Morton Subotnick's Making More Music Review© Kay Pluta
Apr 7, 2004
When my review copy of this cd-rom arrived, my husband, who majored in music, exclaimed, "Morton Subotnick! Do you know who he is?"
Well, no, I didn't. But I have since learned that he is an American Composer and a pioneer in the field of electronic music. His talent and experience have been combined to produce a series of CD-ROM's to entertain and teach children.
Making More Music is designed for children ages 8 and up. And, I'll be honest. This is not a software title your children would gravitate to on their own, unless they already have a strong interest in music. The opening music is a little stuffy, the voices are soft and slow like lecturers in an art museum...BUT... once you plop this disc into your computer and start clicking, and playing, and composing, you will be left with one thought....WOW!
This title is composed (pun intended) of five main sections. In Rhythm Band, children create pieces using percussion instruments ranging from the familiar snare drum and cymbal, to the more exotic crotales and cuica.
In Chamber Music, children choose instrumentation, then compose. If at this point your eyes are wide and you are about to scream, "Ack! Classical Music!" be assured you can create music of your heart's desire with over two dozen instruments to choose from. Hmmm...a bassoon concerto with a rock beat....it could be done. That's the beauty of this program. Besides, where else are your kids going to get to compose with the beautiful sounds of harpsichords, alto flutes, and cellos.
The Theme and Variations section includes 4 songs: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (gotta have that one) and three other short pieces; one each in the styles of Byrd, Chopin, and Mozart. This activity reminded me of the toy that came out several years ago where you rearrange a series of cubes on an electronic box to create millions of variations on a Mozart piece. Remember that? Well multiply the coolness and the fun of that by a hundred, and you have Theme and Variations. Not only do you get to mix up the blocks, but you also get to edit the phrases if you wish, before rearranging them.
The Games sections consist of three activities: Melody, Rhythm, and Musical Form. Each of the games basically plays the same. Click on the black ball to hear a piece of music, then click on each of the colored balls to find the piece that matches. Each five correct answers earns you a filled in piece of the puzzle. When you answer correctly thirty times, you get to see the conductor's jolly image and hear the Hallelujah Chorus. My eight year old was thrilled when he completed the Melody section. The game gradually gets more challenging. For example, on Melody you start off matching the sound of the phrases, and later you have to match the phrase to the written notes. Musical Form is a little different because you have to find the phrase which is similar but not identical to the piece played on the black ball.
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