Technology didn’t play a role in motivating me as a kid. I was motivated by three things: If you’re lucky, you’ll have some students who have similar (simple) motivators. They practice or fill in a theory worksheet because you asked them to. But no doubt, you have some that are less obliging.
Technology didn’t play a role in motivating me as a kid.
I was motivated by three things:
If you’re lucky, you’ll have some students who have similar (simple) motivators.
They practice or fill in a theory worksheet because you asked them to.
But no doubt, you have some that are less obliging.
Their favourite question is “Why?” and they’re never satisfied with your answer.
They know they should practice but it’s too much effort.
So what do you do?
Table of Contents:
Gen Z and Gen Alpha are digital natives who are growing up in a technological world.
When your traditional methods of motivation fall flat, you can turn to digital methods.
Try Practice Apps designed for accountability and motivation.
You can assign practice goals and track student progress in one place.
Apps like Vivid Practice App encourage students with reminders, streaks, and rewards.
Gen Z and Alpha love a good streak (think SnapChat Streaks and even TikTok Streaks.)
This helps you transform practice from something invisible into something visible and measurable.
Practice Space is more of a ‘virtual studio’ where students log practice, watch teacher demonstrations, and reflect. Sometimes, getting a reminder from an app is all they need!
As I mentioned before, Gen Z and Gen Alpha (who probably make up the majority of your student base) are digital natives.
Put them in front of an app with colourful buttons they can press and their interest goes up.
I can’t explain it. It’s just the truth.
Tonality is a comprehensive tool for exploring scales, chords, and progressions. Think notes, degrees, relatives, all that good stuff.
Yes, you could teach the same things using a pen and paper. But remember what I said about colourful buttons capturing your students’ attention?
HookTheory is a unique app and website.
It lets students analyze and build chord progressions using popular songs as examples.
Want to analyze the chords in their favourite Ariana Grande song? With TheoryTab, you instantly learn the key, the progression, and how to play the chords.
We reached out to HookTheory’s founder and asked them “If a student only had five minutes on HookTheory, what’s one simple thing they could do to spark their curiosity (or give them a “aha!” moment)?”
They said:
Have a student search Hooktheory’s TheoryTab database for their favorite song and open it in Hookpad. Suddenly, they’re in the producer’s chair, shifting the key or mode with a click, swapping in a new band arrangement with another, or instantly layering vocal harmonies. In just minutes, they’ll hear how small tweaks can completely transform the music they already love and that first “aha!” often sparks hours of exploration.
I’ll say it again – your Gen Alpha and Gen Z students are digital natives.
They are used to instant feedback and fast-paced interactions.
Pen and paper is slow.
So when lessons feel like they could do with a bit of a lift, try some apps:
You want students to revise note reading. They want to tap tap tap on their phones or tablets. Kids love pressing colourful buttons. One student sometimes just opens the calculator app to press the buttons! Let’s meet in the middle with music theory digital games:
• Tenuto: A sleek, no-nonsense app perfect for your older students, full of theory exercises like key signatures, chords, and ear training.
• Staff Wars: Notes fly across the screen like spaceships. Identify them correctly before they crash.
• Note Rush and NoteQuest: Use the device’s microphone to detect if the student is playing the right note on their piano.
• Flashnote Derby: A horse race powered by correct note answers.
In short, yes!
Motivation comes in different forms.
For some students, stickers and colouring in practice trackers are enough.
For others, an app reminding them to practice, or colourful buttons to press to answer note reading questions, is the best way to engage them.
