If your students are like mine, they need all the rhythm review help they can get, so a slapping fun music rhythm game is a great addition to the studio!
Often, our students see the exact same rhythms repeated in their music (think about the basic rhythm patterns featured in most lesson books).
I like introducing students to rhythms outside their lesson books and let them see rhythms that they might not always play in a lesson book.
A great way to do this is to play a game that features a variety of rhythm cards (and Rabbit Rhythms has 96).
If my student can identify that three quarter notes is a 3/4 measure, I want them to also be able to easily identify that a quarter rest, quarter note, quarter rest is also a 3/4 measure… and that a dotted quarter note, eighth note, and quarter rest is a 3/4 measure.
Added to that, I love clapping and counting rhythms with my students so they get the feel of the various rhythm patterns.
And playing a game like Rabbit Rhythms gives my students both those experiences.
What is Rabbit Rhythms Slapping Fun Music Rhythm Game?
Yes, we intentionally put “slapping fun” because, well, the main gameplay is slapping! (for teachers who need a gentle-play option, we have an alternative for you)
Rabbit Rhythms will help your students quickly identify how many beats are in a measure for 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, and 5/4 meters.
Students race against each other to slap the correct meter first and hop along the garden row.
One of the best features of Rabbit Rhythms is the rhythm cards. There are 96 different rhythms, so your students will get plenty of practice reading rhythms and figuring out time signatures.
Additionally, the rhythm cards are color coded:
- 40 black rhythm cards with basic whole, dotted half, half, and quarter notes & rests
- 56 orange rhythm cards with basic rhythms plus dotted quarter notes, eighth notes and rests
If you are teaching students who don’t know eighth notes yet or if you want to challenge your older students and remove the basic rhythms, you can easily separate the cards by color.
Here’s what you’ll get in the Rabbit Rhythms fun music rhythm game download:
- Complete Rabbit Rhythms game in US Letter size and A4 size
- Rabbit Rhythms game board
- 96 rhythm cards (color coded for easier and harder rhythms)
- 4 time signature cards (“slap cards”)
- 8 rabbit game pieces
- Rabbit Rhythms activity sheet in US Letter size and A4 size
- “I Explored the Vegetable Garden” success poster
- Bonus Rabbit Rhythms group game board (18 x 24”)
- Print release
How to Play Rabbit Rhythms Slapping Fun Music Rhythm Game
Students will learn how to play Rabbit Rhythms very quickly, so you can spend more time playing the game than explaining how to play.
- Each student picks a rabbit game piece and garden row
- Teacher flips up a rhythm card
- Students figure out if the rhythm card is a measure in 2/4, 3/4, 4/4, or 5/4 and race to slap the correct meter first
- Students can opt to clap & count measure for a bonus move forward
- Repeat until the first student has hopped across the vegetable garden!
It’s bound to be a wild and fun ride!
But don’t worry, there are ways you can play the game if you need to even the playing field.
I was one of those fast-slappers as a kid, and I have enough of a competitive streak to where I’d have likely won this game every time I played it, not making it fair for other students.
So If you have a super-fast and confident student who is always slapping first, give your students dice and make them roll for the correct meter (2 = 2/4, 3 = 3/4, 4 = 4/4, 5 = 5/4).
This is also a good option if you need a gentle gameplay variation.
The dice variation also works perfectly if you are playing teacher versus student, so the teacher doesn’t have the unfair advantage.
And you can also add an extra challenge to this game by having your students play the rhythms instead of just clapping & counting them.
There are a lot of options to make this fun music rhythm game suit you and your students’ needs best.
In our Rabbit Rhythms’ tutorial video, you’ll see…
- An overview of the entire game
- The original gameplay
- A gentle gameplay (or teacher vs. student or online)
- A large group game play for 7+ students
Don’t see the video above? Watch How to Play Rabbit Rhythms Slapping Fun Music Rhythm Game here.
Group Lesson option for Rabbit Rhythms Slapping Fun Music Rhythm Game
We know that many of our teachers teach both private and group piano lessons, so we created Rabbit Rhythms with group lessons in mind.
First, there is a bonus poster-sized board option you can bring to your local print shop and get a larger board for students to crowd around.
Secondly, if you have more than six players, instead of having the rabbits hop down the vegetable garden row, you can flip the game board and for each turn, the rabbit can hop into a new row (this will give them six plays before the game is over).
As with general gameplay, you can choose the option of slapping the time signature card or rolling a die for the answer.
Rabbit Rhythms Game Success Poster
We believe celebrating music theory game wins with a success poster will build student rapport!
The students have a goal to work toward (taking a picture with the success poster) and you can send the picture to the parents as a way to showcase what their child has achieved during lessons.
It’s a win-win!
These also give you great material for social media posts (be sure to tag @musicgameclub so we can celebrate with your kiddos!).
Rabbit Rhythms Game activity sheet
Once the student has completed the Rabbit Rhythms fun music rhythm game, you can further help them solidify their music theory knowledge with the activity sheet.
For Rabbit Rhythms, the students get to color five bunnies and then do some solid rhythm practice with music math.
This is a great send-home activity after your students have played the game.
Behind the scenes of Rabbit Rhythms music game
We are proud of the artwork by Kristen McHenry and Emily Darrel.
This game is full of personal nostalgia for me! Not only did we have massive family gardens, we also raised rabbits (I loved our multi-colored bunnies!).
Granted, as a kid, I wasn’t especially fond of weeding multiple 100-foot garden rows, but now, I have all the nostalgia brought back to me with Rabbit Rhythms.
Even if that wasn’t your childhood, I know you’ll appreciate the beautiful artwork and adorable bunnies!
Want Rabbit Rhythms fun music rhythm game?
Rabbit Rhythms was Music Game Club’s May 2023 membership music theory game. Anyone can now get it in the shop here.
Games like Rabbit Rhythms are just a taste of what you’ll get when you sign up for Music Game Club!
You’ll always receive:
- A monthly music game (formatted for 8.5” x 11” and A4 printing)
- Exclusive Music Game Club membership emails
- Video tutorials
- Themed success posters to go with the monthly game
- Bonus activity review sheet
The membership is only $15/month and you did read all of the above correctly.
You get so much that will help you boost student morale and make you a favorite music teacher this year.
You won’t lose the momentum and excitement all year!
Your students will start anticipating the first of every month to see what new game you will thrill them with!
Not to mention, getting monthly games via the membership is the cheapest it will ever be! Once it goes in Music Game Club’s shop, monthly games will be priced higher.
Comment and share!
Are you a slapping-game player? Or do you prefer the luck of rolling dice?
And… are rabbits and gardens a personal connection for you? (are you a “country mouse or city mouse?”)
Let us know in the comments below.
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