The story stops. Your kid plays.
Laugh-out-loud illustrated stories with a music moment built into the plot. To find out what happens next, your child plays a short piece on their own instrument, at exactly their level. It's reading time and music practice in one, and it's the kind of screen time you won't have to feel bad about.
- Piano
- Guitar
- Ukulele
- Harmonica
- Recorder
- Tongue drum
- Drum kit
- Darbuka
Free during the beta · No credit card
- 8instruments: piano, guitar, ukulele, drums & more
- 10original illustrated stories, and growing
- 6kids per family account
Practice is a fight. Screen time is a guilt trip.
Mazalchik turns both into the same twenty minutes your kid actually wants.
Real reading
Original stories with real plots, real jokes and gorgeous art. Not a game with words sprinkled on top.
Real practice
Short pieces on their actual instrument, matched to their level, that get harder only when they're ready.
Real laughs
Hiccuping elevators, an upside-down bat detective, an octopus planning a heist. Kids laugh, so kids come back.
How it works
- 1
Pick a story
A bedtime dragon, an upside-down bat detective, an octopus escaping the aquarium… Every story has its own art style and its own music.
- 2
Read, then play
At key moments the story pauses and invites your child to play: a few bars that fit the scene, whether that's suspense, giggles, magic or a chase.
- 3
Level up
Every piece moves them along their instrument's path. Their level carries over from story to story, and the music gets a little more challenging as they grow.
Meet the stories
Written just for Mazalchik: funny, a little bit silly, and always with a heart. Short ones for bedtime, chapter books for the big kids.
Plus 4 more inside, and new stories on the way. See all the stories →
Whatever they play, the story plays along.
Piano or keyboard, guitar, ukulele, recorder, harmonica, tongue drum, drum kit or darbuka: each instrument gets music written the way its players read it (keys, tabs, hole numbers or drum notation), in a range that fits it, at your child's level. Piano also has a full 34-level path from the very first note to both hands.
- PianoStaff with colorful notes and finger numbers
- Guitar6-string tab + chord boxes
- UkuleleTab + chord boxes
- HarmonicaHole numbers: ↑ blow, ↓ draw
- RecorderStaff + note names + fingering charts
- Tongue drumColorful numbered circles
- Drum kitDrum notation: cymbals, snare drum, bass drum
- DarbukaDoum · Tek · Ka
For parents: see the progress, skip the nagging
- Reading and music minutes, every day, for each child.
- Stories read and what your kid thought of them.
- Level on each instrument and the pieces they played, including what felt easy and what felt hard.
- Streaks, because ten minutes a day beats an hour once a week.
- You're in control: change levels, switch instruments, download or delete your data any time.
🛡️ A safe place for kids
No chat and no links out of the app. For each child we keep only a nickname, an emoji and their progress.
The Parent dashboard sits behind a quick "grown-ups only" question.
Read our privacy policyMusic teachers
Piano, guitar, ukulele, recorder or drums: Mazalchik makes home practice part of a story your student wants to finish. Send your families a referral link and give the week between lessons some momentum.
For teachers →Homeschool families
One daily block that covers reading and music. Siblings each get their own profile and level, and the dashboard shows minutes per child for your records.
Start free →What does it cost?
Beta
- Every story
- Every instrument and level
- Up to 6 kids
- The full Parent dashboard
Family plan
- For families who join during the beta
- New stories as they're released
- Announced in advance, never charged without your OK
Questions parents ask
What ages is Mazalchik for?
The stories are written for kids about 5 to 10. Younger kids read together with a grown-up (bedtime stories like Goodnight, Flicker! work from about 3), and older kids read on their own and beg for one more chapter.
Does my child need to read on their own?
No. Many families read together, especially at first. There's also a read-aloud button that uses your device's built-in voice, so early readers can listen and follow along. The music moments don't need reading at all: the notes are colors and pictures.
My child has never played an instrument. Is that OK?
Yes. Everyone starts at level 1, which on piano is a single note with the right-hand thumb. After each piece your child taps easy, OK or hard, and the next pieces adjust. You can also set the level yourself from the Parent dashboard.
Which instruments does it work with?
Piano or keyboard comes first, with a full 34-level beginner path. Guitar, ukulele, harmonica, recorder, tongue drum, drums and darbuka are also supported, each with notation made for that instrument: colored notes with finger numbers, tabs, hole numbers or rhythm grids.
We don't have an instrument at home. Can we still use it?
Yes. The stories stand on their own, and every music moment can be heard with one tap. But the magic happens when kids play, and an inexpensive keyboard, recorder or ukulele is plenty.
Does it replace piano lessons?
No, and it isn't trying to. It's a reason to sit down and play at home. If your child has a teacher, Mazalchik gives the week between lessons a little momentum. Teachers can share it with students too.
What devices does it work on?
Any modern web browser: a tablet, laptop or desktop works best, propped up next to the instrument. Phones work too. There is nothing to install, and you can add it to your home screen like an app.
How many kids can I add?
Up to 6 kids per family account, each with their own avatar, instrument, level and progress.
Is it really free?
Yes, everything is free during the beta, with no credit card. Later we plan to offer a family subscription, and beta families will get a founding-family price. We'll tell you well in advance, and we'll never charge you without your explicit OK.
What about my kids' privacy?
Only parents can create an account. For each child we keep a nickname, an emoji avatar, their instrument and their progress, nothing more. No third-party trackers, no chat, no links out of the kids' area. You can download or delete all of your family's data at any time.
What does "Mazalchik" mean?
It's a playful, Yiddish-flavored way to say "a little bit of luck" (from mazal, luck). Our stories are for every family, and the name is a small wink for the families who grew up hearing it.
The first story is waiting.
Sign up in a minute. Free during the beta, no credit card.
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