12 Days of Christmas - Polk Street Press Singalong

by Polk Street Press

Price: 1.99$

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone

Overall Score: 100/100

version reviewed: 1.2

reviewed: 09/12/2012

Best for: Music & rhythm, Attention & concentration, Early math, Music & art, Personal & social

What it is: classic Christmas carol with additional features.

What you do with it: two modes:

singalong - sing along with the music; record audio/video while singing along and share it via email or Facebook (see a sample recording here.

playalong - play the song, when the music stops point to the correct number to keep the music playing (reinforces number and counting skills)

What we liked: the concept, beautiful artwork, simple music arrangement, simple operation, the Playalong feature with counting/numbers practice.

What we didn't like: no interactions (apart from the Playalong feature). The words are not highlighted in the Singalong mode. Somehow limited sharing options (e.g. we wish there was an option to view other people's recordings in the app).

Appysmarts

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iPhone

iPad

Sound Wand Harp - A Magical Motion-Based Musical Instrument

by Club 15CC

Price: free

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone

Overall Score: 98/100

version reviewed: 1.0.1

reviewed: 30/05/2012

Best for: Music & rhythm, Creativity, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art

What it is: an app turning the iPhone or iPad into a virtual harp.

What you do with it: play music by tapping on the screen (different areas generate single notes or harmonies) and waving the device at the some time for additional effects.

What we liked: the concept, great quality sounds, ease of use (you don't need to have any musical background to play and have fun with it). Many configuration options (e.g. predefined choices of key/scale).

What we didn't like: works only on newer iOS devices. Make sure that the kids hold the device firmly while waving (playing).

Botom line: an excellent app for making kids interact with music in a creative, non-stressful way.

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iPhone

Toca Band

by Toca Boca

Price: 4.99$

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone

Overall Score: 95/100

version reviewed: 1.0.1

reviewed: 18/03/2013

Best for: Music & rhythm, Creativity, Interaction, Music & art

What it is: creative play with music and sounds. 16 characters, 48 sound loops (drums, pianos, guitars, voices etc)

What you do with it: create simple songs by placing the 'musicians' on the stage. Change the sounds by changing the musicians' positions.

What we liked: the concept. Lively illustrations and animations. Ease of use. Fun factor. Number and quality of loops (there is no 'wrong mix'). Great for introducing younger kids to experiments with sound.

What we didn't like: not much educational value (we would like to see at least one 'real' instrument like piano or xylophone). No option to record your 'mix'. Older kids may quickly become bored (the options/song variants are rather limited for more creative work).

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iPhone

iPad

Jazzy ABC - Music Education

by The Melody Book

Price: 1.99$

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 95/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed: 14/05/2018

Best for: Music & rhythm, Attention & concentration, Early literacy, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art, Thinking & problem solving, Understanding of the world

What it is: an app for teaching letters and names of music instruments.

What you do with it: there are two main activities: interactive flashcards with letters and instruments, whose names start with a particular letter (touch the instrument to hear its sound) and a minigame where you either point to the instrument whose name starts with a particular letter or find point to the instrument whose name is read out by the narrator).

What we liked: the concept (your kid learns letters while learning the names of the instruments - or the other way around), simple graphics and animations, simple operation, 'jazzy' background music, good quality audio (both narration and sounds of the instruments), good educational value.

What we didn't like: the app teaches only capital letters. The minigame could be much better (e.g. why there is no mode for recognizing the instrument just by its sound?). In the flashcards activity we would like to see some more information about the instruments. Too few interactions/activities like the 'play the xylophone' activity for the letter X.

Bottom line: a simple and fun to use app for teaching letters and names of various music instruments.

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iPhone

iPad

Stella and the Startones

by Bohem Interactive

Price: free

iPad

Overall Score: 93/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed: 29/06/2012

Best for: Music & rhythm, Attention & concentration, Creativity, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art

What it is: an app for creative play with music and sounds with 21 picture/music scenes with unique melodic styles.

What you do with it: choose a scene, explore, rearrange and play with the objects in the scene, discover what sounds the objects make or how they respond to touch, create simple sound sequences.

What we liked: the concept, simple illustrations and animations, ease of use, fun factor, number of interactive elements, number and quality of sounds and sound backgrounds, no distracting elements.

What we didn't like: no option to record sound sequences during play (could be a good idea for more competent 'composers').

Bottom line: an excellent creative musical toy for all ages: younger kids can just play and discover sounds and animations while older children can try 'composing' music sequences and combining them with visuals.

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iPad

Bebot - Robot Synth

by Normalware

Price: 1.99$

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 90/100

version reviewed: 1.8

reviewed: 24/02/2012

Best for: Music & rhythm, Attention & concentration, Creativity, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art, Understanding of the world

What it is: a musical synthesizer with multitouch controls.

What you do with it: play around with synthesized sounds using one (or more) fingers. Change the parameters to explore new sounds.

What we liked: great concept, easy operation with multi finger gestures, lots of fun, good 'edutainment' value, great for creativity and experimentation with sounds.

What we didn't like (please note that we understand that this app was probably not designed with kids in mind): complex interface for configuring sounds (requires parental assistance). You can't save or share your 'soundjam'. Little reference to a real instrument/keyboard. Can be boring after a while.

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iPad

Christmas Carols for Kids, Sing Along Songs - Jolly Jingle

by Hompimplay

Price: 2.99$

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 90/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed: 10/12/2012

Best for: Music & rhythm, Attention & concentration, Interaction, Music & art, Personal & social

What it is: 5 sing-along Christmas songs with interactive elements (including Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Up on the Housetop, We Wish You a Merry Christmas)

What you do with it: play the songs and sing along, touch objects on the screen for sounds and simple animations. Switch between different musical arrangements for each song (kids choir, female solo voice, instrumental, solo piano).

What we liked: nice variety of song arrangements, simple graphics and animations, no distracting elements.

What we didn't like: only 5 songs. The words are not highlighted in the sing-along mode. The navigation is a bit difficult and the controls could be more intuitive. The interactive elements are sometimes a bit chaotic. Bottom line: if you are still not sure - check out our See Before You Buy video or download the free version of this app.

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iPad

Play Opera: Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi masterpieces for kids

by DADA Company

Price: 2.99$

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 87/100

version reviewed: 1.1

reviewed: 29/12/2015

Best for: Music & rhythm, Music & art, Understanding of the world

What it is and what you do with it: 5 interactive scenes introducing kids to popular opera masterpieces.

Scenes include: The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Turandot by Giacomo Puccini, Gioachino Rossini Cenerentola, Rigoletto by Giuseppe Verdi and Councilmen Choir of the Luisa Fernanda Operetta by Federico Moreno Torroba.

What we liked: the concept. Excellent musical and visual quality (each scene is illustrated by a different artist). Fun interactive features. Great educational content.

What we didn't like: no narration.

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iPhone

iPad

JungleJam! Music for Kids

by wonderkind GmbH

Price: 3.99$

iPhone + iPad

Overall Score: 87/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed: 12/12/2014

Best for: Music & rhythm, Creativity, Interaction, Music & art

What it is and what you do with it: play with sounds and music: tap animals in the scene to experiment with melodies, rhythm and beats. 20 animals with various sounds and musical styles.

What we liked: the concept. Good range of sounds and rhythms to play with. Beautiful illustrations. Fun animations. Humor and fun factor. Ease of use. No distracting features.

What we didn't like: the concept may be difficult to understand at first (we recommend parental guidance for younger kids). May quickly get repetitive.

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iPhone

iPad

Sago Mini Sound Box

by Sago Sago

Price: 3.99$

May contain `more apps` links

iPhone

Overall Score: 87/100

version reviewed: 1.0

reviewed: 05/06/2013

Best for: Interactive toys, Attention & concentration, Creativity, Eye-hand coordination, Interaction, Music & art

What it is: a musical toy with extra features. 9 sound sets (instruments, animals, vehicles etc).

What you do with it: the sounds are represented by colored bubbles. Play with the bubbles and sounds: tap, tap and hold a bubble to reveal a surprise animation, tap with multiple fingers for 'special' bubbles and multiple sounds, shake the device to bounce the bubbles around etc.

What we liked: the concept. Excellent set of interactive features/gesture combinations. Simple illustrations and animations. Fun factor. Ease of use. No distracting elements.

What we didn't like: bubbles may be too small for younger kids or kids with poor eye-hand coordination. Number of 'surprise animations' is a bit limited (they get repetitive very quickly). Navigation between the sound sets could be easier.

Appysmarts

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iPhone

iPad

Best apps for kids for music education.

12 Days of Christmas - Polk Street Press Singalong

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Sound Wand Harp - A Magical Motion-Based Musical Instrument

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Toca Band

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Jazzy ABC - Music Education

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Stella and the Startones

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Bebot - Robot Synth

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Christmas Carols for Kids, Sing Along Songs - Jolly Jingle

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Play Opera: Mozart, Puccini, Rossini, and Verdi masterpieces for kids

Show Screenshots »

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JungleJam! Music for Kids

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Sago Mini Sound Box

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