SuperKids Software Review

Math & Music Wildridge Software Ages 11 to 18 Rating Scale 5 = great, 1 = poor Educational Value 5.0 Kid Appeal 4.5 Ease of Use 5.0 Math & Music develops students' mathematical skills and simultaneously exposes them to music from around the world, the physics of sound propagation, the physics of musical instruments, and the biological structures associated with hearing. Math topics in the program include: use of an Abacus, speed at basic operations, ancient number systems, prime numbers, trignometry, algebra, ratios and fractions. The musical topics include the nature of sound waves, adjustments on violin that change the instrument's pitch, the structure of scales and harmony, and styles of music from different countries across the globe. Math & Music is easy to use, thought-provoking and thorough. Adults and children can learn from this program together while listening to diverse styles of music from Senegal, Kashmir and the Appalachian region of the United States. The program includes short assessments that are built into the learning process and long assessments that require eighty-percent success before a user can progress. Children can choose the topics that most interest them and best fit their needs by selecting from the main menu of the program. Educational Value Math & Music will help a middle- or high-school student review basic math skills and introduce him or her to new math topics. In addition, the program will expose students to non-traditional topics such as the use of an Abacus and the origin of a numerical tallying system in Egypt. Math & Music's multi-disciplinary focus is what makes the program exciting and unusual. The program places math and physics in the context of music, culture, geography and history and treats each of these topics as important in its own right. The program shows how math and physics are relevant and evolving. The CD-ROM provides high-quality supplemental material for students and teachers, specifically a math workbook, textbook, teacher solution set and teacher and student guides. Users can scroll through and print these materials using Acrobat Reader. Because the program includes tests, guides, practice problems and challenges, a student will learn information thoroughly. Kid Appeal Because the program contains such a large amount of information, kids will enjoy Math & Music most if they move through the program with guidance from an adult or with a set of specific goals. Beyond this, the program is engaging because it contains something interesting for everyone whether a person is passionate about music, history, art, math or science. Middle- and high-school students will both be satisfied with this program because its content level ranges from multiplication review to definitions of frequency, amplitude and wavelength. A student may even choose to use Math & Music over several years and tackle various sections when he or she covers corresponding topics in school. Ease of Use / Install Math & Music is simple to install. The program prompts the user at all steps in the installation process. A user can use the mouse to navigate through menu options. The audio and visual portions of the programs are easy to understand, and all concepts are clearly-explained. Kids will be able to navigate through the program alone if they are comfortable using computers. Best for... / Bottom-Line This program is an excellent introduction to the physics of waves, the biology of hearing, algebra and trignometry. If a student uses the Math & Music software, textbook and workbooks, he or she will also be able to thoroughly learn and review important math concepts. The program exposes students to international music, the history of math, and world geography through engaging video and audio clips. This software is rich with information and encourages users to appreciate the multiple perspectives from which one can view the world. See SuperKids' comparisons with other Math software titles, and the Buyers Guide for current market prices of the PC and Mac versions of this program. System Requirements PC: Windows 95/98/2000/ME, Pentium II or faster cpu, 5 MB hard drive space to run from CD (650 MB if loaded on hard drive), 16 MB RAM, 16-bit 800x600 color display, 4x or faster CD-ROM, Sound Blaster compatible sound card printer, access to Internet. Also available in a network version for Windows. Mac: Mac OS 8.5, 8.6 or 9.0, PowerPC cpu, 5 MB hard drive space to run from CD (650 MB if loaded on hard drive), 16 MB RAM, 16-bit 800x600 color display, 4x or faster CD-ROM, printer, access to Internet. Reviewed on: Pentium II 366 MHz with 128MB and 24xCD