In 2016, a psychological study explored how music video games affected players. The research unfortunately didn’t cover whether playing such games improved the player’s musical skills. However, it found that people who played them had better music listening skills. These are important in helping musicians understand the complexities of a piece — nuances in rhythm, tone, pitch, and other aspects of a melody.
But apart from listening skills, music games and apps can also serve tools for educators to teach musical concepts. In line with this, here are some of the best music games that can help your students learn how to play an instrument.
Guitar Hero and Rock Band
Guitar Hero and Rock Band are available on popular gaming consoles. As the names suggest, these are music rhythm games that simulate playing on the real thing. Controllers are play versions of guitars and drum sets. Each presents a wide array of songs that your students can play at varying difficulty levels. Though one won’t exactly learn how to play either instrument, these video games are perfect entry points for people who want to learn musical instruments. They can even improve motor control of their hands as well as the basics of rhythm and instrument handling.
Tetris
Music Repo shares that pattern recognition helps music students sight read, as it makes it easier for them to recall music and learn new pieces with similar patterns. That’s why they recommend the game Tetris, as not only does it help with pattern recognition it also gives students a change from just practicing their instrument. Foxy Games describes Tetris as a fast-paced game where players have to create lines of matching blocks. Players build their strategy around potential block sequences and placement, making it an excellent avenue to practice one’s pattern recognition skills. And as the game is played to a strong beat, which affects the movement of the bricks, it brings together pattern recognition and music.
Yousician
Yousician is a mobile application that can help anyone learn the guitar, piano, ukelele, and bass, and even practice their vocal talent. While not a game in the usual sense, it has some game-like elements that are great for keeping students interested. Yousician is a great music practice app because it engages the students with music-based missions and challenges. It tracks how well the student does for each mission or challenge, then provides instant feedback to encourage them to improve upon their skills. Since it lets students learn how to play instruments at their own pace, Yousician is an excellent choice for those who enjoy self-study and are motivated by progress.
These three games are great for engaging your students and motivating them to learn more about their instrument. They provide a fun and interactive way for them to improve their skills and maybe even grow to appreciate music a little more. And you can definitely use them as a way to mix up music lessons from time to time.
For more advice on how to engage your students, check out our article on building rapport. It cites some helpful tips that might seem trivial, like learning your students’ names, but are extremely helpful for forming bonds in the long run.