Noise makers, music lovers, and rhythm shakers will all love Hape’s DJ Mix and Spin Studio. This is so much more than a portable keyboard. Finally, a musical toy that will grow with your child.
This music studio appeals to the toddler who loves to push buttons and explore music with rhythms and melodies. But it also keeps the bigger kid busy as they work towards creating a melody and adding all the musical features available to be in sync.
The keyboard highlights four different instruments (piano, guitar, organ, drums) with the twist of a knob. But the best part is the sound effects options. This was particularly of interest to the toddlers. With 18 different sounds from animal noises, to doorbells and honks, and catch phrases (“Let’s go!”), this setting opened up lots of opportunity for practicing new words and sounds in the early communicator. Toy testers loved guessing sounds and imitating sounds over and over – great repetition for language development!
Above the keyboard is the DJ station. The center button on the disc plays melodies and the sides are for record scratching (of course!). The surrounding four buttons add sound effects. Slide the knob to increase tempo and pitch of your song. Experimenting with all of these sounds and rhythms is extremely playful!
Included with your studio is a music booklet with 8 different songs and stickers to help learn the sequence. This seemed to really ignite a love for music learning. Music is creative play with sound. As they are exploring new sounds and patterns, they are building connections in their brains. When they repeat a play sequence or follow and learn to play song, they are using memory and recall, which are great cognitive skills for the growing brain.
Why we love it
This studio really sparked imaginary play as our group of testers took turns playing “DJ” and the dancing audience put in requests for songs and sound effects. Some of the “DJ’s”started singing to familiar songs, even though the music didn’t match (ha!). In other scenarios, “DJ’s” made up their own songs, which really had them experimenting with sounds and language together. They tried to rhyme while making grammatically correct sentences. It was fun to chime in and start a verse, as kids finished it too!
As usual, Hape delivers high quality toys with tons of play value. The DJ Mix and Spin Studio will grow with your child since it has so many features that are great for a variety of ages.
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