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 I'm including this article again just in case you missed it in November and/or didn't see the YouTube video. Perfect to read and video watch when things slow down a bit during your winter break.
How to Play Speed + A really fast game of Michiko playing her 10-year old student, Roxana
Hands down, this is the most popular Music Mind Games game ever. It is a Classic Game that develops the ability to quickly think forwards and backwards at almost the same time. Since this is something musicians must do constantly, this game is an excellent brain game. Speed is an advanced version of Slow except with more cards and without turns. For directions for Slow, see the newsletter dated 1/28/2010. For Speed, see p. 314 in the Music Mind Games book. Also see page 50 in the revised Handbook.5 for ideas how to adapt it for practicing intervals, solfege, notes on the staff, tempos and key signatures.
Goals: To have great fun thinking fast
Materials: rhythm playing cards
Number of Players: 2 per deck of cards
Teaching Game or Memory Game: memory game
Additional YouTube Video: Speed with Notes and Rests - Sweden
Deal: Rhythm playing cards are dealt as in Slow, except dealer deals (1) two cards face-up in the center to form the discard piles, (2) five cards are placed face down in the side piles, (3) five cards are dealt face up to each player, and (4) the remaining cards are divided evenly into two stacks that the players hold face down in their hands.
Play: After saying "GO!", players place notes or rests cards that are one less or one more than the top cards in the discard piles as fast as they can without taking turns. Play is very "free" with values of cards going up or down as player's cards are played.
- notes can be played on rests and vice versa
- notes can be played on notes and rests can be played on rests
- dotted notes must be played between cards without dots
- dotted notes must be played between rests
- sixteenths are played on whole values and vice versa (wraparounds)
Students quickly fill new spaces in their row with cards from their stacks. When stuck (neither player has a card to play on either discard pile), one player says “Go!” and each one turns over one card from a side pile. Next time they are stuck, the other player says "Go". If it happens that there are no cards left in the side piles, the top two cards from the discard pile remain in place, and the cards underneath are gathered up and turned face down to become the new side piles.
Players must hold their stack of cards in one hand and move cards with the other. Only when a player has used all the cards in his/her stack, is it okay to use two hands to play the last five cards. The first player to discard all of his/her cards into the discard piles wins the game. Yes, this is one of the few Music Mind Games that has a winner. But, players rarely mind as they shuffle the cards to play again.
In teacher training workshops I'm often challenged to a game of Speed. Of course, everyone cheers for the teacher rather than me.  And my students love to play me, too and often beat me. I'm happy to play anyone of you reading this next time we meet.
Practice playing Speed with your students/children - tell them that in a later issue I will share how to play Ultimate Speed.
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Register online for the following summer teacher training workshops:
Take care!
