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24.11.2006
Video game uses piano keyboard as controller
Technology for kids keeps
popping up in novel ways. One of the newest, I Can Play
Piano, is a keyboard instrument that kids use to play a
video game. Not only do they have fun, but by playing the
game, they learn to read music.
Fisher-Price's I Can Play Piano comes packaged with a
three-octave keyboard that plugs into the audio/video input
jacks of your television. The keys on the keyboard are all
color-coded. At the top of the keyboard is a place to insert
game cartridges. This smart toy comes with one cartridge
containing eight songs that can be played in four different
song modes. In addition to the songs, kids can play two
other games that teach the location of the keys. Additional
song/game cartridges are available separately for $15 each.
Kids start by exploring the two non-song games, which teach
placement of keys. In one, kids play a game involving
colored balls. To make them move, kids must push the
corresponding colored key on the keyboard. In the other
introductory game, kids can make colored cars speed up on a
racetrack by pushing the corresponding colored key on the
keyboard.
In the song modes, I Can Play Piano uses the innovative
"Piano Wizard" method (developed by Allegro Multimedia Inc.)
of teaching children how to play the piano. Similar to Dance
Dance Revolution in console gaming, music is represented on
the screen as moving images. Initially, the images are
colored to match the keys on the keyboard. They scroll up
from the bottom of the screen and pass over a line drawn
across the top of the screen. If kids push on the matching
colored key as the image is passing over the line, they will
hear themselves playing music. The game allows kids to slow
down or speed up the tempo of the song, and they can play
with one or both hands on the keyboard.
As kids progress through the song modes, the images change
from scrolling up to scrolling sideways. They then morph
into colored musical notes, and eventually into
side-scrolling black notes. By working through four modes of
play, kids learn to identify the keys of the keyboard,
associate the keys with notes, and eventually learn to read
music.
The songs included in the "Piano Favorites" cartridge vary
from children's favorites like Row, Row, Row Your Boat to
classical music, including Beethoven's Fur Elise. By
purchasing the additional cartridges, kids can play songs
from the Dora the Explorer, Scooby Doo and Nicktoons
television series. They can also learn to play pop hits,
Christmas favorites and other songs.
As compared with the PC version of "Piano Wizard," the
software upon which this product is based, I Can Play Piano
is a better way for little kids to learn. Its interface is
easier to navigate, its instructions are better, and the two
non-song-based games make learning the keyboard a breeze.
Source: USAToday.com
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