Spot It!
Here is a new game, Spot It! to help students with terms. My students have struggled recently with knowing what the symbol is actually called. They know what does but the actual term often eludes them. So here’s a game to help them brush up on those terms.
Based on the game in the U.S.A. known as Spot It, but in other countries as Dobble. Students have to find the symbol on their card that matches the card in the middle and say the name of the symbol. This version uses basic symbols for all music reading. So this version of Spot It is not string player specific.
Why use games to help students? Research has found that when we enjoy what we are doing we retain information. Playing a game like Spot It also involves moving the body which also helps memory recall.
Our senses don’t function independently. Information from all our senses comes together whether or not it is relevant at that moment. All of that information combines and then we perceive it. It is one of the reasons why our brain & mind is closely tied to the body – all the senses and our mind are thoroughly integrated with each other. When we use just one sense, the other senses are sending in noise. When we utilize more than one sense, we are giving additional meaning to that experience. We remember it better because a) stronger neural connections are formed & b) information from multiple senses is bound together. This is why reading subtitles and listening to the audio on Netflix is easier than just audio. The phenomenon is called cross-modal congruence.
- Why Fun, Curiosity & Engagement Improves Learning: Mood, Senses, Neurons, Arousal, Cognition,
So incorporating this types of learning into students practice can be very beneficial both to grow their love of music and their understanding and knowledge.
