How to Use Escape Rooms in Group Classes
Before Covid struck, had you ever experienced an Escape Room before?
They're an extremely popular form of entertainment for groups. You go to a physical escape room location, choose a theme, and your team must complete a mission by finding clues and solutions to puzzles to "escape the room." There are tons of themes from murder mysteries, detective stories, aliens, zombies, haunted houses -- you name it!
Premonition of the future?
I have a group of close girlfriends that have been getting together monthly for the past 17 years. We call ourselves “Club” and each of us take turns hosting dinner and an activity. In September 2016, it was my turn to host and I really wanted to try an escape room.
Here’s my invitation showing the theme I chose. Can you believe this? Sounds exactly like what we’re living right now, doesn’t it!
The girls and I dressed up in scrubs and met at a hospital cafeteria for dinner, then off to Xtreme Escape Rooms. We were given clues to find the antidote for the virus, and made it through three of the four challenges, but alas, we were unable to escape the final room and save the world! It’s most likely our fault that we’re in this Covid predicament four years later, ha ha!
What is a DIGITAL Music Escape Room?
Students work as teams or individually to solve puzzles and answer questions to story based on intriguing themes. Their correct answers are the numbers or letters to crack the “code” which allows them to “escape” the room and move on to another room for more mysteries to solve and codes to unlock. Games are based on well-defined levels of theory from the National Federation of Music Clubs.
Why use Escape Room games in your group music classes?
Makes reviewing concepts fun and engaging. They don’t even know they’re working on music theory!
Builds teamwork and encourages socialization among students as they talk and work together to solve clues.
Generates a unique reward for an end-of-class activity if students complete their assignments since we can’t give out stickers, tickets or prizes in online classes.
How do I use these games in my group piano classes?
First, all you need is a WiFi-enabled device to play. Everything else is included. There’s no prep work required and no need for you or your students to print out worksheets. Sometimes a scratch piece of paper and pencil is helpful for certain challenges, but not required.
Depending on the attention span of the class, I might use an escape room for our opener, as an off-bench activity in the middle of class, or as a reward at the end if we were able to accomplish everything we needed to that day.
To save time, I click on the Escape Room link and have the game already opened up on my laptop before starting class. When it’s time to play, I tell the students to stay unmuted so they can talk to each other and I share my screen with the game. I try not to say any more than is needed as I really want to encourage them to work together. I’m only there to input their answers and will only speak if they’re stuck, going down the totally wrong path, or things are lagging,
Here’s a video of an older beginner class, ages 9-11, playing Pizzeria Panic:
As you can see, the students are somewhat shy in speaking out when we start the game, and then they quickly warm up. ( Have you noticed that not being together in person makes us all, young and old, have to rethink how we “socialize” online?)
This same class loves escape rooms and has already given me new theme ideas for upcoming games. In fact, the Taco Truck Terror game was their idea and even spotlights two twin boys in the class!
This group took just under 6 minutes to play the game, but other groups have taken closer to 10 minutes. If you run out of time, remember it’s easy to come back at the next class and start where you left off. At the next class just pull up the link and enter the information from the teacher answer key (included) to get them to the challenge where they left off the week before.
Note: these games are working out best for my students age 6 and older. I’ve tried them with my younger 4-5 year olds, but they just don’t have the attention span and focus, and really need to be able to read pretty well.
If you’re needing more information how to use the games in the Zoom format, please check out this helpful video created by Leila:
These games have filled a desperate need for creative options in online classes, but YES, I plan to use these in my in-person classes when we return to the studio. I will either display the game on my large screen TV through my iPad and work as one team, or divide the class into two teams, give out two iPads with the game, and let them work to see who can complete it first.
For 6-10 minute Escape Room Games look for any of the games entitled ROUND 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5.
For 20-30 minute Escape Room Games check out Where’s the Scoop and Tropical Scale and Tales.
How are you using these games in your private or group classes?
Any theme ideas or theory content you’d like to see in the future?
Marie Lee owns Musicality Schools and shares her creative and vast expertise as a group piano teacher in her e-book called Group Teaching Blue Print.