The Keyboard
We got this basic keyboard a little over a year ago and apart from playing really simple notes, we really haven't maximized it. They can play "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", "Happy Birthday Song", a few notes of "Fools Rush In" and "A Thousand Years", but that's about it.
Recently, I noticed that the keyboard is gathering dust -- they kind of lost interest in it already and it's not good putting such a nice instrument to a waste. The keyboard cannot have the same fate as the guitar. Noooo!
Simply Piano To The Rescue!
We had Simply Piano app by JoyTunes before but only the free version which only gave access to the first basic lessons. So this was why the kids got bored of it, because there was not a lot to explore in it anymore.
A few days ago, I decided to finally pay for the premium version of the app. I subscribed with a monthly fee of $12.45 with a reminder to the kids -- put the app to good use or else we will lose value for our money.
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It's only been four days and they have made significant progress already -- they can read notes, play with the left hand, and play along with full songs. This would not be the case if I would be the one to teach them as I do not know how to play any instrument. As a matter of fact, I am also just learning with the kids!
The premium version gives access to all 23 courses and a lot of songs that include current hits, classics, and many more for different musical tastes.
Notes, Rhythm, and Coordination
So as I said, the app was designed to teach piano from beginner level. It runs on the phone or tablet (recommended for a bigger display) and has an interactive interface that makes the learning process feel like playing a game. All you have to do is to place your device near the keyboard and it will recognize the keys you are playing.
In one account, you can create several profiles in order to save individual progress. As you can see below, I also have my own account and I am proud to say that I can already play along with Joan Osborne's One of Us (yeah, mommy is proud of herself. LOL).
Among us, it's the Little Miss who has progressed the most and I am really in awe at how fast she could learn how to read the notes and remember her fingers. Last night, I saw her doing left and right-hand exercises, which from my inexperienced eyes, look very hard.
The Little Man is also getting the hang of using all fingers appropriately and can tap with the rhythms. The app teaches you the number associated with each finger so it develops hand-eye coordination.
With the festive atmosphere hanging around, there is also a Holiday Challenge within the app where you can learn to play a few Christmas songs. I've seen a lot of users share their progress in the FB community page and it is inspiring.
This is Little Miss' progress so far. We've been doing it for only four days so I am not expecting her to finish all of them. But to see some progress is already good for me.
Thoughts
So far, I love how very guided the app is and it lets you to really have mastery of each lesson before it lets you move on to the next. Having three kids (and myself) paying separate tuition for all of them to learn the instrument will be a big hit in the wallet so this app gives me a lot of value for my money.
Its gamified nature (ratings, stars, hits/misses) also gives an extra challenge to the kids to try and get better scores. As we know, repetition will only make them better!
So far, I am happy with the app. While it is screen time, it is still positive screen time for me! However, I am sad that I get the least amount of time with the app. LOL. It is really for all ages and suitable for any skill even when you start from scratch.
How about you? How do you teach music to your kids?
Cover image from Simply Piano by JoyTunes edited via Canva. Screenshots from the Simply Piano Android app.
