Available in the App Store

[appimg 511771442]

Rock and roll mommas and poppas, you’re going to love the latest app I’m reviewing. It’s called Kasey’s Guitar Jams for Kids. This app is a collection of 17 original songs, laid out in a super kid-friendly app, sure to please little ones with an affinity for music.

I love that Kasey’s Guitar Jams for Kids takes a teacher’s approach. Now, I say that but please understand: kids will need the help of a friend or family member who plays guitar to make the most of this app. While the instructions do help kids get a general grasp on rhythms, and become familiar with some of the things they’ll see in the future as they progress in reading music, they don’t tell kids exactly what to do. That’s where you come in.

On the up side, the songs are a lot of fun, and the tunes are catchy. Each ditty has its own lyrics, although they do not appear on the same page as the playing notes, another confusing feature in the app. There are two different versions of each song, Guitar 1 which is quite basic, and Guitar 2 which introduces kids to power chords.

Now, for the all-important question: what do the kids think? They liked the app’s layout, fun graphics and ease of use. Unfortunately, since the app did require so much parental hands-on, they had to wait until the appropriate help arrived to make the most of the app. I don’t play an instrument, so I was pretty useless. Kasey’s Guitar Jams for Kids has tons of content. A little beginner info section could go a long way here. However, it occurs to me that parents who know how to read music and play guitar could find the app very helpful if they’ve been looking for kid-friendly songs to start teaching with.

I also want to make sure I mention an error in the app. On the second song page, “Island Paradise,” the play button leads to the first song, “Funky Toes,” again instead of going on to the new one. I’m sure this is an easy fix, and we didn’t notice it again anywhere else in the app, which bodes well.

Bottom line

Kasey’s Guitar Jams for Kids can be a lot of fun in the right hands. It’s a bit pricey, but well-built and entirely kid-friendly.

 

A fun and engaging way for children to learn to play guitar. This book has 17 play along songs with vibrant illustrations and quirky song lyrics. It teaches children how to play along with music recordings using simple notation. Titled “A Day in the Musical Life of Kasey.” Children can learn to play the music that the book character, Kasey hears in his headphones throughout his musical day. The music is truly captivating and explores many genres including: pop, rock, hip-hop, country, bluegrass, reggae and jazz. The music was professionally recorded by the author in a recording studio and the dynamic illustrations were done by designer Lisa Fu. Each song has lyrics that a parent or child can read before or as they listen to the song. Simple music notation is printed at the bottom of each song and shows the notes that the child should play on their guitar.

With the help of a guitar teacher or a parent that has some guitar knowledge, a young beginner has a high rate of success using Regular Price: $9.99