Music Ace Deluxe Review

"Harmonic Vision’s Music Ace Deluxe is a wonderful interactive program that gives all kids, even those with autism, a fun way to bring music into their (aged 6+) lives. The game-type Windows and Mac-compatible CD-ROM features 36 self-paced lessons shored up by games that introduce kids to the basics of music -- rhythm, pitch, note reading, listening and the keyboard -- while entertaining them at the same time."

I was sent the Music Ace Deluxe to review with my kids. My kids do not know anything about music (or so I thought). They have had no music lessons, so I thought that this program would be a great way to introduce and teach music to them. My daughter was the first to try it. She enjoyed it, although I discovered she has a problem distinguishing pitches. Not to be out done, my son tried it, too. I was amazed. I did not realize how much he knew about music. We zipped right through the first lesson, which introduces pitch, staffs, clefs, notes, lines and spaces. He aced it all. We started the second lesson and he was zooming through it quickly, too. We have not completed all the lessons. They both have a short attention span (my son especially), so we will take it slowly and work on this during the summer. It will be a great summer activity for them.

We have a touch screen computer. That made it a lot easier for my son to interact with the program. The program is set up so that the child needs to finish a lesson before playing a game. You can also keep up with the progress of up to 10 people. My son really liked the Maestro. He is the character on the screen that teaches (conducts) the lessons. When I asked him his opinion of the game he typed "It is cool." Wow! He gave me a whole sentence. Usually, he gives me one word answers. For him to take the time and give me a whole sentence means he really, really likes it. The Music Ace Deluxe would be good for an autistic child that enjoys being on the computer and likes music. It is very child friendly, easy to operate. Music Ace Deluxe is available directly from Harmonic Vision. It is also available at Amazon.