25 Ways to Use Flashcards Beyond Basic Drills

A good set of flashcards is an invaluable tool for any music teacher. Beyond basic drills, there are endless ways to use flashcards to bring some fun into lessons. The following is a long, but in no way exhaustive, list of ways to mix things up with a simple deck of flashcards.

Mix Up Basic Drills:

1. Sorting:

Spread all the cards out on the ground or a table and have your student(s) sort all the Cs together, all the Ds together, etc.

2. Sequencing:

Have your student(s) line the cards up in order:

• Grand Staff - have student(s) line up all the cards from lowest to highest. This is a great drill for students just learning about the grand staff and how it works!
• Scales - have student(s) line up the cards for a particular scale. If a note is sharp, have them put that card a bit higher than the rest. If it is flat, have them put it lower.

3. What’s Missing?

Lay out a collection of flashcards and give your student(s) a few moments to look them over and try to memorize them. Have them close their eyes. Remove one card, then have them open their eyes and try to tell you which card is missing.

4. Climb the piano

Using an animal eraser or other fun marker, have your student start at the low end of the piano. Each time a student gets a correct answer, they move their marker to the next D on the piano. For students who love playing against the clock, see if they can get to the top of the keyboard faster in each subsequent round.

5. I Spy

Spread the cards on a table or the floor, secretly select a card then give your student(s) clues like “I spy a symbol that tells us to play loudly” “I spy treble C, etc.” You can take turns with your student(s) and have them tell you what they spy.

6. Pocket dice

Depending on the size of the pocket dice you have, you may need to trim an old set of flashcards to fit in the pockets, but these are a really fun way to turn any flashcards into dice. Have your student(s) roll and identify the note or symbol that it lands on.

7. Treasure collecting

Lay flashcards out face up. Place a glass jewel, bead, or coin on each card. As your student(s) answer the cards correctly, they get to collect the “treasure.” This one is extra fun if you have a small purse or box that they can put their treasure in.

8. Treasure box

Place flashcards in an empty tissue box (you can decorate it if you want). Have students reach in and pull out the cards to identify them. Mix it up: include a joker or fun card and/or a trick card that requires them to put all their cards back.

9. Guess Who

Arrange cards face up on a table or the floor. Have your student(s) close their eyes while you hide a coin or other small, flat object under one of the cards. Give clues to help the student(s) find the card - It’s in the treble clef. It’s lower than treble G but higher than middle C, etc.

10. Improvisation variation

Give your student some basic structure around which to improvise (a simple one for students confident using both hands on the piano is to have the LH alternate between E-flat and D-Flat while the right hand improvises a melody on the black keys). At random points, place a tempo or dynamic card up on the music stand. The student must adjust their playing to match that tempo or dynamic. They should maintain each tempo or dynamic until it is canceled out with another card. For example, if you show them “Adagio” and then “forte,” they must continue to play adagio as they are playing forte. If the next card is “Moderato”, they continue to play forte while adjusting the tempo.

11. Notespelling Games:

1. Give your student(s) a collection of note flashcards. Write a word on a dry erase board or a sheet of paper and have the student(s) spell out the word with their cards. Here’s a wordbank to get you started.

Give your student(s) a collection of note flashcards and have them come up with as many words as they can. You can try playing a second round and see if they can have fewer cards left over in the end.

Bananagrams-Style (great for small groups, but can also be played with just student and teacher) ​Place all the the cards in a loose pile in the middle of the table

• Each player starts with 5 cards
• On “Go” players race to make words with the cards that they have
• If someone successfully uses all of their cards they say “Go” and each player draws 2 more cards.
• If both players are stuck, each player draws one more card and play continues until someone is able to use all their cards.
• Continue to play until all the cards have been taken out of the middle and someone runs out of cards or all players are stuck. The winner is the person with the fewest cards left over at the end.

Add a Little Silliness:

12. Use fly swatters

Arrange a selection of cards in front of the student(s). As you call out answers, your student(s) swat the correct card. This can be played just for fun with one student or as a competition with 2 or more students. The first student to swat the correct card gets to keep that card. The student with the most cards at the end wins!

13. Feed the monster

Cut a mouth hole in the side of a paper bag (brown paper, a gift bag, whatever you have). Add eyes and any other decorations you like. As your student(s) correctly answer cards, they feed them to the monster by putting them in the “mouth.”

14. Include a Joker

Draw a silly face or put some fun stickers on one or more cards in your deck. Whenever this card comes up, have a silly dance or action that your student must do. (Have them play a glissando on the piano or spin around in a circle or run around the room, get creative!)

Get up and Move Activities:

15. Path of Cards:

Make a path of cards leading to some sort of fun endpoint (a prize, a new piece, the piano, etc.). The student must correctly identify the card before moving on to the next one.

16. Pile Across the Room:

This is a simple solution for students that need to burn off some energy. Pile the cards across the room. Have your student(s) run to the pile, then come back to the piano and play the note or identify the card.

17. Scavenger Hunt:

Hide the cards around the room and have your student(s) search for them.

• Have them come back to the piano each time they find one and play the note or identify the symbol on the card.
• Before their search, have them place a marker on any key of their choice (within the range of notes you are drilling). Have them search the room until they find the card that matches the note they chose. Continue until they find all the cards.

18. Giant board game:

Arrange whichever cards you want to drill face up in a winding path towards an endpoint - studio mascot, the piano, student’s binder etc. Have each student roll a die and move a game marker along the path. If they correctly identify the note or symbol on the card, they can stay, if they are incorrect, they go back 2 spaces and their turn is over. Continue until someone wins!

19. Hopscotch

Lay cards out in a line with enough space in between for a student to stand. Students name each card, then hop to the next one and name that one, etc.

20. Climb the stairs

You will need an actual staircase or set of steps for this one. For each correct answer, students get to move up one step. Keep going until they get to the top!

21. Bean bag toss

Spread cards out on the floor. Have your student toss a bean bag or bean bag toy and identify the card that it lands on or nearest. If they are correct, they can collect the card. Keep going until they’ve collected all the cards.

22. Flashcard tag

Spread or tape the cards you want to drill all over the room or outdoor area. Call out cards and have students run to tag the correct card.

Games for pairs or groups:

23. War

This game is great for identifying higher vs. lower on the staff. Evenly distribute the cards between the two players. Both players flip over a card and place it in the center. Whoever has the higher note gets both cards. Continue until one player has all the cards or time is up. For a more advanced variation, have each student turn over two cards and whoever has the larger interval gets all the cards. Play continues until one player has all the cards or time is up.

24. Charades

Using cards with tempos, dynamics, and other symbols, have one student act out the term on the card while the rest of the students guess the answer. For larger classes, this game can be played in teams.

25. Circle Pass/Hot Potato

Have students sit in a circle. While music plays, have the students pass around a box or envelope of flashcards. When the music ends, the student with the box of cards must pull one out and answer it.

How do you use flashcards in your lessons and classes?