Mini Piano Pro

What we love about Mini Piano Pro App

 What I love about the Mini Piano Pro App, is the opportunity of building the performer’s repertoire through a very simply designed app. This allows people without a full-sized keyboard to be able to work on melodies or harmonies on a keyboard setting. Not only this, but it allows freedom and independence to work on your skills in any location, allowing you to record your performance, to listen back and critique, and to adjust the sonorities and timbres. It also provides a metronome to practice alongside, and the Android version allows the learning of songs that are provided through the app as well.  I love that once you have recorded yourself, you can play it back to critique yourself. This really helps to demonstrate emotive and visual performances and would help to provide the musician with critique regarding their accuracy of pitch and rhythm. 

The app is so simply designed, but the audio quality is excellent, which means it does exactly what it says on the tin.  This is ideal for students and performers 11-18 or older, who are building their repertoire and accuracy skills to a higher level. 

What skills does Mini Piano Pro App improve

Mini Piano Pro works on a range of skills, because this is bespoke to the level of skill of the learner. However, the focus is particularly on muscle memory and visual understanding of the keyboard layout, and learning accuracy of pitch and rhythm. It will also help with timing as you rehearse alongside a metronome. Alternatively, the Android version can also help the learner to build repertoire skills as they can learn additional songs. Finally, it can also help critique skills as you play back and listen to your own recordings. 

What age is it appropriate for?

This is ideal for students and performers 11-18 or older, who are building their repertoire and accuracy skills to a higher level. That said, you can be of any age and use this app. With guidance, you could work in this as young as 4 years old. However, it is also perfect for adult musicians too. 

Is Mini Piano Pro App easy to use?

Mini Piano Pro App is easy to use, due to its simple layout and design of the app. With only a small number of clickable icons, a very clear font and a well-designed layout it makes it very easy to navigate the app and allows you to scroll through different sonorities and instruments, adjust pitches and octaves easily, and adjust your own design layout to the most preferred viewing. 

How will students benefit?

Students benefit through a developed skill of accuracy. It will help them to memorise melodies and harmonies based on the layout of the keyboard. It will also help them to practice in any location, whether they are at home without a full-sized keyboard, on public transport, or sitting in a cafe, they can continue to practice and build their skills. They can therefore develop their discipline and practice skills, as well as their rhythm and timing and accuracy. This is ideal for anyone who cannot readily get to a keyboard to practice. 

How will teachers benefit?

Teachers benefit from this greatly, as it ensures their learners have no excuse not to practice! It also allows them to set practice pieces outside of lesson time, that the learner can record and play back to the teacher, but predominantly, it helps to ensure their learners are practising. Additionally, if the teachers do not have enough full-sized keyboards to rehearse, this is an ideal alternative in the classroom. 

How will parents benefit?

As this app is available on the iPhone and Android phones, this also allows students to access their work at home, and communicate easily with the teacher at the next lesson in regards to their progress. This helps parents to guide their children's practice, and keep them motivated and engaged. As the app is easily designed and simple to use, parents can oversee a practice session, without having to worry about deciphering how to use the app.

What can Mini Piano Pro App improve on?

In terms of utilising the app in the classroom and for homework, the Mini Piano Pro App could improve its collaboration opportunities with the instant sharing of practice performances with the teacher. With this, a teacher could log on, and feedback on the students performances remotely, so they know how to improve for each recording they present and share. That said, the Android version has some fantastic options, and I think the key focus at the moment would be to bring the iPhone version in line with the Android version so that Apple users can access the broadening of repertoire too.

How much Mini Piano Pro App cost?

The Mini Piano Pro Lite app is free to download and provides the exact same opportunities as the Pro version. However, there is an app banner at the top of the app. It's really useful as it gives you an idea of what to expect from your money. To then get rid of the ads, you can purchase the Pro version, which is £1.79 from the outset. There are no further charges. 

Is Mini Piano Pro App safe to use? What is the overall rating?

The app is very safe to use. It does not use any chat or social functions and therefore it is safe. I would rate the app 3 stars out of 5, as it does exactly what it states, and has excellent design and focus. The current focus would be to balance out the Android and the Apple version.