Musical Bingo for Companies: How It Works and When to Choose It as Team Building

Few people can resist classic bingo: the thrill of watching your card fill up and the tension of waiting for that last number. Now imagine swapping the numbers for songs, playing in teams and replacing the shout of “bingo!” with a live performance in front of everyone. That is musical bingo for companies: a highly visual, highly participative team building activity with an unusual ability to loosen up a group that, at the start, doesn't know each other or is rather reserved.

In this article we explain how this activity works, what it brings to a work team and which types of events it suits best.

What is musical bingo?

Musical bingo is a version of classic bingo in which the numbers on the card are replaced by well-known songs and musical hits. Participants are split into teams and, when chance decides which song comes up, every team that has it on its card has to get up and sing and dance it. In other words, it is not enough to tick off a square: you have to literally “sing your bingos”.

The whole game also features a professional host who leads the activity, energises the group and helps even the shyest person take the plunge. That element is essential: musical bingo without a good host would be just a game of chance; with one, it becomes a shared experience.

How it is played, step by step

Although the format adapts to each group, it usually runs as follows:

1. Forming teams. Attendees are divided into groups and each one receives its card, with songs instead of numbers.
2. The songs come up. The host draws songs at random. Each time one that is on a team's card plays, that team has to respond.
3. The performance. The team gets up to sing and dance the song, with the choreography and energy the host suggests. The more they throw themselves into it, the more the whole group enjoys it.
4. The first team to complete its card wins. As in traditional bingo, the tension builds as they get closer to the finish.

The result is a lively activity with hardly any downtime: while one team performs, the others cheer, laugh and wait for their turn, hoping the next song will be theirs.

What it brings to a work team

Letting go and losing the self-consciousness

Singing and dancing in front of colleagues is, for many people, a small comfort-zone challenge. But when it is done as a team, in a festive atmosphere, that discomfort melts away quickly. What looked like a challenge becomes a shared anecdote, and that sense of complicity carries over into everyday work.

Cohesion and team spirit

Teams organise themselves, encourage one another and share a single goal: completing their card first. It is a simple, very friendly way of building a sense of belonging, without complex exercises or rules that are hard to explain.

Communication and coordination

Preparing a performance, even a short one, means agreeing on who sings, who dances and how to get up on stage. These are small decisions, but they train real-time coordination and the ability to improvise together.

Energy and a good atmosphere

Music has an immediate effect on mood. An activity driven by singing and dancing lifts a group's energy within minutes, which is very valuable when you want to open a day or re-energise people at a long event. If you are interested in the role of music at this kind of event, we recommend our article on why dancing in a team building works.

Which events it suits best

• Company dinners and lunches. It is a very rewarding format for livening up a celebration without anyone having to leave the room.
• End-of-year events and celebrations. It combines game, music and a symbolic prize, three classic ingredients of any party. You can find more ideas in Christmas team building ideas for the company dinner.
• Conventions and events with lots of attendees. Because it is played in teams, it works well for large groups and is a good way to change the pace between more formal sessions.
• Kicking off a team meeting. As a large-scale icebreaker, it helps people who don't know each other start to interact. If you are looking for more ideas of this kind, see our guide to icebreaker activities.

How to get the most out of it

1. Prepare the group with a fun invitation. Announcing that there will be music and a prize builds anticipation and reduces stage fright beforehand.
2. Take care of the sound and the space. Good audio equipment and a space with room to move make the difference between an activity people remember and one that falls short.
3. Mix the teams. If there are people from different departments or offices, putting them together multiplies the integration effect.
4. Don't force anyone. The host knows how to give each person the level of spotlight they feel comfortable with: anyone who doesn't want to sing can dance, cheer or clap along.
5. Plan a closing moment. A small recognition for the winning team and a chance to talk about the best performances round off the experience.

If you would like to review more criteria for making an activity like this a success, you can read our article on how to organise a surprise team building without it going wrong.

What Kaizen's Musical Bingo includes

Kaizen's Musical Bingo features a professional host and choreographer who leads the game and motivates participants with their choreographies. The activity is played in teams and, if you need us to find the venue to hold it in, the location is available as an extra.

You can see all the details on the Musical Bingo activity page. And if you are looking for other music and rhythm-based ideas, you may be interested in the Flashmob or the Lipdub. For general questions about how an activity is organised, see the frequently asked questions.

Shall we set up a bingo for your team?

Musical bingo is one of those activities that seem simple on paper and, once under way, gain an energy that is hard to get any other way. If you would like to bring it to your company, tell us how many of you there are, what kind of event you would run it at and what atmosphere you are after, and we will prepare a tailor-made proposal. Write to us via the contact page and we will reply within 24 hours.