Curriculum is a combination of
Videos (delivered through Play.prodigies.com)
Books (available in print through our shop, Amazon.com, or as PDFs with a Membership)
Instruments (colorful deskbells, Boomwhackers, or color-coded keyboard-type instruments)
Hand-signs (simple hand motions that pair the individual musical notes, slightly modified from the Curwen hand-signs)
Printable posters, worksheets, elements, and more
This might seem like a lot to manage, but it's actually quite simple. You'll have your app (or computer), your instrument, and possibly a workbook or songbook to work from. Then just hit play on your lesson/section of choice, and you're good to go.
3 Simple Setups You Can Model From
Let's look at 3 simple setups for using Prodigies.
1. Prodigies Videos with no instruments
The simplest way to use Prodigies is by playing the videos from your Apple TV, Roku, FireTV, etc. Your kids can sit down (or stand up) and follow along by singing and by using the Solfege Hand-Signs.
If you have another tablet or phone to use, you can download our FREE Prodigies Bells app. This way you'll always have a digital instrument to work from.
You can use this simple setup of videos + hand-signs on the go with your family, in front of a large audience, or as a quick hassle-free setup when you only have 5 minutes to kill.
2. Videos + Bells (or piano/xylo/Boomwhackers)
A step up from that, and something we of course recommend, is getting a musical instrument for your kids to play.
We recommend the Prodigies C Major Deskbells. They're durable, color-coded, well-tuned, and we have a 2-year, 3-bell replacement guarantee. With these bells, you'll be able to play over 700 videos inside of Prodigies. Other instruments are available within the Prodigies Shop.
Using a xylophone or piano will require a bit more fine motor control than the deskbells, but you can certainly use some color-coded stickers to turn any instrument into a Prodigies-friendly instrument.
3. Videos + Bells + Books
To really make the most of the curriculum, you'll want to combine the videos and bells with the worksheets and song sheets that go with each section.
In this setup, you've either purchased our Workbooks, or you're printing the materials via your Membership. And of course, you have your app for videos and your instrument as described above.
Then, when you're ready to tackle a section, you open up your workbook, search or browse your way to that chapter or series, and follow the instructions in the book.
These generally consist of:
Watch the video and play along (maybe 2-3 times to start)
Try playing the song with the sheet music from the workbook
Complete the pencil/paper activities that follow the sheet music
Reprise the song one final time or, in the case of Prodigies Music Level 2, check out the corresponding performance tracks, listening games, or more advanced lessons (if there are any)
Whether you're in a large group or doing Prodigies for fun at home, you can use any or all of the setups above to get an effective, affordable, and accessible music education with Prodigies.
Ready to start?
Family membership: prodigies.com/products/prodigies-music
Monthly digital-only signup: play.prodigies.com/join
Schools (PK-5): prodigies.com/products/prodigies-pk-5
Have any questions?
Call 302-307-1997 or email [email protected] and we'll help you out.