight-reading is stilted
- ensemble playing falls apart
There’s also fascinating research showing that children who struggle to hold a steady beat at age three have a significantly higher chance of experiencing difficulty when reading (literature) at age eight.
Just think of contribution you can make to every child’s future simply by soing a few beat activities!
Beat isn’t just musical.
It’s neurological.
And it’s embodied.
Which brings us to something important.
Beat Is a Feeling — Not about counting
We often teach rhythm intellectually, issuing lots of instructions:
“Count one-two-three-four.”
“Make sure you don’t rush.”
“Watch the rests.”
But students can count perfectly… and still play out of time.
Why?
Because counting lives in the head, while beat lives in the body.
Beat is an inner pulse.
A felt sense.
A musical heartbeat.
When students are stuck “in their heads,” their timing suffers. When they relax into sound, movement, and listening, everything changes.
This is especially important for:
- sight-reading (you must keep going)
- playing with others
- recovering after mistakes
- building confidence at the piano
Without beat & rhythm, music becomes a bag of notes.
A Simple Activity That Changes Everything: Shark Shark
One of our favourite ways to develop beat is a playful, multi-stage activity we call Shark Shark.
It works beautifully with:
- young beginners
- teens
- adults
- even university students
Why?
Because it’s gamified, embodied, and musical.
In this activity, students:
- track left-to-right visually
- play with a drumbeat (they can’t stop!)
- recover quickly if they make a mistake
- stay connected to the pulse
- begin creating their own rhythmic patterns
At one point, students rearrange rhythm cards to invent their own patterns — which is where creativity and early improvisation naturally emerge.
They’re not just copying.
They’re owning the rhythm.
From Preparation to Real Music
What we love most about Shark Shark is how it leads naturally into real repertoire.
After preparing the rhythmic patterns through movement, syllables, cards, and listening, we take the activity into Radetzky March.
Suddenly, students are:
- deeply focused
- listening intently
- staying in time
- immersed in quality classical music
Many children today simply aren’t exposed to classical sound worlds. Activities that incorporate pieces like Radetzky March gently expand our students musical horizons — without forcing anything.
Beat Builds More Than Timing
When beat is secure, students:
- sight-read with more confidence
- recover faster after errors
- listen more deeply
- feel safer musically
- enjoy lessons more
They stop bracing.They start flowing. And that’s when real musicianship begins.
Want to Try This in Your Studio?
Get the One-page Beat Activities Handout
And a complete Shark Shark resource set for Studio members
- PTS/Studio Members: Grab it inside your account
- New here: Download the handout for free
Listen or Watch
Want to see or hear beat in action?
🎧 Listen / Watch on:
Spotify | Apple | YouTube Video | YouTube Audio | iHeart | Amazon | Goodpods | Pocket Casts
Want More Done-For-You Whole Body Learning Resources?
Inside The Studio, you’ll find:
- A huge library of lesson-ready resources (including essential backing tracks)
- Practical Whole Body Learning strategies
- Monthly masterclasses (live + replay)
- Downloadable handouts
- Up-to-date teaching insights
- A supportive, nurturing community of piano teachers around the world
