Review of Soft Mozart by parents

[shaman]

Hi everyone,

I just thought of starting this new thread so that we could share our 'Soft Mozart' experiences with everyone.

My experience with music: I love music but cannot read it. I tried to learn guitar when I was young but never completed it. So I was very anxious about how I was going to introduce a musical instrument to my son so that he takes more interest in it.

While I was reading about both SM and PW, I found out that Ms. Hiner lives in the same city! Imagine how excited I was . I was following most of the music posts on the forum but didn't feel like reading more on the PW vs SM thread. I didn't want these things to sway me one way or the other and wanted to find out more details myself.

So yesterday, I visited Ms. Hiner to see if she could explain a couple of things in layman terms and I also wanted to see how my son responded to the program before I bought it. She is a very nice lady and came across more as a music teacher rather than a businesswoman. That set the stage for the rest of our conversations. My son's response to the software was amazing! he LOVED the spider game (I don't know the actual name) and within minutes, was able to recognize the pictures on the keyboard (Door for Do, Rain for Re....etc). It seemed simple enough to handle. When she saw his interest in the keys and playing the game, she started teaching him rightaway...

Needless to say, we bought the program and my son is all over the keyboard now 

What we liked:

1. Both Solfege and alphabet method can be taught- For me, solfege was a plus because that is very similar to the 'sa re ga ma....' in Indian music. We plan to introduce him to the Indian raagas and feel that this may help him. Also, I think it is much easier to sing with do re mi than a, b, c...

2. Color coding- 2 different colors are used- treble clef (green) and bass clef (brown)- just like the colors of a tree. My son is more of a 'picture ' person than a 'color' person and I thought many colors would confuse him.

3. The pictures of the door, rain etc are familiar and hence he will start with the known, then the unknown and then abstract...like Doman advised.

4. The notes come to the 'focus line' which will help him since he will not have to look all over the computer. At this age, the fewer the rules and distractions, the better.

5. The lines (staff) have been thickened to make the line and the space of the same width- this way, it is easier to find out where the note falls- I tried this myself and it helps. Later, when the kids learn to read music, the lines are brought to their normal form.

I would recommend that you see the you tube videos and see if you can visit some music studio to see how your child responds to the software. They have details of other locations on the website. Some of the cables required can be bought on Amazon for less. Casio and Yamaha keyboards are good- 61 keys, keys that don't light up and preferably not touch sensitive.

PS: I haven't looked at PW in details so I don't know if these things are included on PW too.

Will keep you posted on our progress.

Hope this helps,

Shaman

[shaman]

I forgot to mention that Ella (Aangeles daughter) was a big inspiration.. and Aangeles posts were very informative and helped us make a decision.

 http://forum.brillkids.com/teaching-your-child-music/ella-playing-the-piano-at-31-months-old/msg67083/#msg67083

[early learning17]

Thanks very much for opening this thread!
I had started a new thread as well, but then somhow lost the whole message before being able to send it off an had to leave home before getting another chance.
I´d be particulary interested to hear what parents that bought SM say to the disadvantages of SM over PW that KL mentioned in the PW thread, I copy it here:

First of all, thank you Chris and Hellene for keeping this conversation civil.  I trust it will remain to be so, without any unnecessary confrontational language.  I would also suggest keeping your comments as far as possible to your own product, and not the other party's.

I have actually tried both products, courtesy of Hellene and Chris, so I can comment a little on both of them.

I first tried Soft Mozart about a year or more ago (soon after Hellene joined the forum), and was exploring with her to have Soft Mozart be a Product Partner.  Ultimately, it did not materialize because Hellene's online cart system does not allow coupon codes to be entered.

More recently, we have been working with Chris both as a Product Partner-to-be, as well as for him to contribute to the forum to share his vast expertise.

As for the products, I have tried both and I can see advantages in each.  However, the clear choice between the two would be Piano Wizard.  Here are some reasons:

1. It's much easier to install and to get set up.  This is especially if you get PW with the midi keyboard, in which case you'd have to get nothing extra - you're ready to get started when you get the package.  With SM, I had to get not only a midi keyboard but also a midi interface, and getting the drivers to work.  It was not easy, and this is coming from someone who used midi equipment a lot before.

2. The PW software interface is much more polished than SM's.  I'm guessing that SM's system was created during the days of DOS (pre-windows) because in many places, it shows.

3. There is a lot more guidance from PW on how to use the system, in the form of video tutorials etc.

4. As far as I can recall, the song library in PW is much larger.

5. PW has a structured curriculum.  I do not remember this to be the case with SM but I may be mistaken (if so, apologies!)

There are more, but the rest would be finer points.

[early learning17]

KL´s first point was first a big turnoff for me but actually I didn´t have any problems after donwloading the SM free demo - and I am a just an average computer user....

What are your experiences with the other points please?

THANKS

[aangeles]

KL´s first point was first a big turnoff for me but actually I didn´t have any problems after donwloading the SM free demo - and I am a just an average computer user....

What are your experiences with the other points please?

THANKS

When we were deciding between SM and PW several months ago, I had also read KL's post about his experience with SM, which really gave me pause because I have great respect for KL and his opinions. However, after doing my own research and reading all the reviews and watching all the videos of children using both SM and PW, and of course, after using SM ourselves for the last month, I have to respectfully disagree with him on the points he raised. I have posted about our own experience specifically addressing most of the points KL spoke about, but I will consolidate them here for you:

1) I am not particularly tech-savvy but did not have any problems with the installation and set up at all. You will need a piano keyboard with MIDI capability, a MIDI-USB connector, and a computer. Basically, we just plugged in the keyboard to the computer using the MIDI connector, plugged in a USB key that came with the SM package, installed the program, and ran it. It is true that if you get the PW package with the MIDI keyboard, everything you need to start using the program is in the package and you don't need to buy anything extra, but I did not like the quality of the keyboard that came with the PW package. In fact, I was able to get the SM deluxe version + a much much nicer piano keyboard + everything else I needed for significantly less than the price of the PW package with keyboard.

2) When KL said that PW is more polished than SM, I am taking it to mean that SM's graphics looks outdated compared to PW and you can't use a mouse to navigate and make your choices but rather you need to use the computer keys to make your selections. Like I had posted in another thread, I was actually not concerned about the slightly outdated graphics used in SM because I thought it would detract less from the main purpose of teaching piano. I don't need a program that is flashy, just one that is effective. Also, the user interface that uses the computer keyboard rather than a mouse actually works out better for us now because 1) I don't have to allot extra space next to the keyboard for the mouse (we have a full-size keyboard and table space is already cramped with both the keyboard and laptop on it)  and 2) my daughter who is 31 months old can now easily navigate through the program by herself by pressing a few keys on the computer keyboard. She has memorized which ones to press after seeing me do it a few times. She does not have good enough control of a mouse yet so I doubt she would be so independent with using the program if it had come with a mouse.

3) Some parents may disagree with me on this point. I actually watched the demo DVD tutorial that PW sent as part of the Brillkids members promo. Although other parents may find the tutorials invaluable, the one tutorial that I watched was pretty lengthy and wordy and all the teaching could have been consolidated into a few minutes worth of video. As a full time working mom, I realized that I simply would not have the time (nor inclination) to watch them. On the other hand, SM has a channel on youtube with short concise videos addressing specific questions about using the program and I have always found Hellene to be very responsive and prompt in answering any questions I had via email. Again, this is just my personal opinion and experience on this point.

4) I specifically asked Hellene this question before we went ahead with the purchase -  whether they had any plans of expanding the library of songs for SM. This was her answer:"The purpose of the Soft Mozart system is not a ‘fish’, but a ‘net to get it’. We teach students to read music. Of course, the library is going to be extending, but we’ll always keep the ultimate goal in mind." The ultimate goal being - to teach them how to sight read regular sheet music and not just to be able to play by using crutches such as pictures or colors. So, actually, it was not a big deal to me that the song library was smaller as long as my child learned to read regular piano sheet music before she exhausted all the songs in their library! 

5) I was provided a step-by-step one-year curriculum for SM even before I made my purchase so that I could have an idea of the time investment and amount of parental guidance needed for my child. I found that the SM curriculum was laid out in a very concrete stepwise manner which I felt was doable even with the limited time I have for teaching.

And lastly, I would like to clarify that I am in no way affiliated with SM or its creator and I bought my SM program at full price from their website. I am just a satisfied customer and I am impressed with the amount of thought, creativity, and hard work that went into creating this innovative piano teaching software.

Hope this helps! 

[shaman]

I am not tech savy or music literate so I was looking for something very simple. I knew that if it was stress free for me, I would be able to better guide my son.

1. In addition to the software (includes a USB key), we only need a keyboard (with MIDI capability) and USB-MIDI interface (available for less on amazon). I have read some other not-so-good reviews about the keyboard that comes with the PW.

2. About the software- since I have'nt seen PW completely, I cannot compare both. All I can say is that the graphics on SM are simple and my son enjoyed it. I guess at their age, they are just happy looking at spiders and elves    graphics don't matter. It was easier for me to explain it to him too. It was just like the 'matching' game. He had to press the key that had the same picture....

3. Library- I didn't give this point a lot of importance since I knew that once he learns the language, a lot of options will be open for him. I plan to look into some kids piano books (nursery rhymes) and see if I can translate them for him.....and as I mentioned before, I also want to look into some Indian music (since our notes are similar to solfege). Also, like any other program that works, this will expand too...I never knew LR would grow this much when I first bought it a year and a half ago.

I would like to mention that I DID get a discount AFTER I announced my decision to buy the software- I got it directly from her. She also threw in the first level flashcards when I told her that I will be using some free printable flashcards to teach him how to read music.
I would have bought it irrespective of the discount.

We bought the deluxe edition and a good keyboard since I decided I would learn piano with my son- My mom will be happy to hear that her daughter has finally taken to learning a musical instrument...even if it is 30 years later! 
 

[KL]

I'm glad you guys had no problems with installation!

Thanks for your very frank comments - we welcome it very much here, so don't ever worry that it would cause offence.  It's always wonderful to have different points of view, because most things are so subjective without 'right' and 'wrong'!

[early learning17]

Thanks for reminding me of this topic, KL.
I am really keen to hear from somebody who had the opportunity to compare both softwares, SoftMozart and Piano Wizard please.
I would have hoped that among more than 50,000 members there is somebody who has used the two softwares....

THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR SHARING YOUR INSIGHTS!

[LMsMum]

I received my copy of Soft Mozart yesterday after placing an order for it a week ago (I live in the UK) and I am planning to start using it full-swing tomorrow. Prior to this purchase, I spent a lot of time researching both SM and PW. I originally wanted to try out both products with my daughter, compare and decide which one would be best suited to her strengths and challenges. Since it was easier to try SM as a there is a demo version available on their website, I started with this programme first (as Chris explained to me in the “Piano Wizard” thread, it was not possible to try PW’s demo with a keyboard to see how it worked with my daughter, so I would need to buy the product and use the 60-day guarantee, which seemed a less easy option).

After trying SM demo for about 3 weeks I decided to purchase it without trying out PW, which, in case I wanted to return it, would mean I would lose on fairly high outgoing shipping charges (although, as Chris clarified, shipping the product back would be free). I have described my research, our experiences with SM demo, as well as the reasons why I decided to purchase it over a few very looooong posts in my blog (http://lmshomeschool.blogspot.com/search/label/Music), which I would not reproduce here. I will simply summarise a few points relevant to this thread.

Please note, that firstly, I have NOT tried PW so my views regarding it are based purely on what I saw in the videos and thus may not necessarily be accurate. I am not in any way affiliated with SM and paid the full price for the product (Home Version).  Furthermore, it is not impossible that had I tried PW first, I would have seen more benefits in it and would have decided to go for it without trying SM. Secondly, I was not choosing the better programme between the two, but the better programme for my daughter, taking into account her personality, learning style, her strengths and weaknesses. Lastly, I am no musicologist or music educator and my background in music is very limited, so many points below are simply my subjective layperson speculations – you are very welcome to correct me if I am wrong.

1. In terms of on-screen presentation of each music piece, I feel there is a clearer visual discrimination between right-hand and left-hand parts in SM (thick brown and green lines) which I think would be helpful for my daughter to master each part in these simple pieces by the correct hand.

2. There are more levels in SM (six vs. four in PW) which is likely to make her transition between levels smoother.

3. I feel that the coding system in SM may be less confusing to my daughter than that in PW. In SM only white keys are coded (with pictograms) and the student first learns to relate each one of these to the specific places on the great stave (grand staff). All the accidentals (black keys) are introduced later. Whereas in PW, all keys (both black and white) are coded (colour-coded), and the fact that there is no one-to-one correspondence between the keys on the keyboard and the lines/spaces between the lines of the staves, I feel that when it comes to sight-reading, it could be potentially confusing to my daughter to see the same notes, in the same places of the staves, coloured differently (if sharp or flat), as well as see different notes placed differently on the staves (on the line or between the lines) but having the same colour. She probably would get over it but I think it would take her longer.

4. I think there are benefits to learning solfeggio and SM places a lot of emphasis on it.

5. As discussed in this forum, SM allows to stop and think before playing each note and will not move on until you get it right. I completely agree with Chris that a note played out of time is not a correct note. However, I was apprehensive about the fact that my daughter might not like the fact that she could not be in control of the flow (when she plays SM’s "Guess the Key", which is another game in SM package and which, although programmed to adjust automatically to the speed of the player and to slow down, does not give this control, she tends to get stressed, so I could foresee that happening with PW’s scrolling system). I thought that although it would not help her to learn intuitively note duration and rhythm, I thought having the option of being in control of the flow initially and the notes not moving unless she got them right, could help her focus on the notes on the staves better and prevent the risk of her simply starting to slap any note (or many notes to increase her chances) without much thinking.

6. Lastly, SM has a less expensive Home Version, with an option of upgrading it to the full version when time (and money!) comes. Buying PW Academy even by instalments would mean a very big investment for our family.

I did not have much trouble installing it, although by some reason the CD did not respond initially, but that could have been down to the laptop. Although the game interface does appear out of date, it was not my priority, as the novelty of any game, even most flashy, would wear off sooner or later, so that was not an important criteria for me. However, there are a couple of things in SM, which if changed, could help students with a similar learning style to my daughter's.

1. First of all, it is the system of scoring. The left-hand score, which shows the number of correct notes hit, is represented by flowers, so it makes complete sense to young visual learners that the more flowers you “picked”, the better you did. The right-hand score, which shows how far you have gone off the ideal tempo and rhythm, is not represented in any visual way apart from a number, which is supposed to be better the smaller it is. With my daughter being a perfectionist and getting most or all notes correct, the left-hand score with all or nearly all flowers picked, soon became of no value, while I don't think the right-hand score makes much sense to her.

2. Perhaps, it would be helpful if instead of using metronome to perfect the tempo when practicing learnt pieces, there is an option of playing each song at different speeds with notes not stopping for you to get them, but flowing in a similar style to PW with the score reflecting how close you were to the ideal.

3. I hope, that in future in Guess the Key game, there will be an option of hiding the pictograms on the falling fruit, allowing the child to guess the key by just listening. There is a suggestion in one of the videos to simply cover the screen with a shawl, but taking away all visual input is not too exciting for my visual learner.

In conclusion, I have to say choosing between the two products was not an easy decision and big thanks to Hellene and Chris that we can have this choice.

[ChrisSalter]

All,

Let me start by saying I am happy, and not at all surprised to find that Soft Mozart works. I have never said anything negative about the product, or the person, and have great admiration for both. All I have ever said was what ours did, and that it works too. As I have said before, a lot of anxiety and hand wringing about this choice is overblown, either one will be better than almost any other choice out there, and there is proven success with each. Their similarities are deeper than their differences, and the hope of both is that these tools serve as training wheels and people can move on their own to deeper learning without them, once they "get it".

We recently received some moving letters and videos from a special needs parent in particular, if you wish to see someone with severe challenges overcoming them and playing Bach on the grand piano a couple years later, go to http://forum.brillkids.com/teaching-your-child-music/special-needs-music-learning-andor-therapy/.

There are minor clarifications to make about our product if I wished, but they are not really relevant to the point I want to make, which she makes for us. She says, "In conclusion, I have to say choosing between the two products was not an easy decision and big thanks to Hellene and Chris that we can have this choice."

Exactly. Let's celebrate the fact that we have great choices, and our children can now learn music and grow dramatically without the trauma and frustration of the past. And I congratulate all of you for recognizing how important music is to your children's lives, and to their success.

Thanks

Chris

[bhanu]

Hi there,
  I have a little girl for whom i'm trying to find a best product to learn piano/keyboard.I personally don't know to play piano and expecting a program which is both and fun and at the same time easy learning for my little girl.Thanks to all who had shared their experiences with SM and PW.One of the parent mentioned that she is from UK and had ordered and received softway to mozart and its specifications.Nice to know that.
 We live in UK too. I wanted to know whether softway to mozart offers any discount as a brillkids member to post it to UK.Please let me know what exactly   we get in post(Is it a CD/DVD etc?)
  Thanks in advance
Bhanu

[LMsMum]

I am not aware of any discounts on SM available to BrillKids members. I paid the full price, although I only bought a Home Version for a number of reasons.

My package contained a box with a CD, a USB key (the programme will not run  without it), and a set of stickers, as well as an instruction booklet.

The postage charge to the UK was about $40 (US) dollars extra.

Hope this helps.

[bhanu]

Hi guys,
 I recently got softway to mozart to my little girl.We live in UK i requested Hellene for a discount and she kindly gave us 5% discount though it is not a huge discount atleast 8-9$ you save.If anyone wants to buy while ordering  just quote brillkids 5% discount.Hope this helps.
  I also remember a post in the forum about how to start with softway to mozart(day by day learning plan).I forgot where exactly the post is in the forum.If anyone know please let me know.
  Please also post me about your experiences with softway to mozart and any advice to learn effectively.
Thanks,
Bhanu  

[LMsMum]

Hello Bhanu,

I haven't seen the original post, but you can download a free curriculum at:

http://www.doremifasoft.com/frprma.html

I don't follow it strictly, but it gives a very good idea as to the order in which to introduce songs, which songs to choose for practicing piano performance and which for sight-reading training, the sequence of finger exercises, as well as the games.

There is also a part of the Music Alphabet Song here:

http://www.doremifasoft.com/frauma.html

I have been updating and will be updating my blog regarding our experiences with SM under the "music" label:

http://lmshomeschool.blogspot.com/search/label/Music

Feel free to browse and comment.

[TTT8]

All,

Soft Mozart (SM) caught my attention over many products in the market for two main reasons:

1)   I believe in SM because the developer (Hellene) is a musicologist who has done extensive research work in bringing piano lesson in a fun and easy way to everyone.
2)   SM is proven to be working on children and adults. I have watched all video clips (you tube) posted on the internet.   

I learned piano in the conventional way when I was 6 years old. I always felt that it was difficult to learn piano and I finally stopped learning piano after a few years. Now, I have two children and I would like them to learn piano in a fun and less difficult way. When I read about the SM product two years ago through BrillKid website, I know SM will work for my children. At that time, I was so excited that I found a good music software. I was glad that I bought the software when my daughter was 17 months old.

I started to use the SM myself. I wish I had the same software when I was a kid. It is fun and easy to use. Even my husband, who did not know to play piano, can play the introductory songs in SM easily with both hands.

I started the Guess Key game when my daughter was 2.5 years old. I taught her to play the introductory songs when she was 3 (when she became ready / mature enough to play the piano). She loved it! She enjoyed playing the Hot Cross Bun with both hands, and even she could memorize the songs and played it without the software.
After seeing her enthusiastic in learning piano, I decided to start her on formal lesson when she was 3.5 years old. SM curriculum on Hanon exercise and Chromatic scales are helpful in hand-eye coordination and finger exercise. My daughter fingers muscle improves over 1 month after practicing these exercises and she loves it. She is able to play 3 introductory songs by memory, currently learning to play 1 classical song and 1 nursery song. She is also learning to sight read. She transitions well from representation 1 (vertical view) to representation 3 (horizontal view).  I feel that SM curriculum advance traditional method by at least a year or two years.

I highly recommend SM to anyone of all ages who wants to learn piano. I encourage you to check the new SM website to learn more about it: www.softmozart.com

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