# Flashnote Derby — Note Flashcards • Read Music > Gamified music note reading practice for students and teachers. (iPhone/iPad app by Luke Bartolomeo.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flashnote-derby/id453126527 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Luke Bartolomeo](https://appshunter.io/developer/453126530) - Category: Education, Music - Price: $4.99 - Rating: 3.70/5 from 95 App Store ratings · 131 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.6 · 110 MB - Languages: German (Germany), Russian, Latin American Spanish, British English, Italian, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified, China), Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) - Released: 2011-08-04 - Data updated: 2026-08-27 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flashnote-derby/id453126527/reviews.md ## What is Flashnote Derby? Flashnote Derby is a fun, effective way for kids to learn to read music through fast-paced note flashcard games. Perfect for piano, guitar, band, orchestra, and general music students, this teacher-created app turns note recognition into an engaging game that works equally well at home or in music lessons. ———— Learn to Read Music — Fast Each race is a fast-paced challenge: identify notes correctly as you learn to read music faster and speed your horse toward the finish line. Missed or slow answers allow the other horse to catch up. After each round, students can review the notes they missed— turning every race into a meaningful learning opportunity. ———— New! Practice Mode (No Timer, No Stress) Students can now choose a relaxed 'practice mode' with unlimited time for each note. Perfect for beginners, this mode builds accuracy and confidence before racing competitively. ———— Multiple Ways to Answer Players can answer flashcards in a variety of ways: • Play the note on any instrument. Flashnote Derby listens and recognizes what you play (including transposing instruments). • Use a MIDI instrument • Tap on-screen letter names • Or play notes on the on-screen piano keyboard ———— Fully Customizable for Any Student Tailor each drill to match your student’s level: • Treble, bass, alto, or tenor clef • Select specific note ranges or individual notes • Add sharps, flats, or full key signatures • Adjust time limits (or remove them entirely in Practice Mode) • Expand difficulty all the way up to five-and-a-half ledger lines above and below the staff. As skills grow, you can increase the challenge. Higher difficulty earns higher scores—keeping students motivated. ———— Multiple themes keep practice fresh In addition to the classic horse race, students can take flight with the whimsical Pretty Pegasus course, blast through an arcade-style space challenge in Ecliptic Encounter, or switch to the seasonal Reindeer Race during the holidays. ———— Built for Teachers, Loved by Students Flashnote Derby is designed to fit easily into lessons: • Quick to set up and perfect for a 1–2 minute warm-up • Send homework assignments directly to students • Track progress automatically • See which notes need more review Teachers see real improvement. Students stay engaged. Parents appreciate the progress. ———— Why Flashnote Derby Works Many students struggle because drilling note names feels boring and difficult. Flashnote Derby turns this essential skill into a game—one they’ll want to keep playing. A little daily practice adds up quickly, and students learn to read music with confidence. ———— Get on the road to confident music reading today! Download Flashnote Derby and help your young musician master notes with joy—not frustration. ## Key features - Gamified note recognition races - Practice mode with no timer - Play notes on instrument or MIDI - On-screen piano keyboard input - Customizable clefs and note ranges - Multiple engaging themes - Teacher tools for assignments and progress tracking ## Chart rankings - #51 in Top Paid · Education (US App Store) ## What do users think of Flashnote Derby? Overall sentiment: mixed **Pros** - 🎮 Engaging gamified learning experience with racing themes - 🎵 Effective tool for learning note reading and music literacy - 🎨 Customizable themes and visual designs - ⚙️ Highly customizable settings for notes, speed, and difficulty - 👨‍🏫 Teacher-friendly features with student tracking and presets - 🎯 Multiple answer modes (letter names, keyboard, real instrument) - 📱 Works across multiple clefs and instruments - 💰 Affordable pricing - 🏆 Motivating progress tracking and scoring system - 👶 Age-appropriate and fun for children **Cons** - 🐛 Frequent crashes and app freezing issues - 🔊 Harsh negative feedback sounds (booing) discourages learners - 🎵 Inaccurate note detection, especially for E note and lower instruments - 📱 Poor mobile responsiveness and slider controls on phones - ⚠️ Data loss after updates without warning - 🔐 Password reset and account access issues - 📧 Email preset feature not functioning - ⏱️ Removed speed options (Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop) in recent update - 🎮 Limited note variety in recent update (only one of each note) - 📺 Lack of audio/visual connection in instructional videos - 🖥️ Display scaling issues on some devices - ⏰ Unresponsive touch controls for settings and options - 🎯 Confusing font choices for letter selection - 🔄 Poor developer responsiveness to support requests **Commonly reported bugs** - App crashes on launch or during use - White screen on startup that auto-closes - Note recognition fails, particularly for E note - Low instrument octave recognition issues - Data and student names lost after updates - Settings menu disappears or becomes inaccessible - Speed selection buttons unresponsive - Email preset sending feature non-functional - Password reset system broken - Master device cloning feature not working - Audio detection marks answers before notes are played - Incorrect display scaling on iPad and tablets - Slider controls difficult to use on mobile devices - App incompatible with Safari and some browsers - Family sharing not recognized despite being enabled **Most requested features** - Restore previous speed options (Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop) - Option to customize number of test notes (return 10/20 options) - Remove or tone down negative feedback sounds - Add more theme options (animals, seasonal themes) - Untimed mode without racing element - Two-octave keyboard display for better note differentiation - Support for sharps and flats - Alto and tenor clef options - Female jockey character option - Combined treble and bass clef exercises - Better search visibility in app stores - Family sharing support improvements - External audio interface compatibility - Improved mobile responsiveness for sliders and controls - Better instructional videos with audio/visual note examples - Personalized high scores for multiple users ## Recent user reviews (10 of 131) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/flashnote-derby/id453126527/reviews.md ### 4/5 — Good other than one creepy dude *2026-07-24* Okay this is a good app other than one thing… The dude in the review mistakes and stuff is just creepy like remove that dude please like right now. Oh and also if you use the play it thing then I detects just any little noise so I might say you’re worong even if you didn’t do anything. ### 5/5 — Flashnote *2026-07-22, version 4.0.6* Hiiiii this is an amazing app I have loved using it.it is very fun and spectacular for practicing .it is also very fun and interesting for the younger people because of the different themes and you can choose your notes as well.!!!if you want to learn notes this is spectacular!! ### 2/5 — Kristine *2026-06-23* This game WAS fantastic until the recent update. My students loved doing this and j had so many of them purchase and download it. The fact that the horses or Pegasus are not racing and there is only one alien ship now makes it one dimensional and not nearly as good as it used to be. Hoping it goes back to how it used to be. We will be looking for a new game in the meantime ### 3/5 — Update Missing the Unicorn? *2026-03-02* We have been using this for several years and enjoy it very much. With the update my daughter is sad it no longer has a unicorn button to start the unicorn race. ### 3/5 — Great, HOWEVER……. *2026-02-26* I have been using this app for years with students. It’s not only great fun it’s a brilliant tool to learn note reading. I love the fact that I can choose the notes I want my students to recognise. HOWEVER, since the update, it’s got worse. Unless there’s a setting I can’t find, having only one of each note is not good. If I want a student to practise telling the difference between a G and an E, it’s not going to work. They know that if it’s not one, it’s the other. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give us the choice to choose how many test notes they get OR give us back the 10/20 options for number of test notes. ### 5/5 — Amazing! *2026-02-20* I have been using this app for almost ten years now and I just love it. The themes, the colours, the way it is desplayed, everything! It has helped me a lot with my piano skills guiding me from simple pieces to much more complacted songs. The new update has highly improved the quality of this well designed app, taking it from amazing to breathtaking! You can now change the theme the sounds and you can even create a teacher account. To conclude if you are considering getting this app I would highly recommend it. ### 2/5 — A little upset… *2026-02-13* Oh no! Updated this app and it completely wiped all my student data and names and I wasn’t able to access the settings, as that had disappeared as well. Had to reinstall and I’ve lost my student names/data. THEN worst thing is I have already made worksheets to use along with this app with the old speeds of Walk, Trot, Canter and Gallop - which my students are working their way up the speeds - now it’s all changed (after I’ve got several new students to purchase it)- the timer has one less category and the unlimited is not useful as a replacement of one of the speeds you had. Can you reinstall the speed options you had? The sliding scale is very difficult to toggle when using a phone as well - including the selection of how many questions you want as well. I’m sorry to say - this is a little bit of a downgrade for people like me who have been using this successfully prior to this update. I’m a little distressed by the changes…can you reinstate some of the old features please. It was great the way it was! Hope you can appreciate the feedback from a consistent user over many years. ### 2/5 — Not recognizing E *2025-12-08* This is a very fun app and useful, except that it keeps not recognizing the E note. It marks a big X when it is clearly the E note being played on the piano, it also sometimes recognizes it but most of the time it doesn’t. Is this happening to anyone else? It’s just a problem with that one note. It’s worth saying we have only used middle C to G as of now. So don’t k own if other flaws are lurking. Hadn’t had this issue with a competing app. ### 1/5 — Crashing *2025-11-02* After I use the app, the next time I go on it won’t let me use it until I delete it and download again ### 1/5 — Inaccurate note detection and variable speed *2025-07-26* Waste of money ## Frequently asked questions about Flashnote Derby ### What does Flashnote Derby do? Flashnote Derby is an educational app designed to help children learn and practice reading music notes. It uses a gamified approach, turning note recognition into a fun challenge where correct answers help a player's horse advance in a race. It also includes a practice mode for relaxed learning. ### What are the key features of Flashnote Derby? Key features include a race mode to identify notes, a no-stress practice mode, multiple input methods (playing on an instrument, MIDI, tapping letter names, on-screen piano), fully customizable drills (clefs, note ranges, key signatures), and various engaging themes. ### Is Flashnote Derby free to use? Yes, based on the provided information, Flashnote Derby is a free application. It does not have in-app purchases or advertisements, suggesting a completely free user experience. ### What instruments or music students is this app suitable for? This app is perfect for students learning piano, guitar, band, and orchestra instruments. It's also beneficial for general music students who need to master reading music notes across different clefs like treble, bass, alto, and tenor. ### How does the app help students learn? The app makes learning fun and effective by turning essential note recognition drills into an engaging game. Students can review missed notes after each round, and the customizable difficulty levels ensure the app grows with the student's skills, building confidence and motivation. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 4.0.6 — 2026-06-07 Tournaments can again be created on iPhones. Preset drills will be sent in the correct language. ### 4.0.5 — 2026-06-03 Flashnote Derby is now available in Spanish and Italian! Enjoy the app in your preferred language. ### 4.0.4 — 2026-04-02 Fixes an issue where the app wasn’t recognizing played notes on some devices. ### 4.0 — 2026-02-07 We’ve made learning even better in this update. • Refreshed interface – A cleaner, more colorful design that’s easier to navigate for students and teachers. • New Practice Mode – Practice note reading with no timer. Perfect for building confidence at your own pace. • Tournaments are here – Teachers can now create tournaments and invite students to compete in friendly, motivating challenges. ### 3.3.1 — 2023-05-11 • Flashnote Derby is now compatible with Display Zoom modes on all iPhones and iPads when it is available. • Listen mode supports treble and bass clef Euphonium ## Apps similar to Flashnote Derby | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Learn Music Notes Piano](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-music-notes-piano/id1205662433) | 4.4 (5,405) | Free | Education | | [Notevision - Sight Reading](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notevision-sight-reading/id874386416) | 4.8 (3,187) | Free | Education | | [Piano Academy by Yokee Music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/piano-academy-by-yokee-music/id1390574671) | 4.7 (69,659) | Free | Education | | [TunyStones Piano - read music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tunystones-piano-read-music/id1529100904) | 4.5 (63) | Free | Education | | [Learn Music Notes Piano Pro](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/learn-music-notes-piano-pro/id1323685755) | 4.5 (86) | $5.99 | Education | | [Notes! - Learn To Read Music](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/notes-learn-to-read-music/id423178140) | 4.4 (1,383) | $3.99 | Education | ## More apps by Luke Bartolomeo - [Criminal Justice Terminology Quiz](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/criminal-justice-terminology-quiz/id955279347) - [Rhythm Swing- Music Drills](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rhythm-swing-music-drills/id1007346233) - [Hop To It! A Piano Adventure](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hop-to-it-a-piano-adventure/id6471014445) All apps by Luke Bartolomeo: https://appshunter.io/developer/453126530 ## Related topics [derby flashnote](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/derby-flashnote) · [flashnote derby](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/flashnote-derby) · [piano notes game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/piano-notes-game) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-27.*