Monster Dash

◀ TOP    MONSTER TRIPLE THREAT ▶

   
GAME SETUP:  MONSTER DASH CARDS  •  MONSTERS  •  GRAND STAFF MAT**
EACH PLAYER GETS:  1 MONSTER
SIMILAR TO:  CHUTES AND LADDERS
FOCUSES ON:  INTERVALS

✦ GOAL: RACE TO THE TOP! ✦

SETUP

  • Using the Grand Staff Mat, line the monsters up at the starting line of Middle C. The finish line is High F.
  • Shuffle the Monster Dash Cards and place them face-down as the draw deck.
  • Decide who goes first by rolling a die or etc.
  • Line all monsters up along the starting line. Ready... Set... Go!!!


GAMEPLAY

  • On your turn, draw a card and move up or down the staff according to the interval shown (e.g. up a 3rd, down a 2nd, etc.). If you're on low G you can convert any interval into an up.
    • Glissandos mean a sliiiiiide all the way (up or down) to the starting line!
    • Monster Swaps allow you to switch places with any other monster. You may decline to swap if you have no positive move.
  • If you’ve sunk to low G you can convert any interval into an up.
  • If the draw deck is depleted, simply reshuffle the cards and continue!


WINNING THE RACE

Be the first monster to cross the finish line of High F! Ensure equal turns to allow for a tie.

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NOTE: If you don't have the Monster Dash cards, you can simply use a number die to roll the interval.

✦ EXTRAS ✦

MISCHIEVOUS MODIFIERS and optional additions

To increase difficulty, require students to name the note they are landing on in order to move up the staff.

MONSTER VOICES 
Encourage students to choose a voice for their monster before playing and use it for the exclamations on the cards.

BOUNCE NOTES
Before the game starts, choose one or more bounce notes. If a player lands on that note during the game, they get bounced UP the staff by the same interval that landed them there! So if they arrived on the note due to an up interval, they get catapulted further up the staff again by the same interval, doubling their jump. If they arrived due to a down interval, they get ricocheted back to their previous note, cancelling out their action.

** Monster Dash can also be played on the Piano Mat to enable students to practice intervals on the keyboard.

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✦ VARIATIONS ✦

"JUMPING BEANS" VERSION (more simple)
Puck-Based Movement:
The teacher places minion pucks into a bag and draws two or three at a time to determine which monsters can move. Every player has the possibility of action each turn, and several monsters can move at once -- so this feels more like a race. The teacher can either use interval cards as usual to decide the movement (up/down the staff), call out the intervals themselves, or designate a single interval for the whole game with only the puck colors determining the race.

"THREE HOP" VERSION (more complex)
Dice-Based Movement:
Use two number dice (for intervals) and one letter die (for notes). Roll all three dice on your turn: Move forward by the intervals on the number dice, then jump backward to the note shown on the letter die.

Strategic Thinking: 
Choose the order of your moves: Will you jump forward first (number dice) or backward first (letter die)? Figure out how to maximize forward progress for your monster.

Special Actions:
Assign symbols like a star or specific notes (e.g., the note A) as special moves such as: 
•  Monster Swap: Switch places with another monster.
•  Glissando: Slide to the bottom of the staff or to Middle C.
•  Octave Jump: Leap an octave forward.
•  etc.

Note of Doom:
Before the game begins, roll the letter die to select a “note trap.” During the game, any player who rolls this note must immediately move to the next one DOWN and end their turn.