I love this app! Monster Melody Mash is an adorable, addictive and unconventional musical app which challenges users to create unique electronica-inspired tracks by toggling off and on a variety of different hilariously and beautifully rendered cartoon monsters, each of which has a unique rhythm or melody attached to it. When activated, the monster will make the sound and dance along to the music. To keep the melody constant so that you can focus exclusively on rhythm, a pin toggle is available

Three “monster worlds” are available; Alien Monster (my favorite), Classic Monster, and Volcano. Alien Monster contains adorable sea-like alien monsters with a chime tool that shoots alien eyeballs from the craters of a planet, a decidedly cosmic keyboard sound, and monsters ranging from an anemone-shaped harpsichord of creatures to a cyclopean squid. Classic Monsters is a veritable graveyard of horror-show creatures, with a Thriller-inspired soundtrack, and a skeleton, vampire, mummy, zombie, and swamp creature. A piano keyboard consisting of spiders on a web, each with a different tone, lines the sidebar. The Volcano world pairs fiery sounds with a two-toned Volcano that sings the word “Volcano” at different pitches. More worlds are planned.

My 4-year old had a ball with it and got his 2-year old sister up and dancing to his musical stylings.

Did I mention that I love this app?

By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Music, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Toddlers

This is a limited but cute little game in which a dancing skeleton (Mr. Bones) waves his arms and legs from a stage, dancing to an unidentified tune, The child can select a bone which then becomes highlighted on the skeleton. As the selected bone is highlighted, song lyrics appear at the bottom (e.g. the hand bone is connected to the forearm, the hip bone is connected to the back bone, etc.). Setting options include six different colors for the skeleton and three for the stage curtain.

The tune is not the same as the well-known bone song, and I found myself wishing the skeleton would sing the song rather than just printing the lyrics at the bottom. My 4-year old son found it amusing for a very short time. Some planned updates include themed theater sets and holiday outfits, the ability to record your own dance loops and share them, and tickling Mr. Bones, the skeleton.

Despite being cute and funny the app is very limited; not yet worth the money.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Music, Primary School, Reviews, Toddlers

This is a very simple and unadorned but quality little child’s xylophone app. A xylophone is pictured floating above a landscape of green grass and blue sky. When touched, the keys darken briefly and the phone emits a tinny note. The keys are very responsive, and multiple notes can be blended. For all of its simplicity, my four-year old became quite engaged with it; it occupied him quite nicely during a forty minute car ride, and he even composed a short little piece while trying to figure out how to play the theme from “Superman”, his latest obsession..

I don’t believe these types of apps should be substituted for actual musical instruments, but as an introductory tool and to whet the appetite of children for musical education, I believe they can provide a useful “value-added” role. Just make sure you follow up with a real Xylophone.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Music, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews, Toddlers

“Sound Shaker” is a really exciting sound game from Tickle Tap Apps. There are six different sounds to choose from including the flute, drum, and farm animal sounds.  I really enjoyed giving my 2 1/2 year old  son the phone and watch his face as he explored this app. He soon discovered on his own that you can make balls bounce around the page, making sounds when they knock into each other. He was delighted when he realized you could tap longer to make the ball grow bigger, the sound and color changing as well. If you keep tapping the same ball, it cracks open and becomes a chick that flies away. The look on his face the first time this happened was priceless.  I like the cause-and-effect this game teaches and how every time we play with this game, it is different. This app, as well as other Tickle Tap Apps are worth checking out.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Music, Preschool, Reviews, Sounds, Toddlers

Scotty & Lulu are a British children’s musical duo and have been performing together since 1994. The app for iPhone and iPod Touch features some of their best-loved songs, which encourage kids to get up and move with high-energy beats, extra twang, and lyrics describing specific dance moves. Cartoon figures of Scotty & Lulu accompany the songs, providing instructions on the dance moves, such as Wriggle & Twist and Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Text for the lyrics scroll up the screen as the song progresses.

The app also has a game mode (one- or two-player modes available) for couch-surfers, in which Scotty & Lulu enter a jumping competition- the player touches the character to get him to jump. I found the response time to be slow and frustrating.

The songs are definitely catchy and inspire children to move. My two-year old had fun wriggling and twisting. However, the graphics in the app add little to the experience and I tend to think it may be a better bet just to load the Scotty & Lulu songs to your iPod or watch the myriad Scotty & Lulu videos on YouTube. For a quick hit of kiddie dance fun, however, this app fits the bill.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Health, Music, Preschool, Reviews, Toddlers

“Baby Piano” is great way for babies and toddlers to explore music. The cute and colorful animals are attractive and eye catching. There are two options to choose from; when touching the note it can either be an animal sound or piano note sound. It’s fun to switch back and forth. There are two different ways your child can play music – he/she can touch any key and play their own little song or play along with a nursery rhyme. There are a total of eight songs children can learn to play. The key will light up and the child can easily follow along and play the song. Also, there is a record and playback option to capture their very own music creation and a lock slide to cover the function buttons at the top of the screen in case you want your little one just to play the notes. This app is certain to become a favorite, and your child will request to play it over-and-over. The price may be higher than some, however it’s well worth the money.

Animals, By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, Music, Preschool, Reviews, Toddlers

The Melody Scribbler – or mScribble – offers the opportunity to create melodies over a bass line by scribbling on the iPhone screen. Users have the option to choose a musical sound and select from seven different musical styles. There’s also the option to send your musical creation to a friend by email using the “Scribblegram” feature. After a few minutes playing with mScribble, I felt like I was channeling a hidden talent for making divine musical compositions. What a fantastic feeling! I found all seven musical styles enjoyable and satisfying to experience, and, surprisingly, many of them evoked an emotional response. Isn’t that what we all want from our music? To fully realize the potential of this app, I recommend a quick browse of the “Hints” section; it does a great job of outlining how to navigate and explore the app’s features. mScribble appears geared for adults, but I think it could offer the chance for children to learn about different musical styles. Further, it offers the opportunity to creatively arrange music and share their creations with others.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Creativity, For Parents, High School +, Just For Fun, Middle School, Music, Preschool, Primary School, Reviews

“Trivia Wars” is an iPhone game that tests your knowledge in eight different categories (Entertainment, Sports, Geography, Music, World History, Movies, Art & Literature, and General trivia). It offers several features to tailor your game experience, including the option to adjust the pace, number of questions in a round, and level of difficulty; you can also opt for answer deduction and “quick play” for faster transition through the screens. I find this app most enjoyable when the settings are paced at the advanced/quick settings, as it adds to the excitement and otherwise seems a bit slow. When I play, I like to “fly solo”, but the game also offers the option for “two player battle” over a Bluetooth connection. You might learn a few things, but mainly “Trivia Wars” is an entertaining game that engages your brain and it would appeal to anyone who’s amassed a head full of random facts.

By Age Range, By App Feature, For Parents, High School +, Just For Fun, Middle School, Music, Primary School, Reviews

The children’s application Bumblebee Touchbook offers two main features. The first is “read and book” and the other is “watch a movie.” The book section is interactive and educational, while the movie portion is a 3-D animated short featuring adorable bumbling bees. When my son and I first played this application, I expected a passive book reading experience; we soon learned it was much more of a teaching tool with learning activities focusing on word recognition and counting. The lessons are concise and simple, but exquisitely done with graphics that have Pixar-like quality and charm. We especially enjoy the bumblebee movie, set to Tchaikovsky’s classical tune “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies”, which is reminiscent of my favorite Disney films “Fantasia”.

By Age Range, By App Feature, Counting, Music, Preschool, Reading, Reviews, Toddlers

Poke, tap, and slide the colorful illustrations and the world of the Itsy Bitsy Spider comes alive. This skillfully-crafted application is made by Duck Duck Moose, the award-winning production company who brought us two other preschool songs-apps, “The Wheels on the Bus,” and “Old MacDonald.” This particular rendition seems to top the others with its endless critters and even more interaction to rouse a toddler’s curiosity. It promotes exploration and can facilitate as a learning tool when caregivers and children experience and talk about it together. My favorite feature is the chatty fly Chloe who buzzes around the periphery of each scene offering helpful tidbits of information about nature and the environment. I also like that my son and I can record ourselves singing. What a find! The Itsy Bitsy Spider is epic entertainment!

Animals, By App Feature, Just For Fun, Music, Preschool, Reviews, Toddlers, nature