There is a difference between rhythm and tempo. Rhythm is the pattern, tempo, how fast or slow it goes. They are not necessarily related. You might have one ability and not another. Orchestra conductors must have a tempo knowledge working for them. A fast or slow tempo makes all the difference in the mood of the piece. With a metronome, Band in a Box or other software programs, tempo can be monitored and learned.

African drumming is taught by playing simple patterns, mastering them and going to the next level of more advanced complexity. Once the simple pattern gets wired in, then it's time to proceed but not before.

Reading rhythm through notes is a good way to determine what a rhythm pattern sounds like and be consistent about duplicating it. The best way to approach this
is to learn to count out loud with the proper syllables, tapping your foot to keep the main pulse until the rhythm pattern is internalized. Ex: Eighth notes are counted "one-and-two-and-three-and-four-and" in four/four time. (Start with this four/four signature first before going on to compound meters such as 6/8, 3/4,9/8 etc.) Sixteenth notes are counted one-ee-and-uh two-ee-and-uh three-ee-and-uh four-ee-and -uh. The "ees" and the "uhs" tell you where you are in the measure, "ee" being the first alternate sixteenth and "uh" the second alternate sixteenth after the quarter note pulses.
A basic music school musicianship class would help here.

Learning to co-ordinate counting, tapping (usually quarter notes) and playing will help internalize the rhythmic pattern.

Pitch discrimination can be learned, the best way is through singing. I have taught people with the inability to identify pitches by explaining that the steps in a scale
can be represented numerically and subsequently shown in a song. This is more
usable then the use of latin soffeggio syllables, do,re,mi, etc. which are the first syllables of ancient Latin hymns. For example using the numbers, Mary Had A Little Lamb can be expressed in pitches as 3 2 1 2 3 3 3.

You have to be patient with yourself when developing this type of training. It is very important not to get ahead of yourself when learning material, start simply and build.

Psychologist, Carl Seashore has devised testing for 1. pitch discrimination, 2. tonal memory, 3. rhythm memory and it is sort of a musical IQ test. It shows you where you are now, not how it might be when applying basic methods to learning.

Music is a language that must be learned. Some have an ability to get it faster as in all skills but application and love of music will serve to aid those and encourage their growth.