Road Test: Gorilla Band
The cheerful nursery rhymes that make up a toddler's musical repertoire can begin to grate on parents' ears. Gorilla Band, a storybook app by Wasabi Productions, impresses with its relatively sophisticated soundtrack. The app uses 3-D illustrations to tell the tale of a band's formation.
While the app's 3-D effects are not as sophisticated as 3-D films, there are still dynamic perspective changes, as well as the illusion of depth in the forest scene when the ape musicians swoop in.
In the process, children are introduced to various instruments and the music they can produce. The first time the saxophone belted out a jazz tune, my 22-month-old's eyes widened in surprise. My three-year-old was charmed by the drum riffs while I enjoyed the classical violin tunes.
Like other Wasabi apps, you can choose between the "Read To Me" and "Read Myself" functions. The story opens in a jungle clearing where a music teacher is waiting for a student. As more gorillas appear, poking them will prompt different tunes to play, all of which are appealing to kids and yet musically sophisticated. Each gorilla plays two or three different ditties when poked - a nice surprise for the kids.
The impatience of the gorilla pupils with their lessons might strike a chord with kids for whom after-school music classes are a regular affair. The blending of the classical instruments with more modern sounds could help parents embrace their children's pop cultural music tastes.
The final song is extremely catchy and was a hit with my kids. In addition, there is a bonus lullaby, and the app links to YouTube for another dance video. The game at the end tests children's ability to identify the musical instruments featured in the app by name or sound.
Good use of 3-D and a great way to introduce kids to more sophisticated tunes.
