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 By Dale Farris
Vice-President,
Secretary
Golden Triangle PC Club
March 2004
Game Overview
Tivola, the supreme children's software distributor, announces their
newest game, the follow-up to Morton Subotnick's Making Music, a classic in computer music programs.
Morton Subotnick's Making More Music will be followed by Morton
Subotnick's Hearing Music, and all 3 music games are super music programs
for children (and adults) of all ages.
Updated for new operating systems (i.e., Windows XP), Making More Music is a
sure bet for all families with computers and children interested in making
music on their computer.
Making More Music allows children to explore deeper into the world of
musical creativity and appreciation. Kids will learn about elements of
composition; melody, rhythm, and tempo as they compose their own
masterpieces. Children will gain a real understanding of the basics of
music theory as they play this marvelous music game.
The first Making Music game was the first true composing space for children. Imagine an
infinitely manipulable art program for the ears. Making Music visually and
aurally presents the components of music, so kids can bring all their
senses to bear. The program is suitable for children of any age, and is
intended to let children experience what composing music is like, before
embarking on formal music education. Now, in Making More Music, children
have an even more richly programmed experience awaiting them in this
excellent follow up to Making Music.
As a pioneer in electronic music and interactive computer music systems,
composer Morton Subotnick built the program from the ground up, so that it
would be completely interactive and TOTALLY FUN! Making More Music is a great
introduction to composing music using different kinds of instruments, tempo, melody, rhythm and
sound.
With Viva Media's integration of Tivola Publishing, all families and
educators can continue to look forward to continued, high quality software
geared for the special interests and learning levels of children. With
Making Music and Making More Music, Viva Media provides 2 wonderful software additions that will exactly meet
their needs for a music programs that are directly made for children.
As many readers likely know, in the children's software business, programs
that are supposedly created to simulate reality, or offer experiential,
interactive learning, many times fail to make the grade. However, as any
computer owner familiar with the award winning lineup of children's
software from Tivola know, you can always depend on Tivola for top quality
programs, regardless the targeted age group. Now a part of Viva Media, all
Tivola programs continue under this new agreement.
In the special case of music tutor programs, most readers are probably
familiar with various of these programs that target adults, but finding
such a program created at the level of children has, till now, been a
problem. With Making More Music you now have
exactly what you want if you are interested in helping children learn to
compose music.
What always stymies any computer software creator with a desire to create
a program on learning music is of course the inherent variety of music and
musical instruments, something that just naturally makes for an added challenge if
you want to help children learn music by working with a computer
program. Making More Music scores a
bulls-eye in its marvelously playful approach that will
appeal to all children, as well as adults new to the world of music.
Despite the fun you will have, the game is of course built on serious
matters, namely creating music, and the subtle, powerful
aspects that accompany this important skill. In addition to basic music
theory, kids can also listen to samples of famous music from around the
world and hear what different instruments sound like. Aural skills are
stressed in the games section, as the children are challenged to identify
same or different melodies.
Game Play
Making More Music is a one-of-a-kind CD ROM that lets kids simultaneously
become the composer, musician, and audience. Children are given the
opportunity to enhance their skills and to express their creativity at a
highly developed level. A gently structured palate encourages fine-tuning
of children's composing skills and ultimately leads to advanced
compositions. Making More Music contains the tools needed to create new
musical compositions while teaching about the elements of musical
notation, from tempo to scale to musical notation.
Using your choice of sounds from over 24 instruments, learn the basics of
rhythm, theme, and variation. Write and edit music with the easy-to-use
interface, and mix and match to create a new twist on old favorites, or
use them as the basis for an original score.
The game also includes a virtual encyclopedia of music with 50 entries.
Save your beats, rhythms, and compositions for future playback or print
them and play them later.
Chamber Music Composition allows you to create 4-part pieces that can be
easily played back, and an ingenious melody maker enhances the experience
as you become the audience of your masterpiece. You can compose in the
style of Mozart, Beethoven, Byrd, Chopin, or your own.
You can also print out your melodies, or save them in your composition
books. The Chamber Music and Rhythm Band sections provide interactive
sessions featuring more than 2 dozen instruments.
The chance to study and listen to music based on legendary composers is
contained in a section of the program called Theme and Variation. Fun and
challenging games reinforce all that you learn in the program.
Information and help are included on the disk to guide you through the
program. Also, a web link to a constantly updated array of new lessons,
games, and information is provided as well as a virtual encyclopedia
covering everything related to musical composition. Write a piece for
rhythm band or chamber ensemble, hear it played back, and then page
through the user-friendly encyclopedia to learn about what you wrote.
Age Group
Making More Music is a wonderful game for children of all ages, as well as
adults interested in having fun learning music. Kids around 8 years of age
should be old enough to quickly master the game's unique, fun interface
and in no time begin to create their own music compositions.
Educational Value
Obviously, the most significant educational value of the game is its
tutoring in learning how to create music. In this game, children will have a ton
of fun as they learn the basics of creating music. Once they have worked through
the basics of using the game's music making tools, they should soon be going to town with
their own creative music making. Any parent who desires their
children learn music now has the right computer software to help
them in this endeavor.
Targeted Customers
Viva-Media's marvelous game Making More Music is
targeted to the age group 8 to 102. While the youngest 8-year olds may
indeed have fun with this game, because they are learning music,
it will be a more likely success the more serious is the player. Older
children should also find this game one the best tools to use in their
initial learning steps.
Again, Viva-Media presents a title that provides super value to public libraries as a wonderful
title to be added to their collection. The game could be made available on
workstations for children and their parents to play, or it could represent
a super tool for use in Little Bookwork programs designed around the topic
of learning music.
Price
$29.99 (super bargain!)
$39.99 (Canada)
Minimum System Configuration Requirements
Windows
P-100MHz processor
Windows 95, 98, Me, NT, 2000, XP
32MB RAM
SVGA graphics card (16 bit)
Sound Card
2x CD-ROM drive
Mac Machines
Power PC
Built for OSX 1
MAC OS 7.5.3 - 9.0
32MB RAM
Sound Card
2x CD-ROM drive
Installation and Setup
The game should install and set up with no problems. You do need the game
disc in the CD ROM drive to play the game.
About Viva Media, LLC
Viva Media, LLC, is a privately held New York company dedicated to
publishing a wide array of interactive content of the highest standards.
The company's collection of more than 40 multimedia titles tout more than
30 awards for excellence in publishing. Viva Media features the award
winning line of Tivola Publishing. CD ROM games and the Viva range of
titles include Viva Chess, Viva Adventure, and Viva Reference.
About TIVOLA Publishing
TIVOLA Publishing, now a part of Viva Media, LLC, creates and publishes a wide range of award-winning
multimedia products designed to open up a world of interactive fun and
learning to children and young people. The German based company has
offices in New York, London, and Berlin, and produces a wide range of
innovative interactive CD ROMs that stimulate a child's curiosity, while
encouraging smart play. In 1995, TIVOLA published its first title, and has developed six distinct categories of software.
These include Play and Learn, The World Around Us, Quest for Knowledge,
Stories and Adventures, Crimes and Clues, and Games for Fun. The company
has a commitment to producing high-quality, multilingual CD ROMs that tell
exciting, entertaining stories through beautiful graphics, witty animation
and original games. TIVOLA titles are currently in more than 49 countries
worldwide.
TIVOLA began in 1995, when founding partners, Karsten Voelker, Mil Thierig,
and Barbara Landbeck founded the Berlin office to fill the need for
original CD ROM games that are clever but also promote learning. In 2000,
TIVOLA was named "Company of the Year" by the Berlin Association
of Self-Employed Entrepreneurs, who recognized the company's fast
development into an internationally successful multimedia company with an
innovative brand building strategy.
The TIVOLA UK offices opened in 1998, and with the launch of 10 new titles
in 2001, the company continues to grow in the UK children's software
publishing market. The TIVOLA US offices opened in 1999, and the company
signed a contract with the Navarre Corporation to distribute their
products in the US and Canada.
The company develops books and story games on CD ROM, and all titles are
simultaneously produced in English so that they can be understood by
potential international licensees. The software is also produced for the
PC and the Apple platform.
TIVOLA also buys and sells license for different products. For these
purposes, the company has developed optimal localization standards. With
this new system, TIVOLA titles are obtainable in countries all over the
world.
The TIVOLA line of CD ROM programs are products parents can depend on to provide
a fun and educational computer experience for their children. Teachers can also
feel secure in integrating the educational lineup of TIVOLA products into
their curriculum, especially those teaching entry level classes. TIVOLA's
series of learning CD ROMs for children that include the many Oscar the
Balloonist titles, the many Max adventures, the super Chemicus
science-based program, and of course The Little Prince, all assure a solid
worthwhile computer experience for all ages, especially young learners.
With the worldwide notoriety of TIVOLA products, the company has also
ventured into a new online interactive arena. Companies can now rent
online games from TIVOLA to make available at their Web site for their own
customers. This new portfolio of online games for rent expands still
further the success of the company.
Recent news has also revealed that TIVOLA has been granted worldwide
licensing rights to develop and publish educational discovery games based
on the legendary comic strip icon, PEANUTS, through United Media. The most
widely syndicated comic strip in history, PEANUTS reaches over 350 million
readers in 75 countries, appealing to adults as well as children. The
first TIVOLA PEANUTS CD ROM will be introduced at the 2002 Toy Fair, and
will combine PEANUTS humor with the suspense of a discovery game. As would
be expected from any TIVOLA title, the game will integrate educational
elements into the distinctive humor of the PEANUTS world.
Contact Information
Linda Weal, Media Coordinator
Tivola Publishing
580 Broadway, Suite 604
New York, NY 10012
212-431-4420, ext. 201
212-431-4420
FAX 212-431-4537
mail@tivola.com
www.viva-media.com
You can also order from other retailers or online vendors.
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Morton Subotnick's Making More Music