#4 The Skill Every Musician Needs, From Beginners to Professionals
The Skill Every Musician Needs, From Beginners to Professionals - That's Often Overlooked
Why do some students struggle to play in time — even when they can count perfectly? In this episode, we unpack one of the most fundamental (and overlooked) skills in piano teaching: beat.
We explore why beat is the foundation of all music, why rhythm can’t exist without it, and why counting alone doesn’t always help.
You’ll discover why beat is something students need to feel, not calculate - and how it helps at every level. We also demonstrate one of our favourite Whole Body Learning beat activities, Shark Shark.
In this episode, you’ll discover:
(00:00) Why Beat Is the Most Important Skill in Music (And Why It’s Often Missed)
(01:32) Why Counting Alone Doesn’t Guarantee Playing in Time
(02:50) Why Beat Is a Feeling — Not a Mathematical Process
(03:37) How One Simple Activity Can Build Beat, Reading, Creativity, and Awareness
(06:16) How Beat Supports Sight-Reading, Ensemble Playing, Focus, and Musical Confidence
Access the Shark Shark activity below to help students develop creativity, improvisation, reading stamina, and a deeper connection to music.
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