I’m thrilled to share a wonderful new review of my book Ski-Hill Graphs Pedagogy – Meter Fundamentals, written by the esteemed music educator, composer, and performer Margaret Brandman.
💬 Review by Margaret Brandman
Margaret Brandman
Andrea Calilhanna’s book details a fascinating and extremely thorough investigation into meter and pulse, along with strategies for teachers and students to investigate works they are studying, using her CLAP, TAP, & MAP system.
The book draws inspiration from the contemporary meter theory of Yale University music theorist Richard Cohn. Through her teaching and research, Andrea seeks to simplify a myriad of meter concepts across a wide range of genres—from classical to World music—where rhythms move beyond traditional duple, triple, and quadruple meters into more complex patterns of 5, 7, or 11 beats per bar.
Her strategies foster active listening, notation decoding, and visualization skills, encouraging students to internalize rhythmic structures through techniques like double-knee clapping—something I have personally found very effective in my own teaching. The ski-hill graphs she uses help students grasp both the mathematical and expressive elements of meter, guiding their phrasing and understanding of beat hierarchies.
Congratulations to Andrea for this in-depth exploration of meter and for developing such a practical, innovative approach. I’m confident that both educators and students will benefit greatly from the tools she has created.
— Margaret Brandman,
Music Educator, Author, Composer, Performer, and Recording Artist
🎵 Why This Review Matters
Margaret Brandman is one of Australia’s most respected figures in music education. With decades of experience and a vast portfolio of published educational materials and performances, her endorsement affirms the academic and practical value of this book for music teachers and learners worldwide.
📚 Where to Get the Book
Ski-Hill Graphs Pedagogy – Meter Fundamentals is available now on Amazon and other major retailers.
👉 Click here to buy the book and explore innovative strategies to teach and understand meter like never before.
