This week’s free teaching resource is a fantastic way to reinforce the names and values of notes and rests. The Rhythm Deck, downloadable below, consists of four suits (treble clef, bass clef, alto clef, and violin), each with the following note and rest values: quarter note, half note, dotted half note, whole note, two-eighth notes, dotted quarter note, eighth note, eighth note triplet, four-sixteenth notes, eighth rest, quarter rest, half rest, and whole rest. It covers all the rhythm values covered in Suzuki Book 1 and the first two volumes of most school orchestra method series.
Use the Rhythm Deck to play a variety of classic card games with a music theory twist. Game possibilities are endless! Here are my two favorite variations:
WAR: Two players. The objective of the game is to win all of the cards.
Use the entire deck or remove the note values that the student hasn't learned yet. The deck is divided evenly among the players, and cards are kept in stacks, face down. In unison, each player reveals the top card of their deck, and the player whose card has a higher note or rest value takes both the cards played and moves them to their stack.
If the two cards played have notes or rests of equal value, then there is a "war." Both players place the following three cards face down and then another card face-up. The player with the higher face-up card wins the war, adding all the cards played to the bottom of their deck. If the face-up cards are again equal, then the battle repeats with another set of face-down/up cards. Repeat until one player's face-up card is higher than their opponent's.
Play continues until one player loses by running out of cards. To end the game at any time, both players count their cards. The player with the most cards is declared the winner.
CRAZY EIGHTHS: Two to seven players. The objective of the game is to be the first player to discard all of their cards. For more than five players, use two Rhythm Decks.
Deal five cards to each player (or seven in a two-player game). The remaining cards of the deck are placed face down at the center of the table as the stockpile. The top card is turned face up to start the game as the first card in the discard pile.
Players discard by matching note/rest or suit with the top card of the discard pile, starting with the player left of the dealer. They can also play an eighth note card at any time, allowing them to declare the suit that the next player is to play; they must follow the named suit or play another eighth note. If players cannot play, they draw cards from the stockpile until they can play.
If the stockpile runs out, form a new stack by reshuffling the played cards (except for the top one).
The game ends as soon as one player has emptied their hand and is declared the winner.
There are even more game ideas in the downloadable directions included at the link above, including adaptations of Go Fish and Old Maid. You can create your own games or adapt your old favorites. I’d love to see your ideas for using the Rhythm Deck. Comment below, or share on social media @myviolinclub using #rhythmdeck.