PianoBall - Fun With Learning
By Kim Alessi,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Colorful piano game for little hands is big fun.
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PianoBall - Fun With Learning
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What’s It About?
Players begin choosing one of two piano keyboard interfaces designed for different motor skill abilities. One keyboard has four sets of wide keys stacked atop each other; the other has eight narrower keys next to each other. Kids then spin the piano balls to change the keyboard colors, instrument, and song. A voice speaks the color names as they're selected. Kids can freestyle and just play, or they can follow glowing yellow stars on the keyboard to play a song at their own pace. The song is then played back in rhythm.
Is It Any Good?
PIANOBALL - FUN WITH LEARNING is a wonderful and engaging music app, especially for toddlers. It stimulates kids aurally and visually and allows them to exercise hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and musical development, making it a great choice for a variety of learning styles. Kids can repeat musical patterns to play songs, make their own music with taps or swipes of the screen, or shake the device to unleash a star-filled experience with sights and sounds. Young kids will need help maneuvering between songs, especially when the app gets stuck on one song (fix the glitch by going to the home button, then select a keyboard again). Older kids with early reading skills may hanker for something more challenging, so try the app's solfege (aka "do-re-mi") feature.
The app has two downsides. First, the stacked keyboard design is at times counterintuitive -- kids sometimes have to descend the keyboard to play an ascending pitch (this is not the case in the other keyboard design). Second, it's surprising to find kid-accessible buttons to share the app via Facebook and email on an app deigned for this age range.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Sing along while your child plays a song. It's great modeling and will help kids with pitch recognition and to make visual and aural connections with the music.
Ask your kids to play music along with a story to help score the action or dialogue.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
- Subjects: Arts : improvising and music analysis, music, playing, rhythm, Math : patterns, sequences
- Skills: Tech Skills : digital creation, using and applying technology, Creativity : combining knowledge, imagination, making new creations, Communication : listening, Thinking & Reasoning : part-whole relationships
- Release date: August 16, 2012
- Category: Music Games
- Topics: Music and Sing-Along
- Publisher: 4baam
- Version: 1.4
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 3.1 or later
- Last updated: August 18, 2016
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