If you’re looking for a fun ear training game that will teach piano students to easily recognize intervals, look no further!
Ear training isn’t always included in piano lessons, but there are many benefits to incorporating a fun ear training game in lessons.
While I was taught music composition as a teen, I wasn’t taught interval recognition until I hit my twenties.
Not only is basic ear training fun (who doesn’t like to be able to hum a tune and identify that it starts with a minor third?), but it is also beneficial in creating well-rounded students.
Ear training does not have to be difficult.
Even if you have never learned to identify intervals yourself, this fun ear training game can guide you in teaching your students basic ear training.
The benefits of using a fun ear training game
When I reached college, we started doing several music theory activities that I hadn’t done as a highschool piano student.
Ear training was one of them.
Not only did I learn solfege for the first time (I was a good vocal sight-reader, but I didn’t know solfege), I was also tested for interval recognition.
I passed, but ear training was probably one of the biggest struggles among the students (which then bled into difficulty with transcription and sight-singing).
Here are just a few benefits of ear training:
- It heightens students’ understanding of music versus always relying on sight or needing sheet music
- It helps students become better listeners
- It allows them to hear incorrect notes when they are practicing
- It helps students’ sight-reading
- It prepares students for more advanced theory concepts
- It makes learning a piece faster as they can associate sound with sight and connect the dots faster
- It can help the student feel more centered and more aware of what key they are playing and any changes regarding this – meaning they hear when they are “home/tonic” or moving in a different direction
- It helps students be better composers and arrangers
- It helps students understand how to collaborate better with other musicians
- It helps students play in a band – they can hear the bass line and chord structure changes
- It helps students understand how to improvise: they know the distance from one note to the next so can “fill in” using different techniques from chord changes and modulations
If we can get our students engaged in a fun ear training game, their understanding of music will be strengthened without tedious hours of study like I had to do.
Can you think of more benefits of ear training? Comment and share!
What is Listening Lemurs?
Listening Lemurs is an easy and fun ear training game that will help your students learn to listen and identify different intervals.
We have provided plenty of teacher aids so you can easily walk your students through learning to identify different major, minor, and perfect intervals.
Even if you’ve never done ear training before, you’ll be able to guide your students with this fun ear training game.
Listening Lemurs is a great ear training game whether you’re teaching students how to identify intervals for the first time or if they just need a brush-up.
A look inside Listening Lemurs:
Here’s what you’ll get with the Listening Lemurs printable download:
- Listening Lemurs game in 2 sizes: US letter & A4
- Listening Lemurs game board
- 63 major, minor, perfect cards
- 8 lemur game pieces
- Teacher guide with intervals
- Interval recognition chart
- Listening Lemurs success poster
- Print release
- How to Play tutorial video
You will get the digital file to print and laminate (optional) for your music studio in both letter size (US) and A4 size (international).
Music Game Club members will also get:
- Listening Lemurs activity sheets in 2 sizes: US Letter & A4
- Poster-sized game board
- Bonus: Chord Chart
- Tutorial videos with bonus gameplay ideas
Membership is only open twice a year. Check out our membership page here for more details.
Get Listening Lemurs ear training music game here.
How to Play Listening Lemurs Fun Ear Training Game
Playing Listening Lemurs is super simple:
- Each student picks a lemur game piece
- You play a random major, minor, or perfect interval (there’s a teacher guide to help you)
- Students identify whether the interval is major, minor, or perfect
- Students draw the corresponding card that tells them how to move
- Repeat until the first student reaches home
Now, it’s not quite all that easy (of course ;)).
The cards are more than just “move forward.”
Sometimes students must move backwards, swap places, or even return to start!
This gameplay adds a little tension and luck as students identify intervals.
In our Listening Lemurs video tutorial, you’ll see…
- A complete breakdown of what you get in the music game download
- A step-by-step tutorial for how to play the game
- A few teaching tips and suggestions
Don’t see the video above? Watch How to Play Listening Lemurs fun ear training game here.
How to play Listening Lemurs in group piano lessons
Listening Lemurs is designed to be played with 2-6 students.
The gameplay is the same, regardless of the number of students you have.
One concern some teachers may have about playing Listening Lemurs in group piano lessons is that the slower students will just wait for the faster students to give the answer and they won’t learn intervallic recognition themselves.
There are a few ways you can work around this.
First, count to five before anyone gives an answer.
Second, ask a different student to give the answer each time.
Personally, I think that even if the student is waiting for a classmate to give the answer, they are still benefiting from hearing the pitches and answers.
Listening Lemurs Fun Ear Training Game Success Poster
We believe that celebrating with a success poster will build student rapport!
The students have a goal to work toward (taking a picture with the success poster) and you can send the picture to the parents as a way to showcase what their child has achieved during lessons.
It’s a win-win!
These also give you great material for social media posts (be sure to tag @musicgameclub so we can celebrate with your kiddos!).
Listening Lemurs Fun Ear Training Game activity sheet
Once the student has completed the Listening Lemurs ear training game, you can further help them solidify their music theory knowledge with the activity sheet.
For Listening Lemurs, the students get to color two lemurs perched on branches and then have to draw intervals above given notes.
This will help students realize how intervals are presented not only in listening, but also on paper.
Behind the scenes of Listening Lemurs Fun Ear Training Game
We are proud of the artwork by Kristen McHenry and Emily Darrel.
We fell in love with all the lemurs as soon as we saw them!
And the vines in the rainforest are so inviting!
Here are some “behind the scenes” development pictures!
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Lemur sketch for Listening Lemurs
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Game board for Listening Lemurs
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Game board for Listening Lemurs
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Game board for Listening Lemurs
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Game board for Listening Lemurs
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Lemur sketches for Listening Lemurs
Want Listening Lemurs?
Want monthly games directly to your inbox?
When you sign up for Music Game Club membership program, you’ll receive:
- A monthly music game (formatted for 8.5” x 11” and A4 printing)
- An exclusive Music Game Club membership group
- Video tutorials
- Themed success posters to go with the monthly game
- Bonus activity review sheet
- Bonus tutorial videos with extra gameplay ideas
The membership is only $9.97/month and you did read all of the above correctly.
You get so much that will help you boost student morale and make you a favorite music teacher this year.
You won’t lose the momentum and excitement all year!
Your students will start anticipating the first of every month to see what new game you will thrill them with!
>>> Sign up for Music Game Club Membership here
Comment and share!
Did you do ear training as a piano student?
What are some fun ways you incorporate ear training in your studio?
Let us know in the comments below.
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