With printing, cutting, testing, and prepping music games for months now, we have discovered over ten helpful tools for music games that you’ll love.
Now, before I dive into all ten tools for music games, I’ll add that you don’t need all of these tools to begin playing music games today.
I have personally been growing my music game tool collection all year, one piece at a time (my most recent favorite is a paper cutter, but I’ll share more on that later).
In this blog post, I’ll share how you can budget for tools for music games and then give our list of recommendations to get you fully set up for music games in your studio.
How to Budget for Tools for Music Games
Before I get into our list of recommendations, I can hear you asking, “But how can I afford it?”
If you cannot purchase all these tools for music games, there are definitely ways you can work around it so your students can experience the fun of music games.
For example, if you don’t have a budget for a printer, you can take trips to your local print shop.
If you can’t swing a laminator now, you can print on cardstock (which may not last as long, but it is a sturdier option than printing on regular paper).
But one of the best ways you can budget for tools for music games is to include it in your tuition.
Remember that adding music games to your studio adds value–and your students will usually go home with exciting tales about the fun they had at music class, which parents always love to hear.
So if you’re wanting to plan to play more music games in your studio, calculate the total expected price of purchasing music games and the tools for music games.
Divide it by the number of students you have and raise your rates by that specific amount.
For example:
$109.67 for a year of music games (by getting Music Game Club’s membership)
+ $500 (for everything on our list–a teacher can dream ;))
/ 35 students
= $17.41
This means that if each student pays $20 extra for the year, you can easily afford music games and all of the equipment to keep your games organized and in good condition!
Then, once you’re set up for music games, refills for ink, paper, and laminator paper are a lower price each year.
Also remember that these are all tax write-offs, so you can include it in your studio purchases.
So now that I have distracted you with math… let’s get to the fun part: shopping!
10+ Tools for Music Games
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1) Cartridge-Free Printer
When we knew we’d have tons of games to print testing for Music Game Club, we did a lot of printer research, and cartridge-free printers seem to be the most cost-efficient. The ink lasts longer and is super easy to replace.
Check out HP Smart Tank here.
2) Bright White Cardstock
I made the mistake of printing a set of music games on regular paper. You probably know what happened: they bend easily and don’t last long. To ensure your music games last longer, you will want to print them on cardstock … and for even more sturdiness, finish it out with lamination.
Get my favorite bright white cardstock here.
3) Laminator & Laminator sheets
To extend the shelf life of your game even more, laminate it. A laminator is very simple to use and can be quite addicting! Laminator sheets are also inexpensive to keep on hand so you’re always ready to go.
Check out our laminator recommendation here and laminator sheets here.
4) Guillotine Paper Cutter
This paper cutter is top on my list because it has saved me SO much time (not to mention saving my hands from cramping). I’m pretty sure it paid for itself in just one month, given how much time it saved me.
Because there are a lot of cards in Music Game Club games, you’ll be doing a lot of straight cutting. This guillotine paper cutter saves time because you can stack up to 10 pages (5 cardstock), line it up, and with one cut you’re done (literally, in as much time as it took you to read that).
Now, think about how long it would have taken to scissors-cut just one side of ten pages?
Get the paper cutter here.
5) Scissors
The paper cutter can only do so much, and you still might need some hand-held scissors for curves. It is worth saving your hands to get a pair that is comfortable! Try these out!
6) Tape
Our music games use minimal tape, but tape is a great commodity for any music studio. We especially love the sturdy desktop dispenser that makes it easy to pull tape and cut.
7) Plastic Envelopes
For the longest time, I kept music games scattered around in semi-organized piles per game.
These plastic envelopes make it easy to keep all of one game in a neat unit AND I love that it is visible so you can easily see what game you’re storing.
8) Plastic Storage Box
This is a must-have for me! Because Music Game Club’s game pieces are fold-and-tape so they can stand upright on the board, this means that they’ll easily get squished if you slip them into a folder or envelope.
These storage boxes fit all 8 of the game pieces perfectly (with room for a little more if needed) and keep you from having to remake game pieces as often.
9) Colorful Dice
Some of our games include the use of dice–and what more fun way to include dice than with ten beautiful colors?
Dice are also an important part of our Creek, Crick, Croak, Composing Camp, so buying dice in bulk is ideal for group lessons and camps.
Your students will love picking their colored die for activities!
10) Dry-Erase Markers
You can add even more educational angles by using dry-erase markers. If your games are laminated, then your students can draw helpful notes as they figure out the answer.
Also, if you don’t want to print a new activity for each student (which is included in every music game), print 1 activity, slip into a page protector, and have students write their answers with dry-erase markers. When the next student comes, wipe the page clean and start over. This saves you time and paper.
11) Staff Dry-Erase Board
This is not a necessity, but it is an extreme nicety to have in the studio! Students do very well if they can visualize the staff and piano keys, and this piano dry-erase board does both.
Stay updated with our favorite tools for music games!
Visit Music Game Club’s Amazon wishlist here, where we’ll add new tools as we add them to our own collection!
What are your favorites?
What are your must-have tools for music games or the music studio?
Are there any tools or equipment you think we should add to our list?
Comment and share!
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