Entertaining Your Kids (and Yourself) with Music: Chapter 1: The Games
Looking for a way to entertain yourself or your kids? Want them to still learn something and entertain them at the same time? Better yet, do you want them to have fun while learning music?
Well here are the top gaming apps that you and your kids.
Flashnote and NGM Kids
Both of these games test kids on their musical notation knowledge. In both applications you can create a personal profile and pick out the notes you want to get quizzed on.
In Flashnote, you pick between different speeds and the amount notes you get quizzed on. The coolest part is the different themes you can choose. In all these games you compete against the computer in a win-lose situation. If you win, big congratulatory music plays. But if you lose, a quick “try-again” sound and message greets you. It's worth it to win!
NGM Kids is a ninja themed game with the same note quizzing applications as Flashnote. The big difference here is it’s guitar-focused. Because this game gives you three play modes: Note Naming, Guitar Fingering, and Rhythm. In every mode, there is no win-lose situation. Instead the player receives different belt achievements (from white to black). The Note Naming mode is like FlashNote, but the cool part is the Guitar Fingering Mode. In this mode players test where the note gets played on the guitar.
Both games are a lot of fun. For simplicity sake, I would choose Flashnote for my note naming needs. For a more guitar focused approach, I love NGM Kids for the ninja theme and the Guitar Fingering Mode.
Rhythm Swing and NGM Kids
Rhythm is one of the most important aspects of music and one of the hardest to get a hold of. That’s why these two games are so awesome (especially for kids).
We talked about NGM Kids in the last section. While they do offer a Rhythm mode, it pales in comparison to Rhythm Swing.
Rhythm Swing is the best game I’ve found for practicing rhythm. The fun Monkey vs. Crocodile gameplay is kid-centric without being easy. In fact, it’s a challenging game with three different levels. Every level has four rhythm concepts and a boss to defeat. All the levels are accumulative, which makes it more challenging as you move up the ranks. To play, you tap along to the speed of the song in line with the note values. The payoff is when you make it to the end of the level and defeat the boss. The happy monkey will knockout the crocodile. Then bananas will rain down from the canopy heavens. A pretty awesome way to show your kid how well they’ve done.
Musical Me!
While all these games are kid-centric. Musical Me! is for toddlers and those in kindergarten. All the music is basic kid songs and nursery rhymes. There are different sections that your toddler can go to. They can tap on songbirds or planets. Or they can create music themselves. Again, this game is for ages 3-5 and is a great way to get them into music right from the comfort of your home.
Musical Learning Lab
This game is the next level after Musical Me! has run its course.
Musical Learning Lab shows kids the differences between pitches and instruments. It also introduces them to the concepts of high and low sounds, and even allows them to create their own music. Most of my students between the ages of 5-10 love this game. It might be because there’s rewards for completing the different games. These come in the forms of new instruments, trophies, or happy dances from a cast of animal characters.
Now that you have an overview of all these games, here's my recommendations:
For Toddlers I recommend Musical Me! It's an great introduction for youngsters. It keeps them engaged with music with its fun game options.
For children up to 12, I can't pick only one. I would pick NGM Kids for its guitar focus and note naming. Rhythm Swing is great for rhythm. Then Musical Learning Lab fills in the gaps between the other concepts. This includes offering more creative outlets to kids such as creating their music.
One warning to everyone out there: while Musical Me! and Musical Learning Lab are free, the other apps cost between $3-$5 each. I would say this investment is worth it when you’re trying to entertain your kid and have them learn music.
Enjoy these fantastic apps, and please put all your questions in the comments below.