Julliard Music Adventure

Theatrix and the Julliard School have teamed up to create a spectacular music program. I had a difficult time "relating" to this program with my first encounter, but found myself fully captivated the second time around. Perhaps some of my experiences will save you a little undo stress. I have spent most of my life involved in music and I can definitely say this is a wonderful program!

"Julliard Music Adventure" will not teach your child note names, how to play an instrument or how to read music on typical staff paper. It will introduce them in a fun way to advanced musical concepts such as rhythm, pitch, rests, syncopation, sequence and even concepts like retrograde and symmetry. While any child would benefit from using this program, a child who is already involved with music will find it an invaluable tool for learning some difficult concepts. I would highly recommend this program for anyone endeavoring to study music!

This program takes place in a castle. The Queen (who remains nameless) has been locked up by the evil Gnoise (pronounced "Noise") who has wrecked havoc upon her castle. The Queen has been trapped in an amulet which makes it very handy for her to sit at the bottom of your screen and offer suggestions and advice throughout the program. Your job is to visit five rooms in the castle, solve the musical puzzles there and return with five keys. The keys will help you free the Queen. Each puzzle will teach you a different musical concept. For example, in the blacksmith's quarters you must teach the apprentice how to only play during the rests of a piece of music. In the princess's bedroom you must help her as she plays her flute. There are three levels, so the puzzles are different with each advancement. I found level one rather challenging as an adult! I often thought I had completed a puzzle correctly only to find a small error which made all the difference. You must be persistent in this game and you must be in the mood to concentrate. The first time I attempted a review I stayed in the court yard area where you can freely compose music and play with rhythms. I found this a bit frustrating and never wanted to venture in to the castle. The tools you use to compose melodies and to solve the puzzles involve moving tiles around on the screen. The tools are rather sophisticated and I became frustrated. When I tackled the program by going right in to the castle and learning how to use the tools as I progressed I did much better. I found myself sticking with the program much longer than I really needed to and shipping the kids off to bed so I could "finish rescuing the Queen." The kids looked at my rather oddly, but I think they are getting used to it by now.

The depth of this program is great. Your kids (and you if you are like me) will come back to it many times.
As a musician I can vouch for it's flawless educational value. Of course what would you expect from a school like Julliard? They were very much involved in the making of this program and have not lightly given their name to it. If you are a musician, have a musician in the house, or just want to raise a little music appreciation, this is a fabulous program! Considering what I would pay for one music book for my son, the price is not bad either...always a nice bit of news!

Grading:

Educational value- 5
Entertainment value- 4
Use of medium- 4
Dollar value- 4
Age- 9+

Sorry, but this program is no longer available. Watch for it on Ebay.com and sites like it. It is a true find if you see one!