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The whole idea that smartphones and tablets are just another screen for children to watch needs a good debunking. The potential of these tools to get children up out of their chairs and engaging in learning of all kinds is there, but it requires parents and educators to facilitate and help bring the potential of these devices to life. So, why not do it with music?
Increasingly, over a quiet game of Settlers of Catan on my iPad, or hidden in a corner with my headphones and Osmos HD I have begun to focus more on just what the music brings to my gaming experience and my overall iExperience. It adds volumes (and volume) to my ability to concentrate and find immersion. And now, there are people who are bringing their love of music and its role as the soundtrack to our children's lives to mobile devices.
And why not? Since man created a large plastic and metallic device with speakers and a tape deck, called it the "boombox" and then placed it on his shoulder, we have been seeking better ways to make our music mobile.
So here are a few apps to consider for younger children, to give them new insights and musical experiences.
Moozart is leading the way in terms of teaching children basic music principles (complete with treble clef) through a simple but effective interface that allows children to not only listen to music, but also edit it, change it, add to it and even compose their own masterpieces. It uses "Old MacDonald" as its theme (yep, that is where the pun comes in) and so there are lots of animal noises that can be used, but they also provide percussive and musical sounds. These sounds are organized above a large composing space that holds our sheet music (see image above). Children are able to drag and drop icons of animals and musical instruments anywhere on the sheet music and depending on their placement the note will play higher or lower. Beneath that are the controls to play the music. It comes complete with a range of children's tunes. This app places musical creativity and composition into the hands of preschoolers. Consider it a benchmark for developers to build upon.
2. Mixeroo is a much simpler app. Less songs. Less going on. But sometimes that is really important. This app could be used by children as young as two. It has a user interface with four large, bold colored buttons that open up different songs. These buttons then form a mixing desk. The child can play the song, and then slide the buttons up and down to create their own mix. As a learning tool on the table of a childcare center or kindergarten this app could provide terrific learning experiences where educators could help children explore different instruments, have discussions about the different sounds and the reason each instrument plays something different. This app provides children with a platform to understand how music is played by groups of people and how it is arranged and brought to life through production — and it does this for the youngest possible audience.
Developed by Night and Day Studios, Kindermusik is based on the successful music and movement program from toddlers and preschoolers that goes by the same name. Effectively, it is Pandora for the under 5s and provides a range of children's radio stations that are useful for different situations. For example, the "Get Up and Move" station would be best played at home (in the event of wild dancing), while "Mostly Lullabies" or "Tell me a Story" are probably good for around bed time. What I love about this app is that it not only asks parents to engage, but it teaches them. The app offers corresponding activities to every song, designed to stimulate early childhood development. The activities are based on the principles defined by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). This is the level of research and engagement that parents want from these devices.
Chimes has been around for a while. It is a beautiful, open-ended musical game that can have both children and adults spellbound. Five circles, five different colors and five different chimes. Each time you press a circle, it sends out a ripple that connects with smaller circles that feed from one end of the screen to the other. If the same colors collide they send out a lovely chime. The sound is not at all annoying and perfect for a younger child to begin to develop a sense of fun and enjoyment out of games that are not about a particular goal or purpose, just play. The type of play encouraged by Chimes also helps the child build their creativity with an interface that encourages composition in its own way, on the fly.
It is encouraging to see app developers looking at how the dynamic between touch and sound can be, but more importantly bringing that experience out into the lounge room where kids and parents can dance to the music together.
