If
you or anyone you know wants to learn to read music,
it's a lot easier to do than it used to be. The Internet
gives us all access to almost unlimited information,
and can deliver an incredible array of products and
tools right to our desktops. Not surprisingly, there
are some really clever products out there that can
help you learn to read notes.
"Piano
is Fun" from Anthony Fernando is a great beginner
package for a very reasonable price that will teach
you how to read music. The knowledge and practice
available here would cost many times the purchase
price ($24.95) in personal lessons. Included in the
price are free lifetime upgrades and a 30 day money-back
guarantee.
Purchase
and Installation
Purchase
and installation are both a snap. The entire process
takes no more than five minutes and is virtually foolproof.
So, what's in the product? A series of lessons and
practice games that teach you how to read music and
make it fun! And that's quite an accomplishment! Most
students find it an awesome, dreadful task, but it
really doesn't have to be, as this product demonstrates.
When you start the program, you might think that the
product is just for kids. Well, it is great for kids,
but it's also fun for anyone that wants to learn to
read music for the piano. My own bass clef reading
skills fade in and out, and I actually enjoyed clicking
through the lessons and "games" (review
tests).
Getting
Started
The
basic package features a series of twenty lessons
that start very simply and progress through both the
treble and bass clefs. The graphics are big and bright
and easy to read. There are good sound and visual
effects - enough to keep your interest up but not
so much that it distracts from the point of learning
the notes. The way to get started with the product
is to take the tour, which explains the layout of
the lessons and the "games" that are used
as review tests for each of the twenty lessons. As
a student progresses through each lesson, awards are
given and displayed on a separate screen - great little
reinforcers to keep you going.
Menu
and Options
The
main menu is completely self-explanatory and includes
a button for "Start Here" which leads to
the "tour", a "Lessons" button,
which leads to the twenty lessons, an "Options"
button (explained below) and buttons for advanced
tests called the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Challenges.
The Options button lets you control what happens when
a correct answer is entered (there are a few different
choices), and contains an option for teachers that
allows the addition or deletion of a student's name.
It is also possible for a "teacher" to construct
"custom" lessons that operate like the other
lessons. The option is in choosing the notes that
are presented in the test. So, if you want your child
or student to concentrate on recognizing certain notes,
you can easily create exercises that contain only
those notes. There is also a sound option that lets
you turn on or off the sound effects that accompany
parts of the program.
Extra
Challenging Exercises
The
Bronze, Silver, and Gold Challenge exercises are more
note recognition tests but with the notes passing
across the screen at a faster pace, obviously requiring
a quicker response from the user. If a student can
master these, there isn't much doubt that they know
their notes.
So that's
about it! This program doesn't balance your checkbook,
manage your portfolio, or vacuum your carpet, but
it never claimed to! If you want to learn to read
music, or have a child that's about to start lessons
or just shows interest, this product is a great buy.
Imagine your piano teacher's surprise when your 5
year old shows up knowing how to read music on both
the treble and bass clefs! She'll fall off her piano
bench! By the way, my son, who has been taking lessons
for two years, came home from school yesterday and
ASKED if he could use the Piano is Fun program! Think
about that!
Peter Cullen is the Webmaster at http://www.PianoLessonReviews.com
and an avid amateur pianist. The site reviews piano
lesson offerings on the Web and offers many other
piano-related resources.
(Source: Goarticles.com)
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