Body Percussion

Clap, snap and stamp your way through lessons, exercises & games focused on developing musical timing and rhythm.

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Body Percussion is a collection of practical classroom resources designed to develop core musical skills and build a strong rhythmic foundation.

Students learn to mark the beat using body actions such as clapping, clicking and stamping, follow simple graphic scores, and develop a shared musical vocabulary around pulse, rhythm and rests. These skills support listening, coordination and ensemble performance.

Exercises & Games

Develop pulse, coordination and listening skills through short activities designed for full-class participation. These exercises help students build confidence and prepare for ensemble performance.

Primary Projects

Structured teaching projects that develop body percussion skills progressively through sequenced lessons.

Body Beat Basics

A project using body percussion to develop listening and performance skills across five pieces of music. Students perform rhythmic patterns, explore notation, and create their own rhythms using interactive video playalongs.

Rhythmic Roots

A 10-lesson project developing pulse, rhythm and notation skills. Students learn to follow signals, perform rhythmic patterns, and build a shared musical vocabulary while improving coordination and ensemble awareness.

Playalongs

Apply body percussion skills in a musical performance context by performing along to popular songs.

Activity types

Each playalong includes two activity types – Playalong and Switch! – offering different ways for students to perform with the music.

Playalong

Perform the body percussion part together as a class, following the on-screen patterns in time with the music.

Switch!

Perform one row at a time, switching to a new row when your leader calls “Switch!”.