Customer testimonials and letters of support
Reviews
Dear Mr. Keith of Piano Wizard,
I am writing to thank you for your generosity for replacing the broken keyboard. The new one works much better than the old one. My computer now no longer has trouble recognizing it.
My son, Jed, age 8, severely retarded with difficulties in language comprehension. It would have been impossible for him to learn to play the piano the normal way.
The piano wizard, being so intuitive a method, makes it possible for Jed to know when to push which key without having to understand spoken instructions. He's been practicing for 8 months now and has learned to play the first 30 songs. He has even learned to read a little bit of music.
Thank you for creating such a wonderful product!
Sincerely,
<<Name removed for privacy>>
Click here to view the original letter
The benefits of music have been known and appreciated by the human race since the first day a bird was heard singing in the trees. We use music to celebrate, dance, rejoice, grieve, protest, pray, meditate and express unrequited love.
Having music to express ourselves and every emotion we could imagine was not enough. We turned to music as therapy, a way to improve ourselves and how we feel and how our brain processes the world around us. Music therapy utilizes music within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, psychological, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Knowing all this as a parent with two children with a mental illness (bipolar disorder) my main interest in the Piano Wizard was not whether my child could learn to play the piano, but how learning to play the piano would be of benefit to her and help her in her recovery treatment plan in managing her symptoms.
After learning about the symptoms of bipolar disorder, it did not take us long as a family to see that music could have a very definite NEGATIVE effect on their attitudes and behavior. Initially, I had thought that my son and daughter would listen to heavy metal music or very loud, thumping music when their symptoms were elevating. What I learned, as I began to keep a journal of their moods and attitudes was that IF they listened to this music and only had a slightly agitated mood, both of them would experience extremely escalating moods that included agitation, hyperactivity, and often could lead to aggression. Knowing this, music and even video games became much regulated in our home.
However, the other side of this coin was true in just the opposite way. If either child was in a sad or depressed attitude, even slightly blue, listening to slow, sad music would only make the mood worse, often leading into a bout of depression if they were not stopped.
Knowing that music, from just a listening stand point, could be so powerful, I was excited to test the waters to see what LEARNING music could do for a child who has a brain disorder that is based upon rapidly changing moods.
My 16 year old daughter continued to play every day, on her own initiative for the next three weeks. This is a child who has not shown any initiative on her own for any activity since second grade. During that time, her attitude at home was friendlier, and she was more cooperative with the family. Prior to beginning Piano Wizard, her demeanor had been one that was angry, argumentative, and surly. She was more focused at school and had discontinued sleeping in class all day. She had been failing three classes and within a three week period, had brought her grades up to a C average. And she no longer complained about the music styles I listened to in the car nor pushed me to listen to bass banging music.
Hygiene has always been a problem for her due to her depression. She began dressing in other clothing other than black and wearing make up and hair ribbons.
These changes may not seem like a lot but for a child who has had extreme mood swings and in between those times, suffers from extreme depression, this was like a golden vacation for her and for our family.
Unfortunately, due to a chemical change in her due to a spurt of growth, this made her medication for bipolar disorder less than effective and she required to be hospitalized to help get her stabilized with a new medication regime. However, and she agrees, when she returns home, Piano Wizard, just for fun, will be a part of her recovery treatment plan, because it helps her to think clearly, she enjoys it, feels she is accomplishing something and sees a different person when she looks at herself in the mirror.
I highly recommend Piano Wizard as a tool of accomplishment and as a tool of enjoyment for any child with a brain or mood disorder.
"i have years of play-by-ear experience, but i've always wanted to now how to read music - piano wizard seems a great
way to learn ...even for us big kids.
as a side, i have to say that being able to load up any midi file is an absolutely inspired feature! that alone is worth the money. i've
always had to work out the notes by ear for my favourite songs, now i can load them up and play along instantly, thank you
The benefits of music have been known and appreciated by the human race since the first day a bird was heard singing in the trees. We use music to celebrate, dance, rejoice, grieve, protest, pray, meditate and express unrequited love.
Having music to express ourselves and every emotion we could imagine was not enough. We turned to music as therapy, a way to improve ourselves and how we feel and how our brain processes the world around us. Music therapy utilizes music within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, psychological, cognitive, and social needs of individuals. Knowing all this as a parent with two children with a mental illness (bipolar disorder) my main interest in the Piano Wizard was not whether my child could learn to play the piano, but how learning to play the piano would be of benefit to her and help her in her recovery treatment plan in managing her symptoms.
After learning about the symptoms of bipolar disorder, it did not take us long as a family to see that music could have a very definite NEGATIVE effect on their attitudes and behavior. Initially, I had thought that my son and daughter would listen to heavy metal music or very loud, thumping music when their symptoms were elevating. What I learned, as I began to keep a journal of their moods and attitudes was that IF they listened to this music and only had a slightly agitated mood, both of them would experience extremely escalating moods that included agitation, hyperactivity, and often could lead to aggression. Knowing this, music and even video games became much regulated in our home.
However, the other side of this coin was true in just the opposite way. If either child was in a sad or depressed attitude, even slightly blue, listening to slow, sad music would only make the mood worse, often leading into a bout of depression if they were not stopped.
Knowing that music, from just a listening stand point, could be so powerful, I was excited to test the waters to see what LEARNING music could do for a child who has a brain disorder that is based upon rapidly changing moods.
The first day, my 16 year old daughter began using Piano Wizard, it took me over 45 minutes to get her to sit down at the computer and agree to even try it. Our agreement was that she would go through the first steps of the program for 15 minutes and then give me some feedback and she could then be free for other activities of her own choosing. An hour later, I heard her calling me to the computer room and she sounded excited! My daughter never gets excited. I ran to see why she was calling me and she was still sitting at the computer desk. "Listen, she said. I can play the piano." And then she began to play for me several of the songs on the first program, using BOTH hands. I asked her if she had been playing since I had left her in the room and she said she had. I was amazed! She had been playing, on her own initiative for over an hour!
My 16 year old daughter continued to play every day, on her own initiative for the next three weeks. This is a child who has not shown any initiative on her own for any activity since second grade. During that time, her attitude at home was friendlier, and she was more cooperative with the family. Prior to beginning Piano Wizard, her demeanor had been one that was angry, argumentative, and surly. She was more focused at school and had discontinued sleeping in class all day. She had been failing three classes and within a three week period, had brought her grades up to a C average. And she no longer complained about the music styles I listened to in the car nor pushed me to listen to bass banging music.
Hygiene has always been a problem for her due to her depression. She began dressing in other clothing other than black and wearing make up and hair ribbons.
These changes may not seem like a lot but for a child who has had extreme mood swings and in between those times, suffers from extreme depression, this was like a golden vacation for her and for our family.
Unfortunately, due to a chemical change in her due to a spurt of growth, this made her medication for bipolar disorder less than effective and she required to be hospitalized to help get her stabilized with a new medication regime. However, and she agrees, when she returns home, Piano Wizard, just for fun, will be a part of her recovery treatment plan, because it helps her to think clearly, she enjoys it, feels she is accomplishing something and sees a different person when she looks at herself in the mirror.
I highly recommend Piano Wizard as a tool of accomplishment and as a tool of enjoyment for any child with a brain or mood disorder.
Reviews
Testimonials and letters
A recent in-depth Keyboard Magazine review included comments:
"It seemed way more interesting than any piano lesson I ever had" said Lauren Armas, Keyboards 23 year-old event planner.
Ernie Rideour who taught music in public schools for many years before becoming Keyboard's editor in Chief was also impressed. "It improves the kinesthetic response. It helps build the connection between the musical idea and fingers."
Technical Editor Steve Fortner added, "The transition between levels is so clever that you don't realize how much you are really learning, and it holds your attention as well. That's unique in the video-game approaches to keyboard instruction that I've seen."
Assistant Editor Michael Gallant concludes, "Fun and engaging, Piano Wizard has the potential to help young (and not so young) beginners have a blast while interacting with a keyboard instrument on a regular basis - and this is no small accomplishment."
Read the full review om keyboardmag.com
"During our testing, adults and children (ages 4-13) were captivated by this piano learning system. All of the children and one of the adults were playing a piano keyboard for the first time in their lives.
Players, parents, and music teachers can up-load any song into the game, instantly creating a new video game experience or music lesson every time. As a musician who endured long and boring piano lessons in my youth, I was amazed at the amount of practice and determination the Piano Wizard encouraged from each of the children. Knowing the hyperactivity level and limited attention span of some of the kids added to my astonishment.
Studies show that normal attrition rates for piano lessons among the general population can approach 80 percent. If our testing is any indication of the enthusiasm that both children and adults will have learning piano using Piano Wizard, I have to believe the attrition rate will be small.
We test many products at Computer Times that perform well and earn our Editor's Choice award. Seldom, though, do we find a product that is as exciting as Piano Wizard. As an editor, educator and musician, if we had medals to award along with our Editor's Choice award, I would certainly present Piano Wizard with the gold medal. Hats off to everyone involved in its design. It doesn't get any better than this."
Wired Magazine called Piano Wizard: "One of the Best Gadgets and Gizmos on the Planet 2007"
IN Tune Magazine said, "Did you ever think a video game could teach you piano? The stuff it teaches is valuable for all ages."
Future Musician Magazine said, "Considering that many kids learn to run a computer before they learn to read, this could be the teaching system of the future."
NY Daily News Martha McKay said, "I was skeptical until the piano wizards enticed me to try and there I was, playing some kind of sonata or other. It was nice to find a computer video game that actually teaches something significant."
Gadget Grrl said, "In fact this is so fun that adults who have never had one lesson can begin to play tunes the first session."
Raising Digital Kids said, "The research is indisputable. Kids who play music perform better in school. Piano Wizard is a nice way to introduce students to making music and offer them a quick, rewarding experience."
I Can Play Piano™ Fisher-Price adopts Piano Wizard Technology
"A very special thank you to the Piano Wizard" from Kids Wish Network
Piano Wizard video reviews
