Tails and the Music Maker
Encyclopedia
Tails and the Music Maker is an edutainment
game released in North America in September 1994 on the Sega Pico
system. It was later published in Europe by Sega in 1995 and in Japan by Imagineer on December 5, 1995. The main character is Miles "Tails" Prower
, who uses this game to teach children about music
. The object of the game is to learn scales
, tempo
, rhythm
, and about instruments
, and then match the music to the instruments. The player may also create his or her own music.
and Master System
). Tails is accompanied by a turtle and a frog. Clicking on the frog causes the game to segue to a mini-game in which Tails runs through three stages. Clicking on the turtle makes it walk side to side. Tails can be clicked and dragged around the screen.
with music. Pressing down on the touch pen for a few seconds will allow the player to launch Tails into his pinball fate. Flippers can be activated with either the red action button or the touch pen. Players can click on musical notes to play a "note round-up game" while musical notes have to be captured in order for a special song to be played.
, Farmer in the Dell, Jingle Bells
, Cat and the Fiddle
, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Three Blind Mice
, Pop Goes the Weasel
, Billy Boy
, Bicycle Built for Two, Eensie Weensie Spider, Hickory Dickory Dock
, and Row Row Row Your Boat. Three songs must be played in order for the player to free the bird
trapped inside the robot
at the end.
coloring book
or drawing freehand pictures using the touch pen. A secret sound test on the giant piano can be found by clicking under the palm tree.
Edutainment
Edutainment is a form of entertainment designed to educate as well as to amuse.-Overview:...
game released in North America in September 1994 on the Sega Pico
Sega Pico
The Sega Pico, also known as , was an electronic toy by Sega. The aim of creating the Pico was to get more young children to use video game systems....
system. It was later published in Europe by Sega in 1995 and in Japan by Imagineer on December 5, 1995. The main character is Miles "Tails" Prower
Miles "Tails" Prower
, better known by his nickname , is a character, as well as the main deuteragonist in the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games, comics, animated series and film released by Sega....
, who uses this game to teach children about music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. The object of the game is to learn scales
Musical scale
In music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical...
, tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
, rhythm
Rhythm
Rhythm may be generally defined as a "movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions." This general meaning of regular recurrence or pattern in time may be applied to a wide variety of cyclical natural phenomena having a periodicity or...
, and about instruments
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
, and then match the music to the instruments. The player may also create his or her own music.
First page
The first page of Tails and the Music Maker shows Tails in Green Hill Zone where Sonic's adventure begins in Sonic the Hedgehog (Genesis/Mega DriveSega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
and Master System
Sega Master System
The is a third-generation video game console that was manufactured and released by Sega in 1985 in Japan , 1986 in North America and 1987 in Europe....
). Tails is accompanied by a turtle and a frog. Clicking on the frog causes the game to segue to a mini-game in which Tails runs through three stages. Clicking on the turtle makes it walk side to side. Tails can be clicked and dragged around the screen.
Second page
The second page of Tails and the Music Maker involves pinballPinball
Pinball is a type of arcade game, usually coin-operated, where a player attempts to score points by manipulating one or more metal balls on a playfield inside a glass-covered case called a pinball machine. The primary objective of the game is to score as many points as possible...
with music. Pressing down on the touch pen for a few seconds will allow the player to launch Tails into his pinball fate. Flippers can be activated with either the red action button or the touch pen. Players can click on musical notes to play a "note round-up game" while musical notes have to be captured in order for a special song to be played.
Third page
Players must tear through a "Great Wall of Music" by playing a game similar to Breakout. Using the touch pen, Tails must be released from his launcher and kept in the air by sliding the saucer with the pen. Each brick plays a musical note when the player uses Tails to break it.Fourth page
Players learn about instruments in this page and play along to classic songs like Twinkle Twinkle Little StarTwinkle Twinkle Little Star
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" is a popular English nursery rhyme. The lyrics are from an early nineteenth-century English poem, "The Star" by Jane Taylor. The poem, which is in couplet form, was first published in 1806 in Rhymes for the Nursery, a collection of poems by Taylor and her sister Ann...
, Farmer in the Dell, Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
, Cat and the Fiddle
Hey Diddle Diddle
"Hey Diddle Diddle" is an English nursery rhyme...
, Mary Had a Little Lamb, Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice
Three Blind Mice is an English nursery rhyme and musical round. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753.-Lyrics:The modern words are:-Variations and uses:Amateur music composer Thomas Oliphant noted in 1843 that:...
, Pop Goes the Weasel
Pop Goes the Weasel
"Pop! Goes the Weasel" is an English language nursery rhyme and singing game. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 5249.-Lyrics:There are many different versions of the lyrics to the song...
, Billy Boy
Billy Boy
"Billy Boy" is a traditional folk song and nursery rhyme found in the United States. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 326.-Lyrics:One variant of the lyrics goes:Oh, where have you been,Billy Boy, Billy Boy?Oh, where have you been,Charming Billy?...
, Bicycle Built for Two, Eensie Weensie Spider, Hickory Dickory Dock
Hickory Dickory Dock
"Hickory Dickory Dock" or "Hickety Dickety Dock" is a popular English language nursery rhyme. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 6489.-Lyrics:The most common modern version is:Hickory, dickory, dock,The mouse ran up the clock....
, and Row Row Row Your Boat. Three songs must be played in order for the player to free the bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
trapped inside the robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
at the end.
Fifth page
This page is for either coloring Sonic the Hedgehog through a digitalDigital
A digital system is a data technology that uses discrete values. By contrast, non-digital systems use a continuous range of values to represent information...
coloring book
Coloring book
A coloring book is a type of book containing line art for a reader to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media...
or drawing freehand pictures using the touch pen. A secret sound test on the giant piano can be found by clicking under the palm tree.