2008 was the year of the music game, but while most games taught rhythm and finger dexterity, a few companies tried to take it the next level by actually teaching music lessons. eMedia has produced a line of software to do just this, their flagship being My Piano.

My Piano takes the approach of an interactive music lesson book, walking students one step at a time from the very basics to everything they need to know. Pam the Piano serves as a pleasant, though somewhat condescending, music teacher. The tone will be comfortable for kids under about 8, but above that age, the Mr. Rogers-like tone will offend their sensibilities. My older children got bored quickly and irritated by the voice (which, they were happy to report, can be turned off with a click).

The game offers lots of tips for students, like finger position and interactive feedback, as well as tempo adjustment to allow students to get used to various lessons. Some lessons could use better feedback, though. (e.g. The "Find all the A's on the Keyboard" lesson gives no feedback when all have been found.) It also includes audio clips, so students can hear what the goal sounds like and video clips showing fingers playing on the keys to show finger positions.

As rewards following sets of lessons, players are treated to simple minigames that reinforce the skills learned during lessons. My kids weren't thrilled with the games, but they do effectively offer a place to practice the learned skills.

My Piano can be played with the keyboard and mouse, but it's really designed to work with an actual MIDI keyboard, and it does so wonderfully with plug-and-play simplicity, and the low system requirements make it practical for anyone whose computer can read this review.

My 11-year-old summed it up well. She says it would be good for younger kids and does a good job of teaching, but it's no substitute for a real teacher who can offer suggestions and help students who have trouble in a particular area. So we recommend it for kids age 8 and under who are just starting out on piano. Walk through these lessons, then go to a human teacher and go from there.