Bubl Draw
© 2014 Bubl
What if you could "see" a sound? Turn your screen into a musical doodlepad, where taps become color bursts, bouncing dots, or lines that seem to have a life of their own. This app creates a setting where even a baby or toddler's fingers can't fail, yet it offers a enough variety in both musical and artistic styles to keep an older child interested. This is the second children's app from Moscow-based developer Bubl (see also Bubl Tap); it could work well as a child's first app. According to Bubl creator and CEO Oleg Stavitsky, the idea is to link a child's perception of color, sound and shape -- a linkage called synesthesia -- in this case sight and sound. We think he's succeeded. Stavitsky says this app was inspired by the works of Wassily Kandinsky, Brian Eno, Philip Glass and Steve Reich. Using a simple tool palette on the screen bottom, children choose a color, and make any line or blob. But comparisons to traditional drawing activities end at this point. If you touch your line or blob a second time, it comes to life with musical effects. A second set of controls lets you swap between musical genres. If there's a criticism of this app, it's that it's too random. It is easy to quickly clutter a screen with all sorts of unrelated images. Fortunately, erasing and starting over is a simple process. See also Singing Fingers.
$0.99, iPad (37MB)
Teaches: art, creativity, music, temporal relations
CTR Rating: 90%