By Kathy Morrison, Director 

While we would love to be in our studios making beautiful music with you all, our first priority is to keep all our Kathy’s Music families and teachers safe. As families begin the transition to distance learning for school, things may start to feel a little overwhelming. Does this sound familiar? If so, then don’t forget the music. As you settle into these new routines, use music to break up the day in a variety of ways.

First, use music to create energy or reduce it. Take time for a dance break to insert a large dose of fun and movement. Or are you looking to reduce the energy around the house? Select a soothing track and invite everyone to relax, day dream, and draw.

Next, build in your practice routine for lessons.  Encourage your children to continue daily practice while considering an ideal time of day – first thing in the morning, as a break during school work, or maybe as part of a new lunch time routine. See our recent article here for tips to support the virtual lesson experience. The routine and ritual of frequently practicing their instruments at home will bring a wonderful sense of normality and certainty, which your child (and everyone) will be craving right now.

Then insert a music game to combine fun and learning – there are plenty to choose from! We compiled a list of websites and apps that focus on strengthening music reading skills and more. You’ll be delighted to see that some are games, while others are exercises. 

Music Apps for Reinforcing Lessons:

(click name for the link to the app)

–Rhythm cat

–Treble cat ($4.99 HD, free lite)

–Bass cat ($4.99 HD, free lite)

–Staff wars ($0.99 app, free online)

–Violin racer

-Cello racer

–Music crab (free app)

–Note rush (racing game app, $4.99) 

–Beat Maker Star (rhythm games)

–Musictheory.net– (free online, also available as an app you can buy)

This is a great for practicing all rudiments of music theory. It provides a great variety of exercises for rhythm, interval recognition, note recognition, chords, etc. 

 

But wait there’s more! Check out these fun tools for making practice more fun than ever before.

Fun Practice Aids:

(click name for the link to the app)

–Dance Pad (create beats, can play scales or songs with a fun beat)

–Decide Now! (Random spinner- can be used to isolate skills and decide what to focus on)

–Dice Roller! (Can be used to decide number of repetitions)

 

Need help with tuning? Here are a few to consider:

Tuning and Metronome apps:

(click name for the link to the app)

–Free Chromatic Tuner (free)

–insTuner Free Chromatic tuner (free)

–Tunable ($2.99)

–Tonal Energy ($2.99)

–Pitch (free but only for Apple products)

–Pro Metronome (free)

–The Metronome by Soundbrenner (free)

 

There are so many other music apps to consider.
Do you have a favorite music app or game that’s become a favorite?
If so, we’d love to hear from you! Contact us at info@KathysMusic.com. We are happy to add to this list based on your favorite recommendations.