Stages
A game is presented as a set of ordered Stages: Learn, Play, Quiz, Challenge (certain games), and Review. Each has a target score, and, when playing to completion, a score is achieved that is recorded in the student’s score history. Reaching the target score on the Quiz usually demonstrates mastery. The Review is usually presented as part of another assignment and is designed to help with retention of the concept being mastered. Challenge games allow achievement of higher and higher scores, and high scores are recorded in a Leader Board that can be seen by any member student around the world.
Individual Play
The games may be played in any order, individually, by selecting through search criteria of level and major type (either aural or visual): Rhythm, Meter, Staff, Melody, Scales, Key Signatures, Intervals, Keyboard, Chords, Harmony, Musical Terms. And then search by sub-categories, to find a specific game/stage to play. Even when assigned to a sequence, a student may play individual games. Any scores are retained, and will show up when that game is encountered later in the assigned sequence.
Sequence Play
The real benefit of MusicLearningCommunity.com on-line games is gained by playing the games through one of the automated sequences, where successively games are presented to the student in a specific order by Level and Assignment. The order is designed to deliver a mix of concept types beginning with the more basic and continually advancing to the more complex concepts to master. Review games show up at intervals to help learning retention.
The first game in an Assignment is presented for play. Upon successful completion of the game (achieving target score) the next game in the Assignment is unlocked and available for play. When the second game is successfully completed, the third game is unlocked for play, and so on, When the target score is achieved on all Quiz stages (games) in the Assignment the student may click the bottom label bar to move to the next Assignment in the sequence.
[In addition to the order of game presentation are the insertion of other learning elements such as text, instructional video, music, and achievement rewards. At the time of release in April, 2021 non-game learning elements are not in place. Addition of learning elements is a continuing improvement process at this time.]
Sequence Assignment
All students, when created in the system, automatically default to the Lifetime Musician Sequence, but may be assigned to another. When a student logs in and sees the Dashboard, clicking on the Student Assignment element will lead to the game-playing environment and the student will be presented, automatically, with the next game to be played, or other learning element, in his or her assigned sequence.
Available Sequences
Lifetime Musician [LIFE]– this is the default sequence, designed by our founder, Christine Hermanson, to be a logical presentation of concepts by level, and generally follows the most widely used pedagogical models.
Link to LIFE Sequence details Complete spreadsheet of sequence assignments, game numbers, names, descriptions.
Solfege [SOLF] – this is the Lifetime Musician sequence, but whenever the game concept involves note reading, the lettered notes are replaced with solfege (fixed do) do, re, mi fa, sol, la, ti. This sequence is helpful for voice students. [NOTE: Not all games using lettered notes have been converted to solfege at the time of release in January 2021, but will be converted as soon as practical.]
Link to SOLF Sequence details Complete spreadsheet of sequence assignments, game numbers, names, descriptions.
Evaluation [EVAL] – this is a sequence made up of selected Quiz’s at each level to represent most of the various types of concepts. It is designed to be assigned to a student to help evaluate his or her progress, especially assessment of a student new to the teacher. The student should be assigned to start at a level that seems appropriate to the teacher. If the student fails to achieve the target score on several games, he or she should be assigned one of the other sequences, to start at a Level one below where he or she was failing to achieve the target scores.
Link to EVAL Sequence details Complete spreadsheet of sequence assignments, game numbers, names, descriptions.
Archived Version 1.0 (in this Help Center) members will find archived, detailed information that can be used to manually assign to students sequences that match many popular methods (e.g. Alfred, Faber, Celebrate Piano). These were used with the original version of MusicLearningCommunity.com prior to 2021. These are presented as spreadsheets that can be printed, where for specific pages in the related method/theory book, the game that presents the related concept is listed. These are called “Student Pages”. For a student to follow the sequence, he or she will need to search for the individual game set (Learn, Play, Quiz), play the set, then search for the next game set. The benefit in using the Student Pages is that the concepts being taught in the selected games are targeted directly to the method/theory book. The disadvantage is that MusicLearningCommunity.com cannot provide these in an automated sequence, and thus the student must look up each individual game, as well as missing the various other learning elements embedded in our automated sequences. [NOTE: we are aware that some of the Student Pages are outdated, but these are not planned to be revised.]
[NOTE: Additional automated Sequences are planned.]
Sequence Review
Teachers have the ability to review each defined music learning sequence in the form of a report, by selecting the Sequence box from their dashboard.
