Memory Game · Elementary Music · Grades 3–6
How to play, why it's called 64, the best musical categories to use in class, and a complete teaching guide. One of the most versatile games in elementary music — it works at every grade and teaches category thinking alongside steady beat.
The chant
About this game
Concentration 64 is one of those games that music teachers return to year after year because it never gets old — and because it does something no other game does quite as well: it gives students a powerful tool for musical vocabulary review — similar to the related game Concentration Doodly Wah.
The game is deceptively simple. Players maintain a steady pat-clap beat while taking turns naming items in a category. The beat is relentless — hesitate, repeat, or break the rhythm and you're out. That pressure is exactly what makes it so effective in music class. Students aren't just passively reviewing concepts; they're retrieving them in real time, under physical and temporal constraint.
"Concentration 64 is my go-to for reviewing solfège syllables, musical terms, or composer names. Students think they're just playing a game — but they're doing rapid-fire music theory recall."
— Deborah Skydell Pasternack, The Singing ClassroomThe steady beat element is also genuinely musical — maintaining a pat-clap while thinking and speaking is harder than it sounds, and students who master it have internalized the beat in a way that no worksheet could achieve.
Why is it called 64? No one knows for certain. The "64" fits the natural rhythm of the chant — "Con-cen-TRA-tion, six-ty-FOUR" — which may be all the explanation that ever existed. Like many playground games, it was passed down through oral tradition without anyone keeping records of how it started.
Best categories for music class
The category is everything. A good category makes the game feel natural and educational; a bad one leads to confusion and arguments. Here are the categories that work best at each level.
Students name solfège syllables in any order — sol, mi, la, re, do, fa, ti, low sol, low la, high do. Simple, fast, and directly tied to what they're learning.
Examples: "sol" "mi" "la" "re" "do"...
Name any musical instrument. You can narrow it — "orchestral instruments only" or "percussion only" — to make it easier or harder depending on the grade.
Examples: "violin" "trumpet" "snare drum" "harp"...
Students name rhythm patterns using Kodály syllables — ta, ti-ti, tiri-tiri, syn-co-pa, tam-ti. A more advanced category that works well once students have a solid vocabulary.
Examples: "ta" "ti-ti" "tiri-tiri" "syn-co-pa"...
Name any composer. This works beautifully after a unit on music history — students are motivated to remember names when they know they'll be used in a game.
Examples: "Beethoven" "Mozart" "Bach" "Debussy"...
Name any musical term or symbol — dynamics, tempo markings, Italian terms. This works best after students have been formally introduced to the vocabulary.
Examples: "forte" "piano" "allegro" "crescendo"...
The most accessible category at any grade — name any song the class has learned together. This works from 2nd grade through 6th and always generates enthusiasm.
Examples: "Alabama Gal" "Bobo Ski" "Apple Tree"...
Teaching guide
The pat-clap pattern is the foundation — and getting it locked in before adding any words is the step most teachers skip, which is why the game falls apart for them. Once the beat is solid, the chant layers on naturally. The category round is where the real teaching happens, and the sequencing of which categories to introduce when makes a significant difference in how well the game works as a music theory review tool.
Deborah's full demonstration covers the exact pat-clap introduction, how to layer in the chant, how to manage the whole-class and small-group versions, and which musical categories work best at each grade level.
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What teachers say
"I use Concentration 64 at the end of every unit as a review game. Students don't realize they're doing rapid-fire music theory recall — they think they're just playing a game. It's the best review activity I've ever found."
"The solfège category is brilliant. Students who can't recall syllables in a worksheet absolutely nail it in the game — the beat gives them something to hold onto while they think."
"My 6th graders who are 'too cool' for everything else love this game. The competitive element is just enough to keep them completely engaged — and the musical vocabulary category means I can use it right up through middle school."
More games for elementary music
Each of these includes a complete teaching guide and step-by-step video demonstration inside The Singing Classroom.
Full lyrics and how to use this counting out chant to move students to instruments and teach tiri-tiri.
See teaching guide →The upper-elementary partner clap game. Lyrics, what the words mean, and how to teach the full pattern.
See teaching guide →Full lyrics, two classroom games, and a step-by-step teaching guide for this classic chant.
See teaching guide →Common questions
No one knows for certain. The most widely held theory is that the 64 refers to the 64 squares on a chessboard, drawing a connection between chess (a game of strategy and memory) and the memory demands of this game. Others simply say 64 is a number that fits the rhythm of the chant. Whatever the origin, the name has stuck — and its slightly mysterious quality is part of what makes the game feel special to students.
Concentration 64 is recommended for grades 3–6 (ages 8–11). The main variable is the category rather than the game mechanics. Younger students (2nd–3rd grade) do best with concrete categories like instruments or songs they know. Older students (4th–6th) can handle more abstract categories like musical terms, composer names, or rhythm syllables. The game scales beautifully because you can always adjust the category difficulty.
In the traditional version, that player is out for the round — they sit down and the game continues with the remaining players. For younger students or early in the year, you can use a softer version: instead of sitting down, the player who hesitates simply passes and the chant restarts from the beginning with a new category. Both versions work; the sit-down version creates more competitive energy, while the restart version is more inclusive.
Yes — and small groups of 4–6 students actually work beautifully once students know how to play. Each group runs their own game simultaneously, which means everyone is active at the same time. For the whole-class version, you need to manage the pointing and keep the beat going centrally; for small groups, students can manage themselves. Small group play works best with 4th grade and up.
For the very first time playing, use "songs we know" — every student has at least a few titles in their head, and no one will argue about whether an answer counts. Once students understand the mechanics, you can move to more structured musical categories. Save theory-specific categories (solfège syllables, rhythm names) for classes that already have a solid vocabulary in those areas.
The real problem
Every teacher knows this feeling. You find a song, try it on Monday, and something goes sideways — the kids don't engage, you're not sure how to introduce it, the lesson loses momentum. It's not that the song was wrong. You just didn't have a clear picture of how it actually goes.
That's what makes The Singing Classroom different. Every song in the library — including this one — has a full video of Deborah teaching it with real students. You don't have to guess how to introduce it, how to structure the activity, or how to handle the tricky moments. You watch it. Then you teach it.
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