Duolingo Music Review: A Cheaper Alternative To Piano Classes?

For some of us who have been on the hunt for educational apps for our children or even ourselves, Duolingo might sound familiar. Duolingo has gained wide recognition as a go-to app for adults and children to learn languages such as Spanish, French and Chinese. Its sister course Duolingo ABC is lauded for its bite-sized lessons for little preschoolers to learn the alphabet.

It's no surprise that the developers have now branched out to yet another popular enrichment genre via the newly launched Duolingo Music. Like its language counterparts, the Duolingo Music app serves to make learning music easy, fun and accessible to anyone, both young and old. It is accessible through the Duolingo app and can be simply added onto your profile as a course.

It appears ideal if you want to introduce your children to learning notes and reading music, and don't wish to pay eye-watering fees for an in-person enrichment course that junior might lose interest in within weeks. But is it going to be an effective substitute? Here are five perks of the app that might convince you to give it a go.

It is suitable for complete novices

The non-intimidating Duolingo Music is a useful start for those with limited musical knowledge. Lessons focus on foundations such as learning about rhythm and distinguishing notes and their sounds. Even those who are looking for a refresher course in music might find it helpful!

There are clear and achievable outcomes for each unit. For example, Unit 1 introduces learners to the different sounds of notes C and D. In Unit 2, learners get to practise timing with quarter notes. These two units ensure that learners get ample practice identifying sounds of notes and tapping keys with precision before advancing to other notes. 

You can try it for free (YES!)

Unlike signing up with a music school, there is no upfront administrative or teaching fees. There is also no need to spend hundreds or even thousands on a keyboard or piano, at least at the beginning when your child is in the exploratory phase.

Setting up an account and trying out the lessons are free. However, more dedicated learners may want to consider signing up for Super Duolingo through upgrading to a subscription plan. This will ensure an ad-free user experience and give learners unlimited "hearts", allowing learners to progress much faster. 

The Super Duolingo individual plan costs $7.09/month and is billed annually. This is definitely a great alternative to conventional piano lessons which costs an average of $30-50 for every 30-45 minutes of individual lessons with an experienced teacher. You can sign up for a free two-week trial before committing to a Super Duolingo plan. 

Learn whenever and wherever you want

With Super Duolingo, access to the app is available as long as you wish to learn. Even with a busy schedule,  you can achieve your goal of learning one or two musical notes a day. The sub-unit lessons are curated in bite-sized durations that allow for many breaks in between. 

It is highly interactive

For an on-screen learning experience, the variety of interactive features available is quite impressive. The features that keep learners engaged include drag-and-drop, and tapping. Virtual rewards given in the form of Experience Points or XP can motivate younger learners to make good progress. This can come in helpful for learners who need more engagement. 

Tailored and self-paced

There is no time pressure to advance. At certain stages of a unit, there will be chances for learners to review their mistakes. Learners will be able to try an exercise again when they have not done well for it. 

So if your child has been badgering you for music classes, you don't have to run to the nearest music school immediately. Giving him or her a little trial with Duolingo Music could save you some money while helping ascertain if it is worth investing in formal lessons with a teacher further down the road.