Laser Rhythms: Making rhythms with a group and experimenting with coherence and incoherence
I use this exercise to illustrate the dynamics of order and chaos and how both serve purposes.
Age: Elementary school +
Time: 20-30mins
Start by clapping out a very basic rhythm and have the group copy you. Change it up a few items and show the difference of when you get quieter or louder expressing this is like the amplitude in your signal.
Then start the group with a simple rhythm and ask them to hold the rhythm. Then start to overlay your own sub rhythm on top. THen ask folks, when they are comfortable, to start their own improvisations or to keep the base rhythm
See what kind of magic emerges and then open up the conversation for folks to discuss what they observed and experienced. Compare the pros and cons of both this order and chaos scenarios, and the differences between amplification in loudness and amplification in experiential energy.
