UMT for Kids

To most kids, learning music theory is dry, repetitive, and boring. And yet, music theory is the written language of music, the mastery of which rips the lid off their creativity, unlocking their ability to learn new songs and even compose their own music so much faster.

That’s why Brainscape has partnered with Glory St. Germain and Ultimate Music Theory (UMT), one of the foremost music theory publishers, to create this collection of 3,000+ smart, adaptive flashcards: to make the learning journey as fast, efficient, and painless as humanly possible, not only for kids but for their parents and educators, too!

Music theory for kids (ages 5 - 10), covering the recommended curriculum for any beginner music program

These music theory flashcards for kids are tailored to pair with UMT’s Music Theory Beginner A, Beginner B, and Beginner C workbooks, offering a fun, easy, and systematic way for parents and teachers to teach their kids and students their music theory basics, while overcoming the greatest obstacle on the road to music literacy: boredom!

With a colorful cast of relatable characters (So-La and Ti-Do), these interactive music theory flashcards bring the subject to life. They get kids engaged and invested in learning their music theory basics, allowing them to build a strong foundation for fluently reading and writing music later on.

Importantly, these music theory flashcards will help your kids or students dramatically improve their knowledge and skills FASTER than they (or their exasperated music theory teacher) ever thought possible.

And, you can rest assured that they cover the music theory basics your kids are learning in any introductory music program. So, no matter where your kid is learning, you can trust that this comprehensive collection of music theory flashcards cover everything they need to know to progress really quickly.

What you get with Brainscape Music Theory Flashcards for Kids

With Brainscape’s Ultimate Music Theory flashcards for kids, students will learn the following music theory basics, all of which are fundamental concepts for them to master before they can progress:

• Key Groups: Keyboard: Black and white keys, and high, middle, and low sounds.
• Patterns: Same (line or space), step (up or down), skip (up or down), leap (a fifth), and octave (up or down).
• Staff & Landmark Notes:- Treble (middle C to treble C - line 2) and bass (bass C to middle C).
• Treble & Bass Clef: Bass C to treble C, landmark notes, sharps (F, C), flats (B, E).
• Note Values: Whole and quarter notes, and stem direction (up and down)
• Analysis: Musical concepts, terms, symbols, and signs
• Pentascales: Major (C, G, D, A), minor (C, G, D, A), and melodies on pentascales.
• Time Signature: Note values for whole, half, quarter, eighth, and rest values.

Thereafter, we offer a complete set of music theory flashcards (with audio) that span the spectrum of proficiency levels, including Prep, Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced, perfect for more experienced kids or even adults who are learning music theory.

All of these collections are aligned with Ultimate Music Theory’s engaging workbooks, ensuring that you and/or your kids receive a comprehensive and effective education in music theory that then empowers you to read, write, and make music like a maestro.

[Advice for getting the most out of these music theory flashcards]

1. Use alongside UMT’s workbooks

These music theory flashcards, while created to complement any music theory school curriculum or course, are ideally used alongside UMT’s Workbooks for Beginner A, Beginner B, and Beginner C. The flashcards are designed to really drill in—through fun, engaging practice—the concepts that kids are being exposed to in each of these workbooks. Each of the 12 flashcard decks per collection correlates to the corresponding 12 lessons in the workbook.

2. Be stingy with the 5’s

When your kids or students are prompted to rate how well they understood a concept from 1 (not at all) to 5 (perfectly), make sure they understand that the more honest they are, the better. Their rating informs Brainscape’s study algorithm how often to repeat that flashcard again. Any card rated a ‘5’ will not be shown again for a very long time. So only rate a ‘5’ when your kid or student knows that concept perfectly!

3. Study a little bit every day

When it comes to learning music theory, consistency is key, and a little bit of studying—even just 5 minutes of flashcard practice—every day, will contribute enormously to your kids’ or students’ progress.

[How Brainscape’s music theory flashcards for kids help them learn faster]

The brain is hardwired to learn and remember information in a certain way. The Brainscape™ flashcard app was born out of the question: what if we leveraged this hardwiring to help students learn more efficiently? Fueled by curiosity, our team of cognitive scientists from Columbia and Yale spent years developing a scientifically optimized learning platform to boost learning.

Our "secret sauce" is a learning algorithm that delivers information to your brain—or your kid’s brain—in a way that optimizes its ability to retain that information. And it’s the spaced repetition of music theory flashcards "Spaced Repetition: The secret to learning more while studying less" at precisely the right interval for THEIR brain that makes Brainscape so effective for remembering the facts.

Other important resources for parents and teachers of young kids:

• Get: Brainscape’s Early Childhood Education flashcards for kids aged 3-9, giving them such a headstart on their fundamental reading and numeracy skills, it’s nearly unfair!
• Read our guide: How to teach kids music theory (without them getting bored).
• Watch the video: How to use Brainscape flashcards with young kids.
• Download: Brainscape’s free, customizable lesson planners.