This article was published on January 4, 2013

SymbolSmash is a sweet iPad arcade game to teach kids all about classical music


SymbolSmash is a sweet iPad arcade game to teach kids all about classical music

There’s a growing arsenal of apps aimed squarely at children, as parents increasingly turn to technology to entertain, amuse and educate their young ‘uns.

Indeed, while Visua Musio is a lovely iPad app that lets kids make experimental songs with shapes, another little nugget has hit our radar, designed to teach young kids all about classical music.

SymbolSmash for iPad sells itself as a series of Warioware-style arcade games for youngsters, aimed at 6-9 year-olds. It encourages familiarisation with symbols and instruments from specific pieces of classical music.

How it works

First things first, SymbolSmash is a beautifully designed app – it’s colorful, lively and engaging which, frankly, it has to be for the intended audience.

Set to Jacques Offenbach’s Voyage to the Moon, SymbolSmash’s first module takes each kid through a series of musical games, introducing them to the instruments and symbols through a piece of music. The interactive play section lets kids discover the key components of musical composition, and there are six games for kids to play: Find the Instrument, Catch the Symbols, Dot-to-Dot, Memory Pairs, Question Time and Hit the Cards.

Players can experiment with the sounds of various instruments from the orchestra, set against pretty impressive animations, and they’re encouraged to identify instruments and learn the relevant terminology.

While Voyage to the Moon is the only current module, a series of in-app purchases will let kids access additional modules, with The Liberty Bell March (AKA The Monty Python theme tune) “Coming Soon”.

The app is optimized for second Generation iPads, with first generation versions’ memory limitations meaning that animations will be displayed as stills.

So, if you’re comfortable handing your iPad to your kids to keep them amused, then SymbolSmash could be a good addition to your armory of apps. It’s available to download now from the Apple App Store for $2.99, or your local currency equivalent.

SymbolSmash | iPad

Feature Image Credit – Thinkstock

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