Rhythmic building bricks are often used in the Orff process and let students take simple rhythms and then create more complex ideas. Let’s look at the basics of how to use them for teachers new to the process and some special extensions for those who’ve used them before.
The Origin of Rhythmic Building Brick
Rhythmic building bricks were designed by Carl Orff’s contemporary, Gunild Keetman, and explained in detail in her wonderful book, “Elementaria.” They are simple note patterns that can be combined into more complex patterns.
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What Are Rhythmic Building Bricks?
Rhythmic building bricks, sometimes called rhythm blocks, are 2-beat patterns using only quarter notes, quarter rests, and paired eighth notes.
Students brainstorm and find words that have the same number of syllables as the simple patterns so 1, 2, 3, or 4 sounds.
Then they string 4 or 8 bricks together to create a more complex pattern.
Teachers often use themes to support cohesiveness to the complex patterns that are created.
Older students can explore bricks in compound meter using 1 (dotted quarter), 2 (quarter eighth), and 3-note (3 eighth notes) combos. Valentine’s Day and February is the perfect time to try this variation.
How Are Rhythmic Building Bricks Used
Halloween/October is the perfect time to use rhythm bricks. Here’s what one class created.
The top of the board shows their brainstorming. The bottom shows the bricks they put together to create a more complex pattern.
In the above 8-brick pattern, students used repetition to create their “beat.”
Haunted House (3), Halloween (3), Jack-o-lantern (4), Boo (1). Black Friday (3), Frankenstein (3), candy (2), Boo (1).
Specific Learning Goals
Repetition: It’s a perfect time to teach them about repetition and that it might not sound the best to use “one of each pattern.”
Exploration: When working with a partner or in groups, learning to try different combinations is optimal. The idea of “one and done” is a big NO.
Form: What you create from the new patterns makes a perfect “B” section for a song or poem.
The Halloween beat above would be the perfect B section to an A of Pass the Pumpkin for a final ABA form.
If working in multiple groups, it becomes a great way to teach rondo form. ABACADA where “A” is Pass the Pumpkin and B, C, and D are the 8 measure beats created by different groups.
Tone Color: Taking the patterns and transferring to instruments is a great way to let students learn about tone color. What instrument(s) will sound best with your pattern and the overall theme?
Extensions
Centers
Using whole-class instructions is a great way to learn about and work with bricks. You can extend and expand the learning in other ways.
Individual/Partner/Small Groups: Students can explore in these groupings in a regular class setup or in centers.
Your music center setup will be a BREEZE with this easy-to-use and effective “Create a Songtale” rhythm resource using quarter notes and rests and eighth note pairs in a rhythmic building brick format.
Making Bricks
Make blocks for centers using building blocks or foam cubes. On the building blocks, use stickers or a permanent marker. I sprayed a coat of polyurethane on my blocks and it really helped keep the notes from rubbing off.
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I got the Mega Bloks below from my local Goodwill. Prextex Blocks are currently the closest I can find to them.
Written Activities
A fun writing rhythm activity using building bricks where students create a rhythm menu and take-out orders!
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