Best Music Rhythm Learning App!

Rhythm Solitaire is possibly my all time favorite music education app, and at $0.99, it’s worth every penny! We all know how addicting Solitaire can be, and this music version in no different! The creators of Rhythm Solitaire made this game accessible to children by including upbeat music, fun colors and a star system that awards them for each completed pile of cards. Once you figure it out, it’s really fun to race against the clock! In my opinion, it is the most educational rhythm app out there.

RhySolitaire teaches students to recognize different note values ranging from sixteenth notes to whole notes. Students must learn to identify 8 different note values and 5 different rests, and must be able to place the cards in order from smallest note value to biggest note value. At the most basic level, kids are learning small notes vs. large notes. As their fluency increases, students demonstrate an understanding of note-rest equivalency when they are able to combine the notes with the rests in ascending and descending order,

With my youngest students, I play the majority of the game, but put them in charge of the smallest rest and biggest rest. I make a point to say each rhythm name as I move each card, and sometimes mention how many beats something gets. After just one or two games, I teach those students the order of the 5 rests, and put them in charge of all the rests. After just a few games, their ability to recognize rests has vastly improved!

For older students, I let them be in charge of all the notes and all the rests. We start with a 5 minute primer on note order, and they are usually good to go! Every time we play, I make a point of saying the rhythm names and the number of beats for each card.

I find that my students from ages 3-12 love this game, and beg to play it at the end of every violin lesson. It’s really a great reward for a well behaved lesson, because the students truly love playing it, and it really is educational! I cannot recommend RhySolitaire enough for my Suzuki violin and viola students!