Ebony+et+Ivory

**CITATION AND GENERAL INFORMATION**
Title: Ebony et Ivory V1.8 Author: D. Launay Publisher: http://perso.wanadoo.fr/prime Copyright Date: 2003 Platform: Mac OSX (10.0-10.3x) Ages: High School, Adult Class: Jazz Band, Piano

TEACHER SUPPORT
Resource information: Teachers can receive assistance on this software by emailing its author (in English or French) at d.launay@wanadoo.fr

Objectives: Provides information on chords for pianists

INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT
Ebony et Ivory offers instruction on simple and more complex chords on the piano. A wide vocabulary of chords is often necessary for the jazz pianist. There are approximately twenty-five different types of chords to choose from, with additional options for different roots, added notes, and alternate spellings. Chords are shown in several ways to assist the musician: keys are highlighted on a keyboard in the main window, the notes are notated on a treble clef staff, and the chord is heard both as a rolled chord and a block chord. In an additional window, a scale including the notes of the chord is notated.

National Music Standards addressed through this program: 2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music. 3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments. 5. Reading and notating music.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN AND PEDAGOGICAL SOUNDNESS
Ebony et Ivory is a tutorial program.

The different ways in which the chords are presented are a good reference tool, as some students learn better when seeing how the chord is performed, others benefit from seeing it notated, and still others gain the most knowledge from listening to the chord. The software program basically consists of two pop-up windows with additional, attached drawers. Some buttons do not seem to work, especially in the case of the chords table. This seems to be an area to collect chords that had been searched for, but it appears to have other uses that do not function.

There are no instructions on how to use the program, so the student must learn through experimentation. Nevertheless, this is rather easy to do. Graphics included in the program are minimal yet informative. Since this is primarily an educational resource, not a game. the graphics offer no motivation.

Some prerequisite knowledge of courses is necessary to gain valuable information from this tool. However, if a student at least has a grasp on the basic concepts, the software can be beneficial in developing an understanding of more complex chords.One additional option that would be helpful would be the ability to view different inversions of chords and in bass clef.

Rating: ***

Reviewed by: Amber Dahlen 10/27/08