Piano Wizard Customer Testimonials
One of the most dramatic and moving testimonials we got was the story of Jed, whose mom May bought the game for him when he was seven.
Unlike most kids, Jed was severely mentally challenged, in fact he could not really understand or communicate with his family, not even watch toddler TV, ask for a glass of water, or do a 4 piece puzzle, no matter how many times his mom showed him. Jed could not walk until he was 4 or speak until he was 6.
That is until he discovered Piano Wizard Academy.
Piano Wizard is the Best software I have found, the software and video lessons are the most complete and clear I have found. We have worked with the children in the Academy where the lessons were created and saw great results in a short amount of time. I highly recommend this is the best software out there.
This is definitely a product worth purchasing!! It is user friendly. Makes learning music easy and fun. Teaches hand and eye coordination. By far a really good choice.
I learned about the program about a year ago and decided that I wanted it for my special needs son now 11. he got it for his 11th birthday but little did I know that deep within my heart, I wanted it for me too, to fulfill a dream i have had since I was a little girl, that I always wanted to play piano. Having grown up in a little village where the only musical instrument was an old church organ that i could only touch twice...on my way into the church and on my way out....each Sunday I yearned for that moment just to touch it. As the hymns were being played, I would close my eyes and imagine that those were my fingers making such beautiful music...
I have made it my goal to learn it alongside my son. I have played by ear, I have played some chords but this is real step by step teaching that I know both of us can accomplish so much together even as we bond in a way that doctors thought was impossible. My son responds to music, and he responds to his mother;s voice.
More to come, i hope to share videos and more. But thanks, this has been a life changing experience even though just a few days old, needs to be celebrated...day after day.
I don't know if I am sending this email to the right address or not but I just had to write and say THANK YOU! I installed the program last night. Today is Saturday and my kids (12 and 11 years old) are still in their pajamas. They had been playing Piano wizard all morning. They have already mastered song 10! And I have to tell you that it is so much fun that I have been playing too.
I was worried about the transition to the real piano but (you will laugh at this) I called my friend and put the phone on "speaker phone" so I could play for her. I have no music background at all and it was a breeze! My friend was most impressed. She is coming over next week to try it out.
Yay!! Finally a music program that works. We LOVE it!! Thanks so much!
I just love the idea of this program. My 10 year old plays for hours, he finds it quite easy but I find it harder. The tempo is very fast on some songs, and you have to set the tempo as it is playing you can't choose that before. Would like to do that before you start playing. For me the graphics aren't that great. However, over all I love this program I like that DVD's and books come with it.
I do like how you can choose to play left hand, right hand or both. I find that the back ground music that plays along is distracting and it would be nice to hear what the child is playing more, we have adjusted the volumes but it is still loud. I think there could be some progress on this especially for the price, but I think over time we will be very glad to have it. I think too it takes time to know all the parts of this program.
When I was playing at CEO Space (CEOSpace.net) I could hardly keep from crying because I know how this is going to bring my girls and I together and teach them the joy and uplifting power that creating music has on their soul. I love music and I only have my singing and a small selection of guitar songs that I play to bring music into their lives. Music is in our family. My grandfather was and my uncle is a world class banjo player. June Carter-Cash was my great aunt (or something like that). I know my girls are capable of bringing wonderful music to the world if they choose to.
Before now I didn't know how to introduce it to them. I am very grateful to Piano Wizard because of that and now my dream of playing the piano is becoming a reality, WOW! Thank you for this wonderful product and your magical way of making the joys of music so easily accessible to my family and The World.
Great program! Awesome curriculum! Piano Wizard is an amazing program. My children love it, and I've had a lot of fun with it as well. I have been very impressed with the curriculum. The songs start out easy but quickly progress to harder music.
The DVD lessons are great. There's a lot of helpful hints, interesting trivia, and motivating moments in the films. I especially love the option of inputting my own MIDI files. You can use the software for any piano curriculum that has the option of purchasing a midi file with your books. So all you have to do is find an edition that comes with a disk, and you can use this amazing software to supplement your regular piano lessons.
I've used it to memorize music, and it's been a LOT of fun for me. I was going to upload a complete video review here on amazon, but it's 17 minutes long. If you're interested, it's on YouTube, called "Piano Wizard Review" by professional-mothering.
We recently moved and were without our clavinova for a few months, and my daughter kept telling me, "Mommy, I miss Piano Wizard. When can I play it again?" Now it's back and I've fallen in love with the program all over again. I love piano, and this program makes learning so much more fun. It's simply the best piano software program for kids that I've seen. My degree is in vocal performance. I have five children and I am a 2nd generation homeschooling mom.
Hi, we received Piano Wizard about 2 weeks ago. We set up and began "lessons" immediately. We're teaching our 5 youngest sons, aged 6 to 12. We practice every day, one on one, each "student" playing at least 15 minutes per day. When lesson time comes around I only hear good things, like "yes". No complaining, no tears.
They are progressing rapidly and I'm learning piano myself. We hope this positive attitude continues! Thanks for an interesting, child friendly piano course. The very best part is being able to teach at home.
So far we are loving this new program. Even my 5 year old is enjoying it. We were a little disappointed that it arrived w/out the colored stickers and introduction sheet, but your company sent them out right away as soon as I contacted them so that was just a minor thing. I think we are supposed to have some sort of schedule for incentives that we did not get either, but that is secondary to how much they are enjoying learning the music.
My 13 year old already took the first song and started playing it on her keyboard so she is benefitting the most right now. It's exciting seeing it turned into the real thing. Thank you so much and I guess I would just say double check those packages before they get mailed. You guys were probably just busy with the special offer rush 🙂 We're looking forward to a few months from now to see where everyone will be then. thanks!
My children got their Piano Wizard during the holidays. My daughter (9) says "It's amazing. Too good for words." She has progressed to song no.6, and has shown unbelievable tenacity in practicing. We had tried to teach her piano from home before, using the Bastien books, but it just didn't get off the ground. Now, after only 6 songs on Piano Wizard, she is able to go to her Bastien book and open to a page she has not seen before, and start playing. I am SO PLEASED.
My son (7) is on song no.4. He says, "It's a bit tricky, but I like it". (Okay, he's the perfectionist in the family, so I am not surprised by that comment!) He is doing brilliantly, and picks up the tunes easily. This morning, for example, he started Song no. 3, level 1 at 8am. By 9am, I had given him his star for Level 5! He really can do it when he wants to.
Thank you for making it such fun. I am especially grateful that the practicing with the accompaniment is so easy on the parent's ears. I have not yet asked the children to "give it a break please" because I had heard enough.
I love all the features, like tempo control, the different backgrounds, and the ability to adjust the volume of accompaniment, so the main tune can be heard more easily. THANK YOU A THOUSAND TIMES!
"As a music educator to students with special needs, I have been using the Piano Wizard Academy program with many of my students since October 2008 . . .Every student that has experienced this wonderful program has enjoyed it and many have demonstrated a talent in using it. Many of these talented students have been diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and possess a wide range of abilities.
During Phase One of implementing Piano Wizard Academy, each student was given the opportunity to play at least the first song of the first lesson, which involves playing only two different colored notes. The ability to change the tempo, or speed, of the music made it very adaptable for all of the students.To track students’ progress, I recorded the date, song name, level, tempo, hand played (right, left, or both), overall score, and the time attended to Piano Wizard Academy. By analyzing this data, I came up with some rather impressive numbers, given the diversity of the population using Piano Wizard Academy.
Of the 25 children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, 28% obtained a perfect score of 100% the first day they played Piano Wizard Academy. On their second day playing Piano Wizard Academy, that number leaped to 55% of the children obtaining a perfect score. From there, I broke down the data into two groups, one group of students with High-Function Autism / Asperger’s Syndrome, and another group of Autistic students with limited verbal abilities.
Of the students in the HFA/Asperger’s group, 55% obtained a perfect score the first day playing Piano Wizard Academy, and 77% reached a perfect score on the second day.
In the Limited Verbal Abilities group, 12.5% obtained a perfect score the first day which increased to 33% on the second day playing Piano Wizard Academy.."
Good Morning!!!
I took the Piano Wizard to the Special Education Dept. of a private school where my friend is the Director. She has many students of various ages on the autism spectrum. Piano Wizard Academy has been a HUGE hit!! One little boy who is 6, and very hard to occupy, has found his smile. The only problem so far………NO ONE wants to stop playing! … Not one student became frustrated during play. The game is very self satisfying to the child, and stimulating as well. After 1-2 tries, everyone was familiar with the color scheme and we were able to adjust the tempo to meet the need of the child. Many of the kids understood that they were playing the note in the music. Level 1 was a great success, and we will be moving on to Level 2 today. . . .
Here is some data from 3 students at the private school where my friend works. First, let me say that Piano Wizard Academy was a huge hit with everyone, young and old! I have never seen so many smiling faces in one classroom!! Children who are on the autism spectrum should have no problem using the Piano Wizard as a wonderful tool to help them in many areas including expressing creativity. In addition, it provides them with a success oriented opportunity for achievement and mastery.
Student 1 was a 6 year old little boy with moderate autism, and minimal verbal skills. On the first trial, he achieved a score of 35%, the second trial, a 68%, the third, a 74% and the 4th, an 87%. This was all done on Level 1. He was hesitant to move on to Level 2, but after a time, was able to do so, and did much better. At first, he wanted to just use one finger, but eventually caught on to both hands. He was smiling and flapping to show enjoyment.
Student 2 was an 11 year old boy with mild autism, who is verbal. On the first trial, he scored a 47%, the second trial, a 69%, and on the 3rd trial a 98%, all on Level 1. He was anxious to move up the levels, and did so with ease. He understood the concept of using both hands. He loved the praise and wanted others to watch him. He wanted to do it the next day, and even went on his own and played Jolly Old St. Nicolas!
Student 3 was a 7 year old girl with Aspergers…. very verbal! She achieved a 48% on the first trial, and a 100% on the 2nd trial. She did a little dance for the class and didn't want to stop. She moved through all 5 levels with ease.
I am a home educator of two wonderful boys ages 5 and 7. I have wanted to teach them music but felt intimidated by the whole thing. It has been 26 years since I have played a piano!!! I jumped in with both feet and we have not looked back.
My boys ask to practice their piano and I am re-teaching myself as well. We are so thankful for this system. We are having a ball and reaping a harvest of benefits at the same time.
My nephews came over to play one day and did not play with anything but the Piano Wizard Academy the whole time. It is amazing how the children gravitate to it.
The set up was very easy and the videos make it a breeze to prepare for the lessons ahead of time. I also like the wash, rinse and repeat.
I highly recommend this product. You will not be disappointed.
Overall I was very impressed with the quality of the product. I feel that it will take a very long time for my daughter to master this concept the way it is as of now. I feel the sticker reward system is Fabulous. My objective is to have Gabby become comfortable familiar with the concept of making music and incorporated with play! She looks forward to playing with Piano Wizard Academy. Her reactions are priceless.
I feel this product will in fact be a great asset to children with special needs and Autism. Whenever she is with the Piano she is very calm. My feeling is that with Piano Wizard Academy she is using more of her cognitive and to a degree she is able to learn it, that being said these suggestions I have provided previously will make Piano Wizard Academy more marketable to the Special needs community.
Time spend on a weekly basis: 3 times per week or more
Length: about an hour or more
Current Stage: Play stage (I have had just shown her the lessons).
Does the child can initiate music play? Not Independently only With Instructor.
Where the lesson does takes play? I usually do them on the afternoons after school and on weekends.
Max (currently 9 and in 4th grade) was diagnosed with Asperger's in May of '09. Just recently Jan '10 we started seeing a therapist to help him manage his frustrations, anxiety, and meltdowns. What I hope to do here, is share what we learn from our son as he grows into adulthood.
My lil' disclaimer: I don't claim to be an expert on Asperger's or even a writer. 😮 )
We've been having a great ol' time with the Piano Wizard Academy… Since children with Asperger's (or for that matter most children under the autism umbrella) are typically visual learners, …. these kiddos often respond well to learning via a video gaming format. That makes it fun for you too!
Games work… especially games incorporating repetition and a high dose of fun along the way! With that ever-so-important knowledge under my belt, I was thrilled to have found a computer-based learning system for teaching my son how to play a musical instrument!
Would you believe my son is currently learning to play the piano? We're the proud (and excited new owners) of the Piano Wizard Academy package which provides us with piano lesson books and video lessons equating to 2 years worth of children's piano lessons.
The system is designed to work on your home computer and comes with a 48-key digital keyboard that plugs directly into your pc. As parent, the system guides you as "music coach"… which you can accomplish with ease… even if you've never played a musical instrument… even if you can't read a single musical note! As the music coach you may choose to learn right along with your student, or you may just guide their learning. In my case, I choose to learn!
My entire adult life I've wanted to play the piano… despite not owning one. The Piano Wizard Academy will teach you how to play on a "real" piano. My parents have such an animal and I'm anxious for the day when my children and I can play for grandma and grandpa!
Why music? If you've read the research on the correlation between children who can play a musical instrument and levels of success on college entrance exams, greater emotional health and stability, a higher sense of self-esteem and their ability to comprehend math… you'll know why! Children who master a musical instrument typically score significantly higher on math exams, and while we're not expecting Max to attend medical school, you might be interested to learn that music majors are the most highly admitted college grads to medical school. There's definitely something pretty amazing going on in the development of the mind when the language of music is incorporated into a child's curriculum.
… I can't imagine a better Christmas gift to give to a child on the spectrum… or any child for that matter, than the gift of music. These piano lessons are learned by playing a game, and taught in a series of steps that eventually lead to you and your student reading real musical notes, knowing how to properly sit at a piano, with correct hand-placement and timing, to generate beautiful music from a REAL piano!
… My son loves the outer-space background, but there are several to choose from. … it starts off as a matching game. Something anyone can do! As the child hits the correct key at the correct time, the object morphs from one image into another. If the game is running too fast, you can slow down the tempo. Max has been speeding it up!
You're given a wide variety of songs to choose from and you're even able to download your favorite music from the Internet into this game. There are so many games already provided with The Piano Wizard Academy, we've not felt the need to add any additional songs at this time, but eventually, we'll no doubt go music hunting!
Have a great night! I never ate dinner… too much time blogging and decorating our Christmas tree with the family (finally!). So… I'm going to cook something up real quick and check that box!
Blessings,
"Maggie"
Our two youngest daughters 17 and 13 play piano and have the best rhythm of any girls in their dance classes.So now it is MY TURN…after 25 years of paying for piano and other instrument lessons… and the thousands of dollars invested very willingly…but now it is my turn. And Piano Wizard Academy is JUST WHAT I NEED. I set aside some time every day and love the applause when I complete a song… I sing as part of our church's praise team and I want to learn to read music. It is never too late…and I love the format of Piano Wizard Academy!
I purchased Piano Wizard as a Christmas gift for my 4 children, ages 17, 15, 10 and 7 (I homeschool). Why? It doesn't take long to realize that IF I had all four of them in piano lessons at the going rate of $65/month, I would easily surpass the cost of owning the Piano Wizard Academy program in after only 2 months of lessons! My 10 year old was already taking lessons at a music academy for $80/month, and I knew I couldn't afford all my children to go.
So far, my 17 year old loves this program. I was afraid he would think it was too elementary or childish, but being a computer whiz, he quickly downloaded all kinds of his favorite songs and can't say enough good things about this program and its capabilities. My 10 year old has leaped ahead into the second set of lessons. She loves the song "Raining Cats and Dogs" and has been playing it at 300 speed, just for fun! She has been playing Beethoven, and the Star-Spangled Banner and is enjoying the challenge.I think the best surprise of all was my 7 year old son.
When his 10 year old sister started playing the piano, he wanted to play, too, but just didn't have the know-how of when to go up or down on the keyboard. He would get frustrated so easily – he knew what note he wanted to hit, but didn't know where it was on the keyboard. But with this program, he has already mastered 3 songs because it shows him what notes to hit and when. He is enjoying it so much, and I'm happy to see him get to make music along with the rest of his siblings.
I can't tell you how much this program is worth every penny we've paid. You get so much for your money! Just the keyboard and program alone was worth it, but you threw in so many "free" goodies, I knew I was getting a lot of "bang for my buck"! I especially like how the lesson books are spiral-bound so the pages stay in place. I enjoyed the free teleseminar with you, Don and Delayna on Tuesday, and through it, I did learn several helpful things that I have been trying out on my kids with great results.I plan to keep you posted on the progress of my children. I really dislike rating a program unless I've used it for awhile, but so far, I'm very pleased.
My 15 year old daughter hasn't tried it out yet, but once she does, I will let you know how she does with it. She's the singer in the family, but her voice teacher says that she has to learn to read music, and I am hoping Piano Wizard Academy will help her enjoy that experience.
Thank you!
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