Another interactive music app from the creators of Mibblio (2013)—this one a single song (with a holiday theme) rather than a “freemium” platform for in-app purchases.
As the musician Matisyahu sings an original, reggae-style Hanukkah song with infectious brio, listeners can use buttons, tiles and icons running along three sides of each screen to add or subtract instrument tracks as well as jam along with keyboards, strings and percussion. Meanwhile, brightly colored cartoon scenes of children lighting menorah candles, riding a giant dreidel, dancing happily or posing in historical costume pass by in a slideshow that, with a flick of two fingers, can be expanded to a full-screen view. The lyrics, visible on each screen, mix specific references (“Son of King David! / Maccabee till the end of time!”) with general uplift: “Happy Hanukkah! / I wanna give a gift to you! / Light up the nights, / My love shines through.” The song and pictures can be paused but not replayed without starting over.
An upbeat, well-designed outing with options aplenty to engage budding musicians. Eminently danceable, too. (Requires iPad 2 and above.) (iPad holiday app. 6-9)
