ABC Music Review

ABC Music is the third universal educational app from the developers at Peapod Labs which teaches not only the alphabet but now also different musical instruments through various photos as well as video clips and fun facts.

This app works very similarly to the earlier apps ABC Wild! and ABC Go. Tap on a letter from the main menu and then scroll through corresponding pictures of something music-related that starts with the same letter chosen. At the bottom of the screen, the object will be spelled out and any of these letters can also be chosen as well, or you can choose your favorite from the index. If online, a window in the top left corner containing a preview screen of a video can be tapped connecting you to YouTube or just read about your choice by tapping a question mark. It is very helpful that the index keeps track of what photos you have already looked at and what else there is for you to discover.

As with the other apps, the background music and the photographs included are very well done, and I enjoy them all very much. I also enjoy watching the videos as they give great examples of these instruments in use, especially instruments that one may not be readily exposed to such as a zither or unique instruments like the jaw harp. Their selection is nicely varied, and I found some of them to be quite moving and surely inspiring to young musicians. Like the other apps in this series, there is a lot to explore here, but in order to get the most out of this app WiFi is helpful because you won’t hear the sounds of these instruments without the included videos. Sound samples imbedded directly into this app would be a nice addition, especially when an internet connection is not possible. This aside, ABC Music is a great way to introduce various musical instruments to children, getting them interested in letters as well. I am curious to see if Peapod Labs will continue with this series or come up with something entirely new.