Are You Note Perfect?

This year, one of the top Christmas gifts for youngsters was a smartphone. Everyone who's anyone has some kind of Apple or Android, and while they're great for keeping in touch, there are loads of other uses as well.

As a parent, it may seem natural to be reluctant to allow children to use their flashy new devices for playing games on, but you might find a few of these facts help to change your mind.

Primarily, there have been scientific studies which show that playing video games can improve reflex and response time by 100 milliseconds. We know that doesn't seem like much, but the study was conducted in groups of surgeons and supported the hypothesis by showing gamers to make less errors during theatre. People with faster response times also get into less car accidents and make decisions faster and with more confidence. Many games also encourage puzzle solving, with creative and critical thinking being keys to success.

All that is before you take into account that there are many games out there which are educational in content, so the players learn something as well as gaining all the other benefits we just mentioned.

Here at Music Teachers, we have had a game commissioned which is designed to help music students read music and identify notes at greater speeds, which has numerous benefits; it will improve their sightreading ability which in turn will help them to learn pieces quicker and progress faster. It's called Name That Note, and you can play it on the Music Teachers website, along with several other free music games.

On top of that though, you can take Name That Note with you, and play it on the go on the Apple iPhone or iPad. The app, Note Perfect, is available for the excellent low price of 69p on the Apple App Store here.

A wise man once said 'all things in moderation' so when you feel your child has had enough time with games; why not find them some music lessonsmusic lessons so they can put their new knowledge of the notes into practice? MusicTeachers.co.uk has the largest online data base of music teachers in the UK and it really couldn't be easier to find a music teacher in your area.