Virginia AHPERD_SpringSummer2026

More Than Music: The Essential Role of Rhythm in Physical Education Chloe Ouellette , MS. Ed, is a recent graduate of the James Madison University PHETE Program and is a high school teacher in Spotsylvania County Public Schools.

Introduction Too often, physical education is seen as extra recess or playtime, but physical educators know better. We are re sponsible for building students’ motor skills, confidence, and physical literacy for a lifetime of health and wellness (Couturier et al., 2013). One of the most powerful yet unde rused skills we have is rhythm. From kindergarten onward, the Virginia Standards of learning expects students to be able to move to rhythm (Virginia Department of Educa tion, 2022), making rhythm training an essential and inten tional part of our curriculum. Rhythm training connects movement to a beat, involving the coordination of the whole body (Yin et al., 2023) through beat-based activities that enhance students’ cognitive abilities (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2013), executive functions, motor control, and pre dictive processing (Frischen et al., 2022). However, there is a lack of structured rhythm training in physical education. With the decline of dance education (Parsad & Spiegel man, 2012) and training gaps in physical education teacher preparation programs, there are not enough physical edu cators who feel competent and confident enough to teach rhythm training (El-Sherif, 2016). Teachers often rely on fun rhythm and/or dance activities found in other resourc es, but don’t fully understand the deeper value, aside from the obvious physical aspect. The purpose of this article is to highlight the extraordinary value of rhythm training in physical education and provide examples of how physical educators can implement this into their programs. Rhythm On The Brain and Body In physical education, rhythm isn’t just something we hear in the music played during class. Rhythm engages and enhances the predictive processing of the brain. When stu dents walk, jump, or dribble to a beat, they are practicing anticipatory timing. Their brains are able to recognize the pattern and prepare their body for what is coming next. Research has shown that beat-based rhythm skills help students anticipate and prepare for what is coming rath er than reacting to what has already passed, which helps make the students more coordinated and efficient mov ers (Frischen, et al., 2022). In a systematic review of how rhythm skills affect the executive functions of the brain, it was shown that rhythm training strengthens the brain systems involved in timing, coordination, and cognitive control (Ahokas, 2025). When children practice structured rhythm training, or beat-based activities, not only are they exercising their bodies, but also the neural systems

that support these executive functions, including inhibi tory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (Frischen, et al., 2022) as well as problem-solving abilities and self-regulation (Miendlarzewska & Trost, 2013). Much like any other skill, continuous improvement of executive functions will be achieved as the students practice rhythm training, which has also been shown to enhance motor skill development (Ahokas, 2025). A study with young swimmers shows us that those who practiced rhythm training were able to refine their neu ral timing systems, helping them become more efficient swimmers than those who did not practice rhythm training (Yin et al., 2023). This shows a clear connection between rhythmicity and movement coordination. When children engage in beat-based activities, they are often using a com bination of gross and fine motor skills, which helps them synchronize movement patterns with rhythm. This is es sential for being able to do fundamental movements like walking, running, and skipping (Kenney & Khokha, 2023). Every time a student moves to a beat, they are practicing and training their predictive-processing, executive func tions, and motor skills that are all used in sports and every day life. To put it simply, rhythm is a powerful tool to help you build smarter movers. Benefits of Rhythm Training As educators, our goal is to support the development of the whole child, not only within our subject areas, but in a way that prepares students for life outside of school. Rhythm training helps us do exactly that by strength ening students’ social, emotional, and academic skills. Synchronizing movement with others is a natural way to strengthen social connections. Humans begin recognizing and responding to rhythm very early in life, and even in fants are able to detect rhythmic information like touch or singing (Frischen, et al., 2022). Research shows that joint rhythmic activities, rhythm or beat-based activities with another person, increases cooperation and prosocial be havior (Kirschner & Tomasello, 2009). This tells us, again, that rhythm is not just music, it opens us up to experiences that are inherently relational and support the social and emotional development of students. There is also a connection between rhythm training and reading and literacy. Students with reading difficulties often have an atypical rhythm perception, and vice versa (Lense et al., 2021). In fact, rhythm training can even ben efit the language abilities of children with developmental dyslexia (Moritz et al., 2013; Flaugnacco et al., 2015). This

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