Educational Software

Music is a key part of childhood development. It is an early form of communication between parent and infant in the form of lullabies. Children can relate to music with a basic understanding that precedes verbal skills.

Nursery rhymes are set to music because the tune helps to reinforce the words. Exposure to music also helps as the child learns math. Music is all about the relationship between the notes. Notes are a specific distance from each other to create harmony, just like numbers are a set distance away from each other. Both music and math are very structured.

Many educational software programs are available to introduce young children to music. One such program features Clifford the Big Red Dog, a familiar childhood cartoon character. Clifford's Musical Memory Games are designed for children ages 4 to 6.

In this musical software game Clifford and the other characters have to work together to restore music to a radio station on an island. The keyboard they use is shaped like a dog bone. Throughout the game, children search the island to find items that can be used to create a musical instrument. Along the way there are musical activities to complete. Once all the pieces are found to make an instrument the child gets to join in a "jam session" with that instrument. This builds a strong understanding with the child about the instrument and the sound it makes.

As the child progresses in the game they interact with other characters and build songs using the dog bone keyboard. When each song is completed the child is rewarded by gaining access to a fun activity. This teaches the causal relationship.

While the game may seem like all fun, there are plenty of basic skills being covered. They include: following directions, creativity, hand-eye coordination, logical thinking, problem solving, using the computer mouse, memory, matching, counting and pattern recognition. Even though a lot of learning is taking place, the design is simple enough to young children to play independently. Of course when parents or others play along it adds important encouragement to the process.

For older children ages 7 to 10, Disney has a fun, interactive software, "Radio Disney Music Mix Studio." It is designed to be flexible and allow the child to be their own DJ. They can mix music, add sound effects and even create a music video. The video can incorporate digital photos - a great way to bring in personal images of the family, friends, pets, etc. The videos can also have animated characters that will dance to the music.

The Clifford and Disney software options are designed to let kids interact with music in a positive way. Hopefully this will spark an interest in the child to want to learn to play a particular instrument or even several instruments. There are several software options available to teach basic skills on different instruments. With many schools cutting funding for music programs, being able to provide this software option at home is really important.

Basic music software covers the guitar, piano and drums. The easy-to-follow lessons include step-by-step videos, guides for reading music, simple music to print and practice and levels that advance as the student gains skills.