Imagine hearing your four-year-old play “Ode to Joy” or even “Yankee Doodle”! It could happen in your family with the help of this ingenious music program! All you need is a computer and a little perseverance. The keyboard plugs directly into most computers, and once the software is loaded, the learning fun begins!

The cost of the M-Audio KeyRig 49 Keyboard is about $125, which may seem daunting. But keep in mind that typical piano lessons cost anywhere from $25 to $50 per lesson per child. So you will actually save quite a lot of money by using this program for several years or with several children. Also, the keyboard accepts headphones, so your student can focus and practice without disturbing the rest of your family. That’s priceless!

This program comes with software to load onto your own laptop or desktop computer, a special piano keyboard that plugs into your computer to use with the software application, lesson books, and some necessary cables. The piano keyboard can’t be played as a stand-alone. It needs to be attached to a computer and used with the software program. An animated instructor is visible on your computer screen, and you can see lots of information before your eyes to help in the learning process.

The well-laid-out lessons are self-guided, with the student using the attached piano keyboard to “play along” with the computer program, which is visible on the computer screen. There are lessons for ages four through adult, and they cover music theory, improvisation, music history, music appreciation, and music games. It’s important to remember that this isn’t just a computer game. The keyboard is the input device into the computer, but the skills can be translated to a traditional piano fluidly. Also, some of the activities include old-fashioned coloring pages, which are always a big hit in our home!

Designed for the homeschool, this wonderful program allows the student to move through the program independently. So busy parents can have a few minutes each day to focus on other responsibilities while their child is learning music!

The improvisation training has turned out to be some of the most fun! The program is set up to teach the child a few key combinations that can be played with pre-programmed music on the computer, giving the child a sense of early success. The child hears some great music that they’re helping create, and the confidence boost is amazing. Our son often wanted to extend his lesson times because he was so thrilled with his progress. I also appreciated that the lessons were not too long–usually only 10-15 minutes per day. Our kids often played longer by choice and moved onto additional modules, but they rarely felt compelled to quit early.

Another great bonus is the fact that the keyboard and computer are so portable. We were able to use the program in various locations throughout our home during the week. You can’t move a full size piano around your house like that! Also, you could easily load this in the car for an extended out of town visit and never miss a beat!

Oh, did I mention that you can “register” more than one child on the software? When each child logs on, the lessons pick up where he or she left off! Not only is this a great learning tool for your kids, but busy parents who wish they’d stuck with their piano lessons when they were younger can enjoy learning too! Additional software for adults is available from Adventus.

Try MusIQ HomeSchool Free for 7-days!

Read the original review »

With that in mind, and from my own experience teaching college theory at Harvard and UCLA in its School of Music, I wanted my 5 year-old daughter to have the best possible access to musical teaching, training and experience using the computer as a tool - since I didn’t have Nadia Boulanger! I was also interested to see what had been developed using technology, so I made a point of trying everything I could find. Luckily I found MusIQ HomeSchool’s Children’s Music Journey, which is the single best music tutor, and music ‘experiencer’ for kids that I’ve found.

There are a number of reasons why - the program is planned carefully, it moves in steps that kids can relate to, and it’s clever in finding many different ways to teach aspects of musicianship - but the main reason it works so well is that my daughter has a real affection for it, and for the parade of famous composer-teachers who became her tutors, a small but ultimately brilliant device that the program uses to deliver its lessons.

These CMJ composers can be pretty humorous, listening to their own music with rapt attention, hands to their chins and staring skywards, and while it might seem odd that none have German, French, English or Russian accents - not even Beethoven! - they’re endearing and inviting, and so friendly that even small children are charmed.

And those children also learn a lot, very quickly - each composer’s work is sampled and given a thumbnail explanation before the lesson starts, so the child knows that the journey is always about music, and how to make it, at a high level - in fact, at an artistic level.

So CMJ does not talk down to kids, as most programs do, it elevates them and opens a door to experience. It also creates a relationship that kids want to continue living and working in - the most important aspect of a music training program which, if it’s going to work at all, needs to have the child coming back again and again.

In our own case, my daughter finished CMJ I at age five, and Volume II a year and a half later when it was released (we were impatient for each further installment). With CMJ Volume III, she worked through several sessions, and then announced she wanted to repeat the entire program again, so we went back - and this was her choice alone. Now we’re back in CMJ III again, with a very solid foundation for everything it offers, forging ahead.

The program isn’t completely automatic - it’s good for a parent or teacher to be nearby to help with the technology, and help navigate the program’s many choices (including clever musical games and a recording studio, my daughter’s favorite), but that’s only to smooth the way for the kid to go deep into their own experience of it.

So we’ve been working with CMJ for over three years now, and wish there were more installments ready when we finish CMJ III. But there’s no hurry - taking your time, working through lessons and practicing, trying to do better at the game challenges, is all part of learning and of learning music - building habits any child will find useful in other aspects of eduction.

Does music make kids smarter? Absolutely - everything in my experience tells me so. I know the kids I went to music school with were, and are, some of the most brilliant and accomplished people I’ve ever met, and I can’t believe it’s an accident. The Greeks taught music as one of the three main courses of their ‘gymnasium,’ and again and again I’ve heard stories of musically accomplished teens getting accepted at top colleges and universities after demonstrating their skills. Educators know it takes discipline and self-starting dedication to master an instrument, making music a great indicator of success on every level in college.

The best way get there is to start early - and a wonderful tool for helping to build that early start is Children’s Music Journey. It’s transformed my daughter’s life, and tomorrow morning, I know she’ll be asking to work at it again. We’re grateful for the program, and hope that the series will be continued far into the future, so we can continue learning and enjoying all it has to offer. -

-Garby Francis Leon MA, PhD (Harvard)

Ed,

Early last month you and I spoke on the phone and emailed back and forth a few times. I ordered Children’s Music Journey 1, 2, and 3, and you (very kindly, I might add—thank you) also sent along the workbook.

The package I ordered arrived within a few days. My boys, aged 4 and 7, were delighted to try it out for the first time…….. and the second……… and are still delighting in it almost every day. My 7-yr-old is up to lesson 22, and is thrilled to have had several different “teachers” along the way. While, at first, I sat with him through all interaction with the software, I now sit with him for the lessons, and then circulate nearby while he does the games, and practices with Miss Melody, and the improv. He loves all aspects, most of the time, and is thrilled to be able to play Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. He and I both are looking forward to moving to the second CD shortly.

My 4-yr-old does one or two lessons a week, and is also having great fun. He will proudly declare that he is up to Lesson 8, and we let him take a lesson whenever he asks.

I have found that the software works very well, and is engaging for the boys. Material is presented at a good pace, and repeated often, so that new material is manageable for the boys. And the games are such a good tool! The boys are having so much fun they don’t realize that they are practicing at the same time.

I mentioned to you that I have “gutted” a century-old upright Gerhard Heintzman Piano, and installed a computer, flat screen TV, Nintendo Wii System, Sound System with Sub-Woofer (hooked to the Piano to give depth and feel to the bass notes) and an 88-key Casio Privia Midi Keyboard. I have attached several photos, just for fun (I am proud of this little project).

We could not be more delighted with your company, my interactions with you personally, Ed, and your whole software instruction system. So, I would like to order the Piano Suite Premiere for myself as well, please.

Thank you again, and cheers,

Barry

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I can truly say that everyone in our home has benefited greatly from the use of these programs. The Children’s Music Journey Series is engaging enough for our four year old to stick with, and has enough content for our eleven year old to learn from. Piano Suite and ETC have been a great help to myself and our older children.

We have had reluctant learners become eager musicians, and eager learners progress at a fantastic rate with the various programs. Our latest purchase is the MusIQ Challenger, and I can’t wait to see what it will add to our progress. I might add that the customer service offered by Adventus has been exceptional, in the rare occasion of a problem. Adventus has truly been a marvellous contributor to the musical progress in our home.

- Gail, homeschool mother of seven

HALIFAX, NS – August 6, 2009 – Adventus’ MusIQ HomeSchool announces that its 3-volume interactive early music learning software series, Children’s Music Journey (CMJ) has been acclaimed by ISTE, the largest education technology organization worldwide.

Following a comprehensive evaluation, L&L curriculum specialist Professor Savilla Banister praised the depth and quality of the software. You “could effectively use CMJ in elementary school music classrooms, private piano studios, or homes.” said Banister, an associate professor of classroom technology at Bowling Green State University who helps K–12 teachers integrate multimedia technologies. Banister has also taught elementary school music and piano for more than 30 years.

The L&L review praises CMJ’s teach-practice-apply methodology and notes the 5-year-olds experiencing CMJ were “very interested and responsive to the activities. In fact, their mother had a difficult time convincing them to go home that day!” Also, the “selection of [animated composer teachers] is refreshingly diverse and includes women and minorities as well as composers from many different musical styles.”

ISTE is the premier membership association for educators engaged in improving teaching and learning by advancing the effective use of technology in PK-12 and teacher education. L&L magazine offers content that encapsulates ISTE’s philosophy that technology is essential to school transformation and future opportunities for the 21st-century learners around the globe.

“We’re pleased by ISTE’s acknowledgement” said Jim Mullen, president and CEO, Adventus Inc. “As the leader in interactive music learning, we’re proud to offer a uniquely effective and engaging program that helps students learn to read music, play piano with both hands, compose and improvise. We believe our dedication to quality helps to ensure educators can deliver an early music and piano solution that far exceeds their expectations.”

Founded in 1996, with headquarters in Halifax, Adventus Inc. specializes in developing interactive programs that inspire students of all ages to learn to read, play, improvise and compose music. Adventus’ MusIQ HomeSchool software offers an unparalleled blend of technology, pedagogy and content that challenges and inspires both students and educators to continue their journey in music.

Read the ISTE L&L article

###

For more information, contact
Marketing
Adventus Inc.
3008 Oxford St., Suite 101
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, B3L 2W5
Phone: 902.453.4464
Toll free: 888.999.6434
Fax: 902.453.4168
marketing@adventus.com
www.adventus.com

This led to a ten year UCLA study comparing results for young students taking music versus students taking computer classes. Students learning to read music and play the piano scored significantly higher on Math and Science assessments.

Researchers then went on to prove that learning to read music and play the piano has other cognitive benefits. Hong Kong university of China discovered that not only does the regimen of learning to read and play music increase the rate of learning new vocabulary, but it results in a permanent increase in the learning rate. If the music learning process stops, the increased capacity is retained. If the challenging music program starts again, the rate of learning increases further.

This makes sense. Consider that reading music requires the student to look at music notation (an abstract symbol set) and decode it. Playing music requires that decoded information to be used to guide ten fingers on the piano keyboard. The brain is operating challenging receptive and productive processes simultaneously, which is good exercise for the cerebral cortex, and it soon causes permanent changes in this important area of the brain.

One recent MIT study determined that the cerebral cortex of a concert pianist is enlarged by 30% on average compared to people that are considered intellectuals, but who did not have instrumental music education. Another CA study found that 75% of Silicon Valley CEO’s had instrumental music education as a child.

There are several less-tangible, but important advantages to learning to read music and play an instrument. In one Chicago High School the dropout rate improved dramatically, two short years after a challenging music program was introduced to all students.

Cognitive specialists agree, people are designed to be musical, and to develop that ability is an important advantage, most significant if this is started at an early age. Musicians acknowledge an important spiritual and motivational side to music.

The combination of these benefits is very interesting when considering music learning as a treatment for various conditions that affect both learning and behaviour. Consider Autism, ADHD, or even brain trauma, stroke or aneurism. For these individuals, learning to read music and play the piano can be a very important source of successes, increasing rates of learning and improving behaviour.

Many of these studies involved large numbers of young children learning to play an instrument and clearly required special conditions. It’s very difficult to implement a challenging, multi-year instrumental music program with a significant number of students because of the cost and space traditionally associated with instrumental programs. Traditional methods are simply too expensive to consider providing this beneficial development to all children at a particular school. As a result, normally 5-10 percent of the school population receives an instrumental music education.

MusIQ HomeSchool allows for important progress in two key areas:

1. Universal Access
   Schools and Families can deliver instrumental programs using the software at a fraction of the cost per student compared to traditional programs, while retaining the instructional objectives. Lesson plans enable the teacher/parent to add value (guidance and materials) to the program with a minimum amount of preparation.
2. Reliable Results
   Adventus’ MusIQ HomeSchool software programs are effective, and are also very enjoyable. Children love to learn this way. Ideally when the software is used by students, the learning process is also assisted by a teacher and/or parent. Learning to read music and play an instrument is a long term challenge. Teachers, whether they’re piano specialists or parents, are an important part of the learning process. MusIQ HomeSchool interactive software provides special feedback during practice that allows students to continue learning and developing skills, an advantage over traditional practice. Enjoying practice has a big effect on learning outcomes, even in the short term.

• Order the Monthly Subscription »
• Request a Free Trial »
• View the Early Curriculum (ages 4-10) »
• View the Multi-level Curriculum (ages 10 - adult) »

Frequently Asked Questions

What is MusIQ HomeSchool?

MusIQ HomeSchool is the first award-winning, multi-level music & piano curriculum that includes age-appropriate lessons for beginner to advanced intermediate students. The seven-year MusIQ HomeSchool curriculum includes 20+ levels so you can start your entire family right away.

Who is it for?

Homeschooling children at least four years of age to adult. Parents can learn too!

What will my children learn?

Students learn to read music, play piano, improvise and compose. Review the entire curriculum.

Do I need a piano keyboard?

Yes. Specifically, you need a MIDI piano keyboard (a digital keyboard that connects to your computer via a USB cable or a ‘MIDI to USB’ adapter). For quality and value, we recommend  the M-Audio KeyRig 49 (available with Subscription or Sotware for $110.00).

What are the system (computer) requirements?

• Early Curriculum: Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000 or Macintosh OSX and an internet connection.
• Multi-level Curriculum: Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000 and an internet connection.

How do I get started?

• Order the Monthly Subscription »
• Request a Free Trial »

The main screen of Piano Suite has five areas; Theory Thinker, Piano Player, Composer’s Corner, History Happens and Games.

If you are beginner on the piano, you start with Theory Thinker. The step by step series of tutorials (over 170 learning modules) are interspersed with practice sessions (120 in all) that develop the skills that you are learning in the tutorial. High quality graphics will guide you on the fundamentals such as hand position (see right) and then into the basics of the treble and bass clef - notation, timing and rhythm.

Where this starts to get interesting is when you start to practice on your midi keyboard. You set your own tempo, listen to the song played for you before you start, and when you play, the notes you play correctly will turn green and a red ‘X” will appear over any wrong notes. Once you have completed the piece, you will get a performance score, with very specific feedback on where you went off the rails, so you can immediately go back and practice until you get it right.

At any time you can move off the tutorials in Theory Thinker and go to Piano Player where you can select from over 500 songs. What is unique here is that when you select a song, you then can choose between 5 different levels of playing difficulty for that song, so you can set the notation to match your current skill level. There are also lots of very useful setting options ( Left hand only, right hand only, both hands, fast or slow tempo etc.), that help you learn to play the song in manageable chunks.

Again, as you practice, you get the feedback as you are playing (”red and green notes”) and a complete performance report on your playing. The report is automatically saved, which is a useful progress measurement report you can later refer to, especially when you are working with a teacher.

Piano Player has over 500 songs ranging from Row, Row Your Boat, My Bonnie, to Classical or Christmas, or Louie Louie, La Bamba or Singing in the Rain, to name just a few. One section that this reviewer really enjoyed was learning great “Blues Riffs’”

If you are a player with some skill, you can go right into Piano Player and access the 500 + song library and use Theory Thinker tutorials to advance your technique in the area that would suit you best. Keep in mind, Theory Thinker has over two years of musical theory and skill enhancement learning, within it’s instructional base.

“Composer Corner”, the third area of the program, allows you to create and notate your own music. As you are composing the piece, you can hear how it sounds as you are composing, easily edit, and print it off as sheet music - making your music portable (i.e. play on a real piano) and enabling you to share it with others. You can also save your composition to Piano Player so you can access the sheet music and/or play it (or hear it played for you) on Piano Suite at any time.

For those interested in the history of music, the “History Happens” area of the program (see right) is a mini encyclopedia of interesting biographies of famous composers and performers who have shaped the history of music and finally there are games specifically designed to help you learn and remember specific skills and knowledge.

Adventus MusIQ HomeSchool program provides manuals for families offering this program.

Commentary

Here with a long overdue rave about Piano Suite, which I have had in my home for a little over a year now. Unfortunately, one of the most common struggles is to get the kids into proper and consistent sleep patterns, so my playing had pretty well fallen by the wayside. Now, however, I can just put on my headphones and play away. I find that my sight reading is really coming along, too. Best of all, I can use Piano Suite as an incentive for the kids. It’s great to have a constructive activity available that they love.
- Donna, Learning Village test panel

I love this software! It does a lot more than I thought it would. I had no idea I would be able to import sound files and print the scores. This is a great software for the money and I’m really happy with it. I got it primarily so I could print the scores of my compositions but I am thrilled that it does so much more than that..
- Jessica, Learning Village test panel

I have successfully installed my Piano Suite Bundle and everything is running great. I am definitely not a musical genius but your software is so easy to use. I can already play three level one songs!
- Jace, Learning Village test panel

Who this Program is For

I have been in a teaching situation with people from ages 7-78…Piano Suite is for everyone. Piano Suite can certainly stand alone as a teaching tool for motivated learners. I have also had first hand experience seeing how this program works in a teacher-led environment. I think this is a fantastic way to teach music. By allowing the students to learn and practice on their own through the program, I am able to distribute my time to a larger number of students and give them the help when they really need it . What Piano Suite also allows for, in a group learning situation, is for each student to have a learning path that is customized to their specific music interests, set to their own level of skill and finally allows them to learn at their own pace and in their own time.

As a public school music teacher I see tremendous potential for this program in the classroom. My goal as a music teacher is to teach students what it is to be able to make sense of written music and to develop this ability to play a musical instrument. A lot of things are going on in the brain when someone is playing the piano and being able to read music; Piano Suite is definitely a stimulus that develops the thinking patterns, which teachers strive to develop. I also very much appreciate the teacher setting in Piano Suite where I can monitor student progress and turn user settings on and off.

I have students who, with no previous keyboard experience, learned how to play songs using 2 hands in approximately 10 hours of instruction. I also teach a group of adults who happen to all be affiliated with a local fiddling group. All three adults wanted to learn how to chord along with fiddlers; Piano Suite allowed me to record some of their favorite fiddle tunes into the program, which in turn allowed these students to develop their accompaniment skills for these songs. With my chording instruction, each user can go to this custom library of songs at their convenience and learn to play along.

If you have a child who is taking piano lessons and whose parents are not be musically knowledgeable, this is a great resource to have at home to support the child’s learning.

Why We selected This Program

This program has enormous potential for teaching music because it creates a sense of self-motivation in the user. The record of a users’ scores is a real incentive, especially in a group learning setting. Adults tend to be perfectionists and will strive for 100% until it is accomplished. Younger students use the test score as a measure of their abilities as well, and can make judgments about whether or not to move to the next level of songs. I have yet to see a situation where a student is frustrated with negative feedback about their playing given by the program, which is certainly great to see. Instead, there is a real sense of satisfaction in accomplishing a goal. Students who use this program learn music theory as well as independently learn to play the piano.

Piano Suite, by allowing the student to vary the tempo and content according to his or her ability, I can have customized individual programs in a group learning situation, in which everyone can learn at their own speed.

In Composer’s Corner where you can write your own music, we found the ability to play back the emerging composition, while it was under development a real assist in changing and improving the composition.

In terms of the quality of the music available in the program, the program has around 65 pieces of licensed music (within the over 500 songs in the program) that allows you to learn to play such well known songs as Let It Be, Yesterday, You Were Always On My Mind, Take the ‘A” Train, Fur Elise (Beethoven), Day Dream Believer and even Wild Thing, to name a few.

I think this program accomplishes more when there is a teacher-led situation because the pace will be faster and the rate of learning and development is really accelerated. As a teacher I help them with the operational aspects of the program, so they can focus solely on keyboarding. Having a teacher is probably beneficial in situations where there are very young children (ages 5-8) or adults who are not confident computer users. Even though I prefer a teacher-led situation, I believe that Piano Suite can teach in an individual situation, where there is a motivated learner.

Piano Suite is a true learning experience for all users. Everyone should be so fortunate to have this program in their classroom. Across the world of learning software, Piano Suite is probably one of the most sophisticated, comprehensive and useful learning programs we have seen.