"at last...you can put an end to the frustration of learning how to read music" did you know that more piano students give up their piano study because of reading problems than for any other single reason? - source: giles a, (1983). reading music. clavier, 17(8) here’s why: - students often feel overwhelmed when trying to learn the names of the notes - they have trouble finding the right notes on the piano keyboard - they are confused by the difference between the bass & treble clefs - they become frustrated because it is taking so long to make progress over the past ten years of teaching music to children and adults, i have noticed that almost every student comes up against these same obstacles. they are always excited and enthusiastic when they start out, but then they are confronted by the tedious task of having to learn to read music... helping students get over the hurdle of reading music is one of the biggest challenges facing piano teachers and parents today. if students don't get the right help at the right time -- their enthusiasm fades and they quit. the big question is what can we do to help? in a survey of 221 certified music teachers, 86% of teachers rated sight-reading as highly important but only 7% said that they addressed sight-reading in a systematic manner.- source: hardy, d. (1992) teaching sight-reading at the piano.masters thesis, oklahoma state university, weatherford, ok. for a long time i was one of those teachers who didn't have a systematic way to help my students learn to read music, even though i knew it was important. i'd tried using music flash cards but found that they just didn't really help. one day i thought, "surely someone must have solved this problem by now" so i jumped on the internet to investigate. looking for an answer… i started out by searching for note learning software but the only programs i found were monotonous drills, you know the ones -- where a note appears and you just click on its name. i knew my students would find these games dead boring. what i was really wanted was a program that would: introduce the notes gradually teach both the note names and keyboard positions clearly explain the difference between the bass and treble clefs allow me to select which notes students should practice use bright and colourful animations be so much fun that students would keep coming back for more after a lot of research, i realised that the program i was looking for just didn't exist, so i decided to write it myself. five months later... piano is fun was born! "i just wanted to send a quick note to let you know that my children absolutely love 'piano is fun' they started this morning and have been taking turns on it all day. they are so thrilled by the rewards that they don't even notice they are learning. thanks for designing such great software, i wish i'd had it when i was learning piano." s. wyard (parent)   the easiest way to learn the note names and the keyboard positions of the piano piano is fun makes learning to read music easy and enjoyable. in fact the only problem you might run into is figuring out how to get your kids to stop playing the game! the features of the program include: fun characters you'll love the friendly, positive characters that make up the cast of piano is fun. the characters take it in turns to present the lessons (look out for jokey's musical riddles in lessons 7 and 16!) 20 step-by-step lessons the 20 step-by-step lessons introduce students to the notes and keyboard positions of the piano gradually so that they never feel intimidated or overwhelmed. interactive exercises students discover the names of the notes through interactive exercises and games that ensure that they develop true note recognition skills instead of memorizing silly rhymes. practice games that teach the worst thing about most tutorial programs is that they don't teach students anything!  instead, they just test what students already know using repetitive drills. each lesson of piano is fun includes a practice game which shows students the answers when the note reaches the half-way point. this allows students to learn the note names and keyboard positions from scratch - at their own pace. without getting frustrated.  helps develop your child's musical ear each time a student correctly identifys a note name or locates the correct key on the piano, they hear the actual sound of the note. this helps them develop their sense of pitch. collectible rewards to provide motivation when they complete a lesson, students receive a special reward on their personal progress page. these rewards allow you to monitor their progress and also act as form of motivation. (it is incredible to see how motivated students become when it comes to collecting their rewards!) bronze, silver and gold medallion challenges the bronze, silver and gold medallion challenges bring everything together on the grand staff. the challenges include the note names and keyboard positions of the bass and treble clefs. this helps students make the jump to reading music in the real world. printable certificates when a student completes a medallion challenge, they are rewarded with a triumphant fanfare and are presented with a certificate of achievement. these certificates are a valuable form of positive reinforcement (and look great in a black frame next to their piano!) custom lessons if a student is having problems with particular notes, piano is fun allows you to create a customized lesson to address their specific problem. just go to the 'custom lesson' screen and select any number of notes from the treble and bass clefs and piano is fun will then create a custom lesson to help. keep track of up to 50 students piano is fun tracks the progress of up to 50 individual students. you can check a student's progress page at any time to find out how they are going. this allows you to quickly determine which students are struggling so that you can take the appropriate action. piano is fun is now used in 42 states of the usa and 23 countries around the world! i released the first version of piano is fun on the internet on the 10th march 2001. today, budding musicians in 42 states of the usa and 23 countries around the world are using piano is fun to unlock the puzzle of music notation. some of the more memorable orders have come from the czech republic, trinidad & tobago, chile, and bermuda just to name a few! here are some of the emails i have received from teachers, parents and adult beginners who are already using piano is fun. "just wanted to let you know that after a year of searching for music software i could use with my piano students, i have finally found software that is fun, challenging, and rewarding - yours! thank you so much!!" - r. tyler (piano teacher) "we're all having a ball with your program. in one case, this young lady and i worked so hard in improving her bass clef reading, that now it's actually much better than the treble clef reading. another decided to buy a computer just to have this program at home. great job!" d. kormann (piano teacher) "we bought your piano is fun software a few weeks ago. my daughter loves it and it really helps her. the smiley always makes her giggle. thanks for making learning music fun." j. hsu (parent) "my daughter has been using the software this afternoon and loves it. i am going to tell her piano teacher about the software on tuesday. perhaps she can mention it to students of hers that are struggling with note recognition. good luck and thanks again." d. knight (parent) so how much does it cost? piano is fun costs just us$24.95 which includes free lifetime upgrades. that's about the same price as a single music lesson! and you won't have to wait weeks for the postman to deliver your software either. as soon as your credit card is approved, you'll be taken to a special page where you can download piano is fun immediately. 10 minutes from now you could have piano is fun installed on your own computer and be up and running! you don't risk a cent with my ironclad, 100% money back guarantee to make your purchase completely risk free, piano is fun comes with my unconditional 30 day money back guarantee. this guarantee is my personal promise to you... try piano is fun out for yourself -- if you don't find that it is the easiest and most enjoyable way to learn the notes and keyboard positions of the piano, then simply ask and i will give you back your money - you don't risk a penny. to download your copy of piano is fun from our secure servers, please click here. order safely and securely system requirements pentium 166mhz or greater recommended windows 95, 98, 2000 or xp 16mb (32 recommended) if you have any questions about piano is fun, please email me at anthony@pianoisfun.com. sincerely, anthony fernando ps: here's a few more comments from piano teachers and parents who are already using piano is fun: "i just ordered piano is fun and i love it. i am a music teacher and i am having all my students order this game." l. wagner (piano teacher) "i'm glad i purchased your music reading software for my daughter. it's helping her a lot and - she finds it fun" b. may (parent) "i am recommending your software to all my private students ... i think it's great." b. gordon (piano teacher) "i went looking for note recognition software for my daughter and found your product. it works great! thanks and good job on the software design!" d. vandersteen (parent) "i found piano is fun very exciting. i think my students would really enjoy it. i love the different hats on the smiley faces." j. may (piano teacher)