NEW Rhythm Cup Explorations® Accompaniment Tracks

You may have always noticed something different about our Rhythm Cup Explorations® beats in comparison to Rhythm Menagerie® and Rhythm Manipulations®. And it’s not just the cups! Rhythm Menagerie® and Manipulations have “Accompaniment Tracks”, while Rhythm Cup Explorations® have always been called “beats”. 

Did we mean to name them something different? Were they actually different?

Yes we did and yes they were!

Were the beats for Rhythm Cup Explorations® fun? Yes! Were they more effective than no tracks at all? You betcha. 

Here’s the Exciting News!

We hired the same musicians who created the tracks for Rhythm Menagerie® and Rhythm Manipulations® to create new tracks for Rhythm Cup Explorations® 1 and 2 that students and teachers will absolutely love! Not only are these tracks musical, they include so many different genres, and are composed specifically to go with the rhythms being practiced. This helps students want to practice, and helps them feel the rhythm “in their bodies” far more than just beats!

These tracks provide a whole new level of musical experience for the teacher and student!

Listen to the Difference!

Here are just a few examples of the fun new Accompaniment Tracks vs. the beats:

Why are these much, much better?

Here’s just some of the reason these new tracks are so much better – for you and your students.

1. Beautiful Music vs. Just Beats:

We purposely called the original tracks “beats” because that’s all they were – just some beats that had some fun riffs that played well with the rhythms. That’s why they were so cheap! But the new Accompaniment Tracks were specifically composed with the rhythm in mind and are absolutely beautiful and make the body want to get more involved in experiencing the rhythm.

2. Tons of Musical Styles

As with our Rhythm Menagerie® and Manipulations® Accompaniment Tracks, these new Accompaniment Tracks are full of all kinds of music styles! Here are just some: Disco, Cinematic music, Calypso, Latin American, Bluegrass, Country, Rock, Melancholy, Jazz, and so much more!

These are melodies and styles of music that students will enjoy playing along with, and there’s so much variation that you won’t feel like you’re always listening to the same thing with each student! 

3. Improved (slower) Tempos

4. Improved Preparatory Measures

The original beats had only one measure of prep – it happened so fast after you pressed play, that sometimes it was difficult to even hear it! The new tracks have 2 measures of prep, so there’s plenty of time for students to get ready – and there’s a little space at the beginning to breathe! 

5. The Rhythms Are in the Music!

As mentioned above, the original music was just glorified beats, so none of the rhythms on the page actually matched the tracks to help with accuracy. But the new Rhythm Cup Explorations® Accompaniment Tracks take a different approach. As the rhythms in the book get harder, the music helps keep students accurate by having at least one musical instrument use the rhythm. 

It’s not always like that (you should use Rhythm Menagerie® and Rhythm Manipulations® and their tracks for substantial training that always includes the rhythm in the first three tracks), but a majority of rhythms – especially after the first units – have this feature that really helps students (and even Wendy when she was doing it) stay with the music.

6. Hemiola is Musically Clear

Have you ever noticed the super cool hemiola in the compound meter unit in Rhythm Cup Explorations® 2? Well, sometimes, that’s hard for students to feel. Sure, they might be able to cup tap it correctly, but are they really feeling the shift from 2 beats in compound meter to 3 beats? It’s a totally different and super fun vibe and our new Accompaniment Tracks depict this so well and help the students feel it more in their bodies.

Here are our favorites from the new Accompaniment Tracks!

Do I Really Need the Accompaniment Tracks?

You can always use Rhythm Cup Explorations® without the tracks. But your students will have much more fun AND will be much more likely to get the rhythm IN their bodies if they use the tracks. We know that students are more apt to practice and focus when they’re having fun and this sure does that! It also assists us and the students know that they’re getting the rhythm right, and feeling it inside their body. If a student is playing a rhythm on their own, they may not know they’re rushing, or feel that they missed something. If they’re listening to tracks, not only can it help further develop their internal sense of rhythm – they’ll definitely know if they missed something if the music is still going and they’re done, or if they still have more to tap after the music has stopped!

In Book 1, there are also 3 tracks for every line of music – slow, medium, and fast. In Book 2, There are 4 tracks with different tempos. This allows students to start at a slower pace, but gives them the chance to really challenge themselves once they get to the faster tempo. We all have had students who demonstrate a rhythm perfectly at the lesson and come back playing it wrong! So these tracks help students check themselves at home to make SURE they have the right rhythm in their practice.

What If I Already Have the Rhythm Cup Explorations® Tracks?

1. You already have the streaming tracks? Then you automatically already have the new tracks in your account! You don’t need to do a thing to upgrade or request them. They’re already yours. Just log into your account and go to your tracks page and the old has been replaced by the new!
2. You have the old accompaniment beats? Then you continue to use those old tracks, but you’d need to purchase the new accompaniment tracks to use them. This is a great time though to try the streaming tracks since you get the first month free and you can see how much better these tracks are then the old beats.
3. You don’t have either yet? If you don’t already have the tracks, then you can sign up for the streaming tracks and get the first month is free (cancel any time). However, the price is going to be going up on the tracks starting September 1. If you already have a subscription, or sign up before September 1, you’ll be grandfathered into the old price. So if you’ve been on the fence about giving them a try, now is your time to go for it!

Will These Look Different than the Current Streaming Tracks?

The interface is not different at all – just the music! Everything will look exactly the same, it’s just new music that plays when you click on a track instead of the beats. If you don’t already have them, here’s how easy it is to use them:

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Has the PDF Book Changed?

Nope! None of the pages have changed, and there are no revisions to the PDF or music/track numbers. Those are all exactly the same. The only difference is the music on the tracks.

We’re so excited to be able to offer you and your students something that is more musically satisfying and effective. We’d love to hear your thoughts about the new Streaming Tracks! And if you have any other questions or need help with your tracks, we would love to help! Just send us an email at [email protected].

How Do I Get the New Musical Tracks?

You can get them below!