Schoolhouse Review: KinderBach iPad App

It's a musical world I'm living in.  The MainMost is a drummer.  I played clarinet and bass clarinet in high school and college.  We have guitar players and pianists in the house and the Boy Scout drums every chair he comes in contact with quite nicely.  The Princess enjoys picking out songs on the piano -- but isn't so fond of her piano lessons.  I'm determined that she's going to persevere though -- poor thing, both of her older sisters wish they'd never stopped taking piano lessons so by default she's forced to continue.  It doesn't hurt that I know how important music is to the soul -- and to an education.  Studies prove that music helps students perform better in both math and reading and those are areas that can always use improvement.

Last year, we had the opportunity to try out the KinderBach online program (please click on the link to read that review) called KinderBach at Home.  The Boy Scout enjoyed it immensely.  This year, though, KinderBach has a new iPad App and my Princess was all over it.  A classroom app, KinderBach brought a smile back to her face concerning piano lessons. That girl loves appschooling and she loves music, so the KinderBach iPad App was right up her alley.  It was the perfect way to encourage her to practice piano.

A Classroom or School Version app (just in case iPad apps are new to you) is one in which the in-app purchases have been removed.  You pay for the entire app when you buy it and there are no unexpected or hidden costs that come up as you progress through the app.  I downloaded Classroom KinderBach:  School Version to both my iPad and my iPhone which kept the Princess busily entertained.   For only $26.99 you can add a musical component to school and life without ever leaving your home for lessons.  You don't even need a piano or a keyboard as the app supplies one right on the screen for lessons.

iPad view which includes video lesson, supplied keyboard, and further studies.

Now I realize that die-hard music teachers will tell you your child need a real-live piano for hands-on learning, but I daresay that the on-screen keyboard makes for a great introduction.  I have found the Princess sitting at our computer (with the iPad open in front of her) more than ever since we began this review.  The excitement she feels by learning on-screen is making her WANT to practice and feel the ivory beneath her fingers.  In this case, the technology goes hand in hand with the reality and that's a winning combination in my opinion.

The KinderBach app is comprised of three levels with 10 lessons in each level.  Each lesson includes an intro video and 4 teaching videos as well as a link to one of six games used to reinforce the lessons taught.  That's 150 videos (or "private" lessons from music educator Karri Greggor) that begin at the very beginning of music education and teach all of the concepts needed to take your student from listener to performer.  Ideal for children in the 3 - 7 year-old range, KinderBach teaches children to play the piano, read notes, and learn intervals, rhythms and music patterns -- all from the convenience of your iPad.  How simple is that?  The videos are short so students can do more than one lesson in a sitting if so desired OR can watch the same lesson several times if they'd like.  This entire user-friendly curriculum can be tailored to meet the needs of YOUR family.  Perfect, huh?  Now keep in mind, although KinderBach is ideal for children ages 3 - 7, my Princess is 11 and she enjoyed it immensely.  We were able to move quickly through some of the beginning lessons (they acted as great review for her though) and reinforce concepts and music theory.

Our new friend, Dodi

Because your child is meeting new friends as they learn to play the piano, they find it exciting and enjoy continuing their lessons.  With this app, you have a FULL YEAR's worth of music at your fingertips.  When you download a teaching video, it is yours to keep forever.  That means multiple children will have the opportunity to learn and play along.  Our iPad has fast become a family favorite due to the portability it offers.  We can easily load up and take school on the road and as often as we are on the run, that's a big positive for KinderBach with us.  Earbuds plugged into the iPad make piano lessons appropriate anytime anywhere.  There are also coloring sheets and activity pages available to print (a simple thing to do from your iPad if you have installed air-printing) that reinforce each lesson.  That's even more fun for my girl and as you can see in the sample below, these printable sheets act as theory pages, too.  We printed out the pages and 3-hole-punched them for a Theory Notebook to accompany music lessons.

You can purchase the new Classroom KinderBach:  School Version App directly from the Apple Store for $26.99.  The simple downloading process only takes a short while and then your child is ready to begin playing and learning.  It's a brand-new app and steps are already being made to make it even better.  How's that for technology advancement?

~Disclaimer:  I was given the opportunity to use and review the KinderBach App as a member of the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  The opinions stated are mine and mine alone.  I was not paid to share my thoughts and feelings with you.  I received the App in exchange for my honest review.  You can check out the Crew Review and see what other members of the Crew thought of KinderBach.~

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