Do you ever have students who come to your studio using different counting methods? It can sometimes be tricky transitioning from one system to another or even adapting to what your student is already using. In February 2021, we gave a presentation at MusicEdConnect called “Let Me Count the Ways: Exploring Different Counting Methods and How to Adapt Them in Our Teaching.”
Olivia and I both came to the conclusion that it is helpful to be a little bit familiar with all of the counting systems and be able to adapt or modify them as needed. Students can learn more than one counting system just like they can learn different types of writing like cursive, print, or typing. All are acceptable methods of writing, but they achieve slightly different goals. Similarly, different counting systems can be used to meet different learning needs.
We wanted to share our counting system quick reference chart so that you can easily get familiar with these different ways of counting. The diagram is great for keeping handy during lessons!
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A passionate music educator, presenter, and author, Davis spends his days empowering music students through creative teaching and music education resources. He is a frequent presenter at conferences and workshops across the nation and is co-author of the Easy Piano Lead Sheets and Chord Charts series. He currently lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
