Re: [LAU] Announde: DSP02 - Music composition software for children

Hi David. I think you misunderstand the intention of this program somewhat. One of the aims of this program is to give young people a creative option, and make available tools which don't "help them" by adjusting everything they might express to narrow grids of 400 year old musical scales, 300 year old harmonic techniques and hammering it into 4 beats. The program (together with its forerunner "DSP") has been in use in lots of schools and in workshops for several years, and i can assure you that kids getting exposed to DSP02 (or its forerunner) in a class don't usually "get frustrated and leave it behind", quite the opposite! If you tried this program (preferably together with some cheap, portable recorders to grab their "own" sounds) in a normal school class, You might get very surprised how open-minded kids may be if they're not busy adhering to what their teachers or top-forty tells about what's right or wrong or how its supposed to sound before they get to try themselves! -anders DB> My comments: This does have a fairly simple interface to DB> playing with sounds. The parameters portrayed/drawn on these DB> screens are technical, however. One can have fun with the DB> program but the pitch of the sound (if it has one, you can DB> download farm animal samples from their site :-) ), is fixed DB> on these screens. One cannot play a keyboard and compose music DB> with this, just assemble series of sounds on multiple tracks DB> (quite handily, but still...) DB> An older child that is bent towards playing with synthesis DB> might get into this program but when he/she cannot really DB> compose, will doubtless be frustrated and leave it behind. It DB> is really not a kids program as such. It remains fairly DB> technical.