Mario+Paint+Composer

__**Title:**__Mario Paint Composer __**Publisher:**__ Nintendo, unFun Games __**Copyright:**__ 1992, 2007, 2008 __**Grade:**__ K-8
 * __Platforms:__** Windows Mac OS X

__**Teacher Support:**__ Mario Paint Composer does not have much support for its users. There is no help menu or support hotline. However the program is so user friendly that it is pretty much self explanatory. There are no confusing buttons. Each of the "sound icons" plays its sound once it is clicked, so you know exactly what you are getting.

__**Instructional Content**__: Mario Paint Composer allows students to create an original composition using various pre-recorded noises. Students can save and load their compositions and listen to them as long as they use the same computer they created their piece on. The student can control the tempo of the piece, as well as the meter. For simple creations MPC is perfect.

__**Lesson Plans:**__ Because this program lack a lot of musical necessity, it should not be used in a serious assignment for composition. However an example lesson plan could be: Pick 4 sounds in Mario Paint Composer and use them to make a 30 bar composition. You can choose any speed that you want, and use however many notes you want. You must include, however, the rhythm of 4 quarter notes, 8 eighth notes, and swing eighth notes.

__**Student Requirements:**__ Before a student uses this program, they should know note lengths. They should know the difference between a whole note, half note, and quarter note. The student should also have to be able to discern different pitches and tempos. This will be important when placing the "notes" on the staff.


 * __National Standards:__**

4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 7. Evaluating music and music performances.

__**Specific Musical Content:**__ As an actual music notation program Mario Paint Composer is actually pretty weak. There are only two time signatures, 4/4 and 3/4, and you can only use one of these at a time. The "instruments" that are used have a very limited range, and are not always the most pleasant sounding. The overall appearance of MPC is quite childish and unsophisticated. However the original release date of MPC was is the late 80's, so the graphics are in fact "up to date". The overall program is perfect for a younger aged class. The bright colors and Mario reference is very attractive to younger students. MPC is very user friendly and not hard to navigate at all. All of the buttons are self explanatory.

__**Record Keeping**__: You can save individual projects or tracks to your hard drive, but there is no other record keeping system in place for this program.

__**Overall Evaluation**__: For a program that was originally created as a "side game" to a very popular franchise, Mario Paint Composer is actually quite impressive. It has many qualities that make it appealing to young students who want to compose. Almost no theory needs to be used to compose with this program. As far as composition programs, Mario Paint Composer is actually quite lame. If you are serious about composing you will hopefully not use this program at all. It does however make for a very fun project for younger students.


 * __Rating:__**++

Reviewed by: Ian Youngs, 11-5-09