Staffwars!

This week I'm going to write about a really cool game I've just learned about. It's called Staffwars, and it is put out by Themusicinteractive.com. Staffwars is available for download on the iOS store, but it is also available to be played on both PC and Mac computers! This is truly a game that every music teacher needs to have in their back pocket!

When you begin the game, you choose the clef that you would like to play in. The aim of the game is to correctly identify the notes in the clef as they come on the screen from right to left. The player has three lives before the game is over. Every few correct notes or so, the player levels up, and the notes start coming faster and faster.

This is an excellent way to test note reading abilities in treble, bass, and even alto clef in a fun and challenging way! A really cool and new feature of Staffwars is that previously, the player could only click a button of the correct pitch. Now, the developers of the game have made it so that you can physically play an instrument to indicate the correct pitch. This incorporates a whole new level into pitch identification and note reading.

Here is a video of the older version of staff wars - the player here is pressing a button on the computer to indicate the correct pitch.

Here is a video of someone playing the game while using an actual instrument!

Honestly, this game is such a simple concept, but if you get enough kids to buy into it, it could drastically improve a choral, band, orchestral, or any overall music program!