Rhythm Trek provides interactive professional development training for teachers and administrators.

Specifically, we show teachers how to be more effective by creating connections between disciplines, incorporating higher-order thinking skills and using rhythm as a tool for engaging 100% of their students. 
 

Just a few of the teacher professional development trainings that Rhythm Trek offers:

 

Staff Team Building:  A staff team building session

with Rhythm Trek engages, empowers and inspires

your teachers, then encourages them to do the same

for their students. In minutes, your staff will be

laughing, cooperating and celebrating each other --

and the benefits last all year!

This is our most frequently requested session.

 

Comments from recent team building sessions:

 

 

"RhythmTrek took our 95 member faculty and staff on an amazing journey of joy to begin our school year. In 40 years of educational service I have rarely experienced the level of professionalism, joy, fun and leadership

provided by Jessica and RhythmTrek. Our staff was

connected and energized to begin the year together

in a bold new way that supported positive culture

building in every way. If your team needs a boost,

needs to think about collaborative leadership and

synergy to achieve results, consider an experience with

Rhythm Trek! Your team will benefit immensely."

Carolyn Baldwin

Head of School

All Saints Academy, Winter Haven, FL

 

 

"I just wanted to drop a quick note of gratutide for

the staff team building Rhythm Trek did at Purcell

Elementary. It was, by far, 100% what we all needed.

Jessica is amazing! She had us focus on the fact that

we need to remember our passions so we don't burn

out. It was exactly what I needed to hear. Quite

honestly, I think all schools could benefit from this!"

Angela Geraci

Purcell Elementary, FL

 

"This was just amazing. My only regret is that I wish

we had more time!"

April Laymon

Beauclerc Elementary, FL
 

"Wanted to thank you again. I definitely felt a different air in the school after our team building. Your #1 dancing fan Mrs. Hill told me she really appreciated it and is going to bring more fun into her room!"

Marcia McKinney

Snively Elementary, FL

 

 

 

Activate with Rhythm: Learn how to engage 100% of your students in the first five minutes of class, with rhythm-based activities specific to what you are teaching. We want teachers and students to thrive, not just survive. Rhythm engages both halves of the brain, so when you incorporate rhythm into your lessons, students learn information faster and retain it longer. Plus, it's FUN!!!
 

Comments from a recent Activate with Rhythm training for educators in Lake County, FL:

 

"The most meaningful thing about this presentation today was that I realized what seems like chaos (movement) can be harnessed and used as a valuable teaching tool."

-- Ruth McCullars

 

"I love that you told us and showed us how we are preparing for reading readiness, algebraic thinking, and fluency through movement and music." 

-- Erica Wiggins

 

"This is by far one of the greatest training sessions I have ever had. I knew a lot about music, but Jessica Fredricks opened a whole new world of learning through music. Great job!"

-- Martha Hill

 

 

The Rhythm of Engineering:  Experience the difference between following directions (an essential life skill) and engineering (a higher-order thinking skill), then engage in a rhythm circle to learn how it supports the Engineering Design Process, and finish with a teacher engineering challenge!

 

 

 

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In this video, participants at a conference session on STEM experiment

with "found sounds" and explore the science of sound with non-musical

objects at hand. A rocking rhythmic groove results!

 

Creating STEAM Connections:  This workshop is perfect both for STEM or STEAM conversion schools, and also for established STEM or STEAM schools who are looking for a dynamic training to recharge STEM and STEAM. Teachers receive a training playbook with oodles of tips, tricks, and games that help students develop creative problem-solving habits of mind.

 

Teacher comments from a recent Creating STEAM Connections training at Jewett School of the Arts in FL:,
 

"I really enjoyed the ideas for vocabulary. Excellent training -- would love

to do more drumming! 

-- John Meyers

 

"This training was engaging from the start! What a clear way of

explaining the Engineering Design Process. I learned how to

properly connect each stage with ANY subject. My students

will love the hands-on opportunities for each concept.

I LOVED this -- please come back!"

--Tracy Strouse

 

"Wonderful way to look at the STEAM process through new eyes.

Now I know how to make use of the finger-snapping and desk-tapping

students in my class!"

--Patty McKinnon

 

"This was an awesome training! I would like it to be all day so we can

learn even more strategies and activities for our students. This was

my favorite training this year. If we could have more of these types of

trainings I think it would get us teachers excited and then we could

bring that excitement into our classrooms!"

--Margaret Billiter

 

 

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Rhythm Trek also provides student programs and trainings:

 

"Play Well With Others" is a student teambuilding and leadership

program that uses rhythm and drums to engage students in peace building.

It looks like a fun, engaging activity - and it is! - but it's also a deep learning

process that uses the twin tools of metaphor (because when you use

metaphor, the message goes deep) and rhythm (because rhythm engages

both halves of the brain, so students learn quicker and retain longer)

for an incredibly powerful community-building experience. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If having Rhythm Trek staff deliver the program is not feasible, we also

offer a train-the-teacher option in which Rhythm Trek staff train the

teachers who will deliver "Play Well With Others". The benefit of this

option is that once your teachers have the training, they can replicate the program as needed. 
Student journals and Teacher Activity Guides can be purchased separately.

 

Rhythm Around the World is a culturally-specific drum program that engages students in learning how to play rhythms from cultures all over the world. Links to Common Core standards are provided in the Teacher Follow-Up Activity Guide. This program helps develop a student's ability to focus intently, and  the ability to focus intently on something is an indicator of future success regardless of which career a student chooses.

 

Engineering Through Music is a program that engages students in science, technology, engineering and math strategies using the instrument of your choice (drum, recorder, ukulele, xylophone, or voice) as a motivational tool. Students learn how the steps of the Engineering Design Process are related to a improvisation in music, and engage in a student engineering challenge using instruments and rhythm before completing a traditional engineering design challenge using recyclable materials. 

 

All of these programs are great for parent nights, PTA or PTO nights, or reward programs during the school day.