Musical bingo is bingo with listening in place of numbers. A piece of music plays, and each player covers a square when they hear what it names. This page explains three versions, from age four up, and links to free cards that print with every card different.
What you need
- Cards. Make them with the free listening bingo maker. Choose what goes on the cards, pick a size, and print.
- Markers. Buttons, coins, dried beans, or scraps of paper.
- Music. Any way to play a recording.
Card sizes
| Card | Squares | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| 3 by 3 | 9 | Ages 4 to 6 |
| 4 by 4 | 16 | Ages 7 to 9 |
| 5 by 5, with a free square | 25 | Ages 10 and up, and groups |
Version 1: things to hear
This version works with any piece of music.
- In the bingo maker, choose “Things to hear.”
- Give each player a card. The squares name things such as “a loud part,” “a tune that comes back,” and “plucked strings.”
- Play a piece of four to eight minutes.
- A player covers a square on hearing what it names.
- The first to cover a full row, up, down, or across, calls “bingo.”
- Play the piece again, and let the winner point out what they heard.
Good pieces for this version have many changes:
- In the Hall of the Mountain King, by Grieg
- The William Tell Overture, by Rossini
- The second movement of the Surprise Symphony, by Haydn
- “Spring,” from The Four Seasons, by Vivaldi
Version 2: instruments
- In the bingo maker, choose “Instruments.”
- Play a piece that shows the instruments one at a time.
- A player covers an instrument on hearing it.
Two pieces were made for this job:
- The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, by Britten, which takes the orchestra apart section by section
- Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev, which gives each character an instrument
For young children, play short clips of single instruments first, so they know each sound.
Version 3: name that tune
This version takes ten minutes to set up, and it suits a party or a class. For more party games, read musical party games for kids.
- Choose 16 pieces your players know. Use the list below.
- Each player draws a 4 by 4 grid and writes the 16 titles in the squares, in any order they like.
- Play 15 seconds of each piece, in a mixed-up order.
- A player covers the title on hearing it.
- The first full row wins.
For younger children, use pictures in place of titles: a swan, a bee, a clock.
Sixteen pieces for name that tune
| Piece | Composer |
|---|---|
| Symphony No. 5, the opening | Beethoven |
| “Ode to Joy” | Beethoven |
| “Für Elise” | Beethoven |
| Eine kleine Nachtmusik | Mozart |
| “Spring,” from The Four Seasons | Vivaldi |
| Canon in D | Pachelbel |
| The Hallelujah Chorus | Handel |
| Toccata and Fugue in D minor | Bach |
| William Tell Overture, the finale | Rossini |
| “In the Hall of the Mountain King” | Grieg |
| “Morning Mood” | Grieg |
| “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” | Tchaikovsky |
| The swan theme from Swan Lake | Tchaikovsky |
| “Flight of the Bumblebee” | Rimsky-Korsakov |
| “The Swan” | Saint-Saëns |
| “Clair de lune” | Debussy |
Play each piece through the week before the game, so the tunes are familiar.
Other ways to win
- A line: one full row in any direction
- Four corners
- A full card: every square covered, for a longer game
For a class or a party
- Print one card for each child. The bingo maker prints up to eight at a time, and each one is different. Print again for more.
- Play in pairs, so that readers help those who cannot read yet.
- Ask the winner to name one thing they heard before the win counts.
- Let the winner choose the next piece.
Theory bingo
The same game works for theory.
- Note bingo. Each player writes the letters A to G in a 3 by 3 grid, with two letters used twice. Hold up a note name flashcard. Players cover its letter.
- Rhythm bingo. Each player draws four-beat rhythms in the squares. Clap one, and players cover the match. Use the rhythm cards for ideas.
- Word bingo. Write Italian words such as forte, piano, allegro, and largo in the squares. Call out the meanings. Use the tempo and dynamics word cards.
Tips
- Keep the first game short.
- Say the squares aloud for children who cannot read yet.
- Play a piece twice. A second hearing gives children another chance at each square.
- Join in. Take a card yourself.
Print and play
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.