Leo Loves Music Apps: PianoBall

I took August mostly off from things iPads & Apps (due to pure mushroom cloud overwhelm), and am easing back in with a single solitary app review (and by giving three local iPad workshops in the next two months, heh).

Leo has been grooving on several different apps lately, but the most pleasant surprise came from PianoBall ($1.99), which we picked up at a discount thanks to its inclusion on the most recent Moms With Apps App Friday. PianoBall is the kind of app I like to get for Leo, since he loves almost nothing better than musical free play with structural underpinnings, yet with a novel interface. Which is what PianoBall is all about!

See those four balls at the top of the keyboard below? You can spin all four of them in any direction, to change the keyboard's features. Starting from the left:

• The first ball changes the keyboard to the ball's front color, and says that color out loud (oooh, learning!).
• The second lets you toggle the keyboard between plinking away on a standard keyboard, and tapping out a preset tune using any key, somewhat like Leos' beloved Tappy Tunes.
• The third turns the keys rainbow-colored, and lets you shift the spectrum around.
• The fourth changes the keyboard's instrument sound: keyboard, drums, saxophone, xylophone (pictured).

The video below is Leo checking out PianoBall for the first time. Wackiness! And glee! He's been particularly unsettled lately, having a hard time focusing and sitting still -- so the minimal demands but spectacular results of PianoBall let him have exactly the kind of stress-free fun right he really needs right now.

Thank you, Internet, MomsWithApps, and App Developers in general. You keep our boy so happy.

App Review: Kiboomu's Toddler Sing & Learn

Obviously, we don't care what apps are called as long as they appeal to Leo, so I was more than happy to have our ten-year-old boy try out Kiboomu's app Toddler Sing & Learn ($1.99). Leo is already a fan of Kiboomu's piano/karaoke/sing along apps Old MacDonald Piano and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Storybook Piano, so I had high expectations -- and was not disappointed. This is a straightforward but versatile and engaging app, especially for kids like Leo for whom music is a language.

Toddler Sing & Learn is a collection of ten simple songs, including several Leo already knows and loves -- Apples and Bananas, and The Ants Come Marching In.

The app's main screen presents three options: Puzzles, Color, and Sing; all three contain the same ten screens (one per song). Consistent graphics are good for kids like Leo who are visually oriented -- they see the same screen, they know what song to expect. Predictable navigation structure helps Leo use and explore the app independently.

The three modes function differently, just as advertised. Puzzle mode (pictured) lets kids drag different picture elements as they appear in the upper right corner, and drop them into the same-shaped area on the screen. Leo thinks this mode is hilarious -- and he's certainly very good at it.

Color mode is simple but nicely designed. Each song's trademark screen appears in outline mode. The only option is to choose the color the user wants to paint with from a column of colored pencils on the screen's right side, then Leo uses his finger to color away. Again, this is ideal for our boy. He doesn't have to deal with pop-up menus or navigating to other screens yet can still have coloring/design optionos.

Sing mode is just that -- the song sung over the screen. Leo is less interested in this mode since the interactivity is limited -- but he likes it well enough,  and loves the other two modes.

As Leo's parent, I appreciate that Toddler Sing & Learn gives kids lots of positive reinforcement when tasks are completed (see third photo; there is audio cheering as well). And the songs sound  professional and not too grating -- I can only take so many kids' songs, and have zero tolerance for crappy or mediocre recordings. So Leo and I are both pleased.

If, like Leo, your child likes music and gravitates towards apps with simple yet varied and easily navigated activities, then Toddler Sing & Learn is a good choice.

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Disclosure: I was provided with a complimentary copy of Toddler Sing & Learn, but that has no bearing on my opinions as presented here.

Music as a Therapeutic Communication Tool: Free 10/21 Presentation

SEPTAR, the Special Education PTA of Redwood City, is hosting a free presentation by speech therapist and musician Laura Allison on Thursday, October 21st, at 7 PM in Redwood City:

Laura's presentation will focus on using music as a therapeutic tool to encourage communication development in children. Music is a unique avenue that can be used to facilitate engagement, social skills, and language development in a fun and natural way.

A article about Laura's incorporation of music into her speech therapy practice:

• http://communicationtherapy.wordpress.com/2009/11/13/announcing-new-supportive-music-class/

Meeting Time and Place:

• Thursday October 21st, 7PM
• Redwood City School District offices: 750 Bradford Street, Redwood City 94063

SEPTAR provides free babysitting, as well as Spanish translation, coffee, snacks, and excellent conversation with people who get it.

The meeting is open to any interested parents, educators, or professionals -- not just SEPTAR members.

Hope to see you there!

That Baby: A MotherTalk Review

After my three-year-old and autistic seven-year-old watched the music videos on the That Baby DVD, they refused to listen to any car music except the That Baby CD's "Butterflies!" ("Happiness Runs/Circle Game") and "Flowers!" ("Garden Song [Inch by Inch]"). Though after hearing the introduction to the instrumental piano piece "Get Together," three-year-old Mali declared, "It's soooo beautiful!"

She's right. That Baby's music is beautiful, and the accompanying videos are obviously a work of love and considerable care. As a bootstrappy, DIY kinda gal myself, I have to respect the effort that the creators put into this project. I especially appreciate that their videos include kids with disabilities having fun with typical peers.

I just wish I liked That Baby, or thought it lived up to its very sweet motto: "Acoustic rock classics for kids and the grownups who love them."

But I don't. I think it's an example of the kind of kids' music that drives me batty: tunes that parents like, and want their kids to like. (Dan Zanes is a good example of this genre.) My kids refused to listen to any of the other songs on the That Baby CD, or watch the non-butterflies or -flower videos. Even Mali insisted on skipping "Get Together" after that first declaration.

Why? Probably because most of the songs are really poppy, in a Disney Channel afternoon programming kind of way, and simply do not feature the structured phrasing and articulation younger kids latch on to. I wonder if my kids rejected those songs and videos because all the video imagery is obviously for very young children, whereas the music itself is quite complex.

And, again, much of that music is exquisite, with lovely vocals (the man who sings "Pony Boy" sounds like Lyle Lovett, whose voice is the closest thing this world has to a siren's call), extraordinary musicianship (established names like Tony Furtado), and thoughtful arrangements (the cover of The Beatles' "I Will" is a jewel). But it doesn't sound like kids' music. It sounds like soft adult rock, or lost Lilith Fair tracks.

There are obviously many families and parents who think That Baby is wonderful. Perhaps, as I teach my kids to say, That Baby is simply "not to my taste." But I also suspect that if I recommended That Baby to my own friends, or put anything other than "Happiness Runs" or "Garden Song" on my family's annual Kids' Music holiday gift compilations, said friends would kick my ass. And that would probably feel about the same as having to write this less-than-positive review about a project so painstakingly parent-produced.

But, hey, you can always do what I advise my eldest to do: research and form your own opinion. Go to the That Baby website, listen to songs from the CD, and watch a video preview of the DVD.

If you decide to place an order, enter the coupon code "MotherTalk" when purchasing and save 20% on your entire order! From now until May 18th, all orders using the coupon code "MotherTalk" will be entered in a drawing to win a new iPod nano.

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