Alice in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: The Music Game Published on December 29th, 2003

Alice in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: The Music Game combines the whimsy of Lewis Carroll’s Alice characters with the vibrant music of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to create a software game that teaches children about musical instruments, sounds, and composition. From Music Games International, the makers of last year’s award-winning Nutcracker: The Music Game, Alice in Vivaldi’s Four Seasons presents an engaging premise. Alice gets trapped in the magical clock of the White Rabbit, and she can only escape if the player earns her an hour of time by playing 12 musical games. The games, which are very diverse, use the music from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Several offer multiple levels of difficulty. In one game, kids match the sounds they hear to the musical instruments on the screen. In another game, players put together musical puzzles. They listen to a piece of music played by four instruments and then experiment with combining instruments until they find the right grouping to match the musical puzzle. Because players listen to each instrument individually before they combine it with others, they experience what it is like to orchestrate music. In a third game, players help Alice escape the White Rabbit Hall by correctly identifying variations of the themes from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. This software cocoons children in the dramatic music of Vivaldi, and entertains them with cleverly constructed musical games featuring amusing Lewis Carrolls characters. It is brilliantly conceived and radiantly executed!		Purchase Links »  Buy ALICE IN VIVALDI'S FOUR SEASONS at Amazon.com
Summary Age  6 - 12 Platform  Windows Price  $20.00 Category  Music Grade  ISBN  Company  Music Games International http://www.KidsMusicStage.com

Hit it Maestro! Published on December 29th, 2003

Did you know that J.S. Bach was not famous during his lifetime? And that Tchaikovsky thought his Nutcracker ballet was terrible? Kids learn these interesting facts and much more by exploring Hit it Maestro. a software/book that plays on Leapfrog’s LeapPad, LeapPad Plus, or the Quantum Pad Learning Systems. It is appropriate for children seven years and older. Through interactive games and activities, Hit it Maestro! introduces children to classical music. As kids interact with their stylus to explore pictures and words on the pages, they are surrounded by audio information and music. By touching pictures of musical instruments, kids learn the instruments’ names and the sounds they make. They explore the concepts of melody, harmony, rhythm, tempo, counterpoint, and theme by listening to a musical example of each. Thirteen of the most famous composers appear on the pages and talk to players. Not only do children learn interesting facts about each composer, but they are also introduced to the composers’ most famous compositions. Because both music and information are presented in such an interactive manner, kids are drawn into the learning process. In this 24-page book, each two-page spread offers at least one musical game. Kids design their own fugues, match the arias of operas to characters that sing them, and even compose their own music by touching combinations of instruments. Not only do children have fun playing musical games, but they also experience over two hours of classical music. Its sound isn’t CD-quality, but it is adequate to introduce children to music. This book/software is particularly fun for families to explore together. It encourages everyone to listen to celebrated music and then interact with it. My family really enjoyed playing the identify-the-composer game. The game plays a piece from one of 38 composers, and then challenges the listeners to identify the composer. It provides hints by telling you the category of classical music to which the unknown composer belongs and shows those categories with the composers sorted into Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Impressionist, and 20th Century. Hit it Maestro! is a musical feast for children and adults alike. It creates a rare learning situation that is magical. If you own one of the LeapPad Learning Systems, don’t miss this one! If you don’t own a LeapPad, you might want to buy one.		Purchase Links »  Available at Amazon.com
Summary Age  7 - 18 Platform  N/A Plays on LeapPad, LeapPad Plus, and Quantum PAd Price  $15.00 Category  Music Grade  ISBN  Company  Leapfrog http://www.leapfrog.com

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