Originally created in the middle eighties for use on what was considered to be a leader in the educational world of computing, the Apple II, the Music Construction Set since found its way onto many different formats. The personal computer running the MS-DOS operating system and the Commodore 64 were two of the more notable platforms. It was both designed and developed by Will Harvey and was published by Electronic Arts Incorporated. Ironically, Harvey was only fifteen and a high school student when he created this title.
It is, in fact, an edutainment title, and is a nice tool or application to help kids and adults alike learn to compose and appreciate music more effectively.
The Music Construction Set became a precursor to many music programs that followed. The beauty of this game/application is that it is very visual, which is ironic given that the whole subject of the game is aural. The user is presented with a standard musical staff, and has the ability, through the program’s simple interface, to drag and drop selected notes and place them right on the staff. It is said that positioning simple notes on a staff so that they are pleasing to the eye will also help to develop a sense of
rhythm, since the notes change in a pleasing pattern.
After the user has positioned the notes in a manner that is satisfactory to him or her, the program will then play the music back to him. The application also came standard with a few simple and well known tunes to help the user become more accustomed to how music looks and sounds. Of course, the user will have the ability to save, reload, and also edit any compositions that he creates, since the maker realized that genius often does not arrive in a single sitting. The music can be printed in sheets, just like a musical composition would be printed, so that it can be moved to the piano or orchestra and played on the instrument of the user’s choice.
Overall, this is a very educational and very cool program for aspiring musicians, and can also be a great tool to use in the classroom. Kids will have the ability to hear their own compositions played back on the computer so that they can perfect them before trying them on their own instruments or giving them to their friends. It allows for great creativity, and can be made as simple or complex as the gamer’s age or experience mandates. It is flexible, and fun.
