4PlayTM is remarkably effective in several important areas for children with learning difficulties. First and foremost, 4PlayTM is a way for them to succeed. This feeling of accomplishment in turn enables them to “get with the program” of what 4PlayTM requires: cooperation, listening and patience.
Children learn that cooperation pays off, listening allows them to succeed, and that patience results in a collaborative effort of delightful music, music of their own making.
4PlayTM is also a great way to teach English. All of the instructions and interactions involved with individual and group play are conducted in English. English learning is osmotic, meaning that it seeps in through the experience of the playing of the instrument. The English is learned more readily and happily because it is not drilled in to the children, rather it is part and parcel of a successful and creative accomplishment.
Each side of the 4PlayTM Music Box contains 11 strings, with each set of strings tuned to an identical familiar octave scale.
Each song to be played is charted out with a color coded system with English letters. The charts are marked for four players, although one player can play more than one part.
In addition, up to two players can work on any given side, providing an experience for up to eight players.
Because of its accessibility, 4PlayTM can be played by young as well as older children. The greater challenge are the social requirements, rather than the musical skills needed to play.
4PlayTM Music Box is a wonderful addition to social skill classes in special education, as well as at various therapeutic centers focusing on group dynamics and shared learning.