Bamboo Learning Announces Bamboo Music, A Unique, New, Interactive Alexa Skill to Learn Music & Music Theory

Today, Bamboo Learning unveiled Bamboo Music - a new Alexa Skill for Alexa-enabled devices that enables the entire family to have fun learning and practicing music theory while listening and using their voice. Bamboo is focused on making learning fun and easy-to-use for kids and adults, expanding consumers' auditory learning capabilities, and providing opportunities for parents to see how their children are progressing.

Bamboo Music introduces foundational music concepts such as notes, scales, chords, tempo, dynamics, intervals, and the sounds of different instruments such as piano, violin, and clarinet. Through a variety of exercises carefully selected to follow time-tested music theory teaching methods, students of all ages can learn a wide range of music skills: from notes' directionality, to the distinct sound of major and minor chords and scales, to identifying multiple instruments playing in selections of children's songs, folk songs, and classical pieces. As students practice different skills, they can earn Bamboo Badges, and Bamboo Music automatically advances to the next difficulty level as students master new skills.

Attractive to consumers of all ages because it teaches them something interesting and useful, Bamboo Music is designed from the beginning with audio interaction in mind, and combines the voice of Alexa with carefully chosen recordings of musical phrases, including selections customized for Bamboo Music, and played by professional musicians in a recording studio.

Bamboo Music offers the option to register different accounts for each member of the family, enabling family members to play Bamboo Music together, while permitting everyone's progress to be tabulated separately. Optionally, parents can set up the ability to receive emails of the results from Bamboo Music, which they can forward to music teachers.

Bamboo Music can be enabled by saying "Alexa, enable Bamboo Music" to an Alexa-powered device, including Amazon Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Spot, or Echo Show. Bamboo Music can also be enabled using the Alexa app or via Bamboo at: http://www.bamboolearning.org.

"Bamboo's approach to developing the Bamboo Music Alexa Skill is to focus on learning that works well on a voice device, build lessons based on solid educational research and philosophy, make the Alexa Skills fun for the entire family, and enable parents to easily track progress," said Irina Fine, co-founder, COO, and SVP of Content for Bamboo. "Feedback from trial users has been amazing, from both kids and adults, so we are optimistic about the future for Bamboo Music as a new way for consumers to learn the fundamentals of music."

"When we first got an Amazon Echo, my 6 and 8 year old daughters mostly played some of their favorite songs and a few trivia games with it. Then, as they started using Bamboo Music, their ears and their minds were opened up to music in a whole new way, and I really started to see how Alexa could help my kids learn while also enjoying themselves," said Shayle Emerson, mother of three and high school science teacher from Kingston, MA. "The most wonderful thing is that Bamboo Music really got my daughters excited to actually learn how to play an instrument, and this year, they enrolled in ukulele and piano lessons. And now, they've continued to use Bamboo as part of their music curriculum. As a teacher myself, it's awesome to see that Bamboo knows and keeps track of what each member of my family is learning, and makes the questions harder as they reach new levels."

"By understanding and capitalizing on the power of voice to help consumers learn new things, Bamboo has taken an innovative approach to developing their Bamboo Music Alexa Skill which is such a fun and easy-to-use way for children and adults alike to explore music theory," said Steve Rabuchin, Vice President, Amazon Alexa. "The whole family will enjoy competing for new badges as they progress through the Bamboo Alexa Skills, and parents will be thrilled to see how much their kids are learning through their Alexa device."

About Bamboo Learning
Bamboo is an education-focused software and services company with a mission to teach using voice-based devices and software. It is focused on developing skills for Alexa that enable kids and adults to have fun learning and practicing different subjects while listening and using their voice. Bamboo Skills automatically get more challenging as kids and adults master different levels; they also track progress and offer an option to receive results via email.

Bamboo's co-founders are Ian Freed, CEO, and Irina Fine, COO and SVP of Content. Ian Freed is a thirty-year veteran of the technology industry, including twelve years at Amazon.com, having served as Vice President of Amazon devices, where he led both the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Kindle businesses, and served as a Technical Advisor to Amazon founder and CEO, Jeff Bezos. Irina Fine is a thirty-year veteran of elementary education curriculum development and teaching, having worked in public and private sectors of education in New York, Washington DC, London, and Moscow, after receiving her M.Ed. in Curriculum Development and an undergraduate degree in Piano Performance and Music Education. Learn more about Bamboo Music and Bamboo Learning at http://www.bamboolearning.org.

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