At Brooklyn Music Factory, we’ve made music games for kids a cornerstone of the curriculum.
Kids hopping from one poly spot to another. Koosh balls being thrown at a happy face or a sad face. Chord dice being rolled on the floor.
If you walked into a Brooklyn Music Factory classroom, it is highly likely you would see at least one of the above activities happening. Could be in a band class or a private guitar lesson. And if this seems a bit different than the piano lesson you took as a kid, it’s because it is. In fact, our curriculum will probably feel radically different.
One of the questions people ask us more often than any other is: “Why do you play so many music games for kids in your classes? And what exactly is a BLAM game, anyway?!”
…if this seems a bit different than the piano lesson you took as a kid, it’s because it is.
The WHY Behind Music Games for Kids
We play games in our music classes for one simple reason: they work. We have played music games for kids with thousands of students since we opened 10 years ago and they are incredibly effective at teaching the concepts (the music fluencies) we believe all students need to know and to play in a band. This type of game play is called “deceptive learning” and it remains the most effective tool we have found, especially for ages 4-11.
Joy Motivates
Games are fun, and fun is highly motivating. When they start, kids want one thing and one thing only from their lessons: fun. (Ideally, they’re having fun with other kids too, not just their teacher!)
Important: The goal of music lessons for kids is NOT just to get good at an instrument, at least not at first. The instrument is just the ticket to making lessons fun, and making lessons fun is CRUCIAL to kids wanting to continue music lessons. (And not quitting, like a lot of parents did when they were kids!)
The goal of music lessons for kids is NOT just to get good at an instrument, at least not at first.
Did You Say “BLAM”?
We call our music games for kids “BLAM” games, which is short for Big Lessons About Music. What exactly makes a lesson BIG, you ask?
We split our games into four categories: Melody, Harmony, Rhythm & Songwriting. (You can read more about BLAM games in this blog post.) Over time, these games teach important lessons musicians need to know.
For example, they’ll develop focused and strong listening skills and they’ll learn the building blocks of songwriting and composition, otherwise known as music theory.
Your Music Ear, Music Mind & Music Body
Musicians are like athletes. And like athletes, they need both great body awareness (developing fine motors skills) AND a sharp mind (knowing what to do with those fine motor skills under extreme conditions). At Brooklyn Music Factory, we use music games to help kids develop mind awareness. That mind practice is broken into games for strengthening ears and strengthening theory. (The body practice, while not simple execution, is much simpler to understand, because it’s what most people think of when they think of musicians. It’s the technique a musician uses to play the instrument. Students build their body practice through skill and technique practice.
More Music Games for Kids
We believe adding games to music lessons is not only fun, it’s essential to helping kids learn–no matter what type of lesson it is!
Want to try out some of our music games for kids at home? Our team of dedicated music teachers have created an entire library of free music games for kids of all ages on BMFTV. Try one out today!
Free Resources for Music Teachers
Whether you teach private lessons or music in the classroom, our music games can add a HUGE dose of fun to your lesson plans. Explore music games for kids of all ages on BMFTV!
