Yousician - Your personal music teacher
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A lot or a little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Yousician - Your personal music teacher is a music app that teaches kids to play the piano, guitar, bass, or ukulele. Kids can access a variety of pop and classical pieces as they learn to play songs and learn basic technique on their instrument. You can sign up to try the app for free, but you're limited to using it for a only few minutes a day unless you pay a hefty monthly or annual fee. Keep an eye out in your preferences to make sure the app subscription doesn't auto-renew or charge unless you want it to. Read the app's privacy policy to find out about the types of information collected and shared.
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User Reviews
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- Kids say
Could be better.
Great start to music education
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What's it about?
YOUSICIAN - YOUR PERSONAL MUSIC TEACHER is a music-practice app that helps kids learn to play the piano, guitar, bass, and ukulele. First, kids select their experience level, and then a video plays, introducing them to their in-app teacher, a real person whose voice guides the quests and songs they'll encounter next. Kids can choose to read notes either in standard musical notation or in the app's own notation format, and kids drill and practice different skills (such as rhythm and articulation) in each song they try. The app keeps track of their practice time along with their performance in different songs they try, and kids can work to improve their performance during a single practice session or over time. Kids who download Yousician can use its features for free for a limited time; after a brief free trial, you're invited to pay a monthly or annual subscription fee.
Is it any good?
If you're willing to spend the money, this app could add some serious value to your child's real-life music lessons. The in-app mentor guides kids along the way, telling them what quests or songs they should explore and coaching them through their very first song. It's especially impressive just how quickly you get to start playing: Even if you're a beginner, this app gets right to the part where you get to start playing songs, which makes for an especially rewarding experience.
Overall, the main challenge with this app is its price tag, which some families might find expensive. Also, at the earliest levels in the free version, there aren't many songs available that kids will recognize. Still, there's some excellent coaching and it's great that you can track things such as your practice sessions and your accuracy over time. If kids are willing to dive into the data and explore it, and if your family can afford the price, Yousician - Your personal music teacher could be a rich and rewarding experience.
Talk to your kids about ...
Families can talk about how they might use Yousician - Your personal music teacher to structure their practice time. Talk about the videos and the games and how they connect to the skills they're learning from their teachers.
Talk about other elements of music aside from pitch and rhythm. How does volume affect music? Why is listening as you play important?
App details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, Mac, Android
- Subjects: Arts: music, playing, rhythm
- Skills: Self-Direction: achieving goals, identifying strengths and weaknesses, self-assessment, work to achieve goals
- Price: Free to try
- Pricing structure: Free to try (one-instrument subscription $19.99/mo. or $119.99/year; all-instrument subscription $29.99/month or $179.99/year)
- Release date: February 7, 2017
- Category: Education
- Topics: Music and Sing-Along
- Size: 245.70 MB
- Publisher: Yousician Ltd
- Version: 2.16.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 9.0 or later; Android 4.4 and up.
- Last updated: November 11, 2020
Our editors recommend
For kids who love music and creativity
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.