The Rhythms Program
In the 1920s, Ruth Doing created Rhythms at City and Country, a unique program where children run, leap, and skip to live piano music, exploring new worlds through motion.
Guided by the Rhythms Teacher and carefully chosen live piano music, kids move with spontaneity and creativity, developing coordination and enhancing mind-body harmony. Ms. Doing believed that “every child has their own inner rhythm.”
Later in the 20th century, neurological science and child development research confirmed what early educators like Doing intuited. Engaging in rhythmic activities stimulates the brain, enhancing neural connections and promoting cognitive development. It aids in the development of the cerebellum, crucial for motor control and coordination, and activates the brain's reward system, releasing dopamine, which boosts attention and motivation.
Today, Rhythms is a core part of the C&C experience as it allows children to embody the curriculum and develop individual senses of creativity. In a spacious room, children engage in movement, dramatic play, and group dynamics. Using materials like balls, hoops, ropes, scarves, and balloons, they explore gross motor skills, rhythmic awareness, and relaxation techniques. Children aged 3 through 2nd grade bring themes from their studies or trips into the Rhythms Room, filling it with flora, fauna, and man-made objects. In 3rd through 8th grade, students use Rhythms to explore historical events and scientific phenomena through dramatic play. They become playmakers, scene painters, costume designers, musicians, dancers, authors, and actors, embodying and projecting their learning through creative movement.
This immersive approach enhances physical and emotional development, strengthens memory and learning, and demonstrates that movement and rhythm are integral to education.
Examples of Rhythms below:
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