Testing SingSmash Credit: Toby Farrell for Watershed Bristol
A new app game developed by a Cambridge student challenges people to sing the right note at the right time in order to smash down a wall and advance to the next level - surreptitiously engaging them with basic music theory at the same time. I hope this app will encourage people to not be so self-conscious and just make some noise." - —Charlie Williams A new game for the iPhone and iPad called SingSmash is taking an innovative approach to familiarising people with music theory - by sneaking it through the backdoor. Gamers have to sing into their phone or tablet. By hitting the required note at the right moment, a chunk of translucent wall is briefly rendered impermeable - hopefully in time to bounce a constantly moving ball back at the opposite side, knocking out blocks to progress to increasingly complex levels. Released today, the game - which is like a handheld mash-up of a brightly coloured 'Pong' and an exacting, stripped-down 'Rock Band' - was developed by MPhil student Charlie Williams from the Centre for Music and Science as a response to his experiences of teaching music. Using the game format, the app gets people stretching their vocal chords to ricochet the ball back at opposing blocks - while stealthily introducing them to notation by telling them what they've just sung. "I didn't want to put theory up front and scare people by stating 'Now try and sing a harmonic minor scale' - which can sound pretty daunting," says Williams. "But if you beat a level, then you find out 'Guess what?
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