Surpisingly Shocked!

This item is more than I expected with some great potential as I get better in play. I bought this for myself in an attempt to play my wii more and tone the arms! You would not EVER think this simple music making game would allow this opportunity, but I must say you are wrong. This item is simply GREAT and fun very young kids age 3 to 99!!!

Here are the pro's and con's

There's a wide variety of instruments to play in Wii Music: drums, guitar, violin, trumpet, saxophone, timpani, harp, electric and upright bass, steel drums, banjo, handbells, and many more. Each of these instruments is played by one of four simple motions. Guitars are played by holding the Nunchuk as you would the neck of a guitar and then moving the remote in a strumming motion. Wind instruments are played without the Nunchuk; just hold the top of the remote toward your mouth and press the 1 and 2 buttons to change notes. You can raise and lower the remote to increase or decrease the volume. Violins are a little more complex; you hold the Nunchuk out from your shoulder and then move the remote back and forth like a bow across strings. Drums and keyboards are played by waving the remote and Nunchuk up and down. A more complicated drum set is available if you have a Wii Fit Board as well (it acts as a pedal).

Once the game's host is done driving you crazy with his gibberish, you're free to play some music. One of the more interesting things to do is jam with CPU-controlled musicians known as tutes. You start off alone, and as you establish a rhythm, you're joined by a percussionist, a bassist, and eventually a few other musicians. You don't have much control over what you're playing--though you can decide how often you play a note and add some flair by holding down a button--but somehow, some way, the results sound pretty good. If you want to play a "real" song, you can choose from a small list that includes a few familiar Nintendo themes and pop tunes, and then play along with them. You can do this alone or with up to three other people; if alone, you can go back and play each part so eventually every instrument is played by your Mii. Once you've finished a song, you can save a video of your performance, and (using a limited number of options) create your own album cover.

If you're looking for something a little more structured, there are three minigames to choose from, all of which can be played with one to four players. Mii Maestro places you in the role of conductor. It's your job to keep the orchestra together by moving the remote up and down in a steady beat. This is easy, but it's fun to go through the five available songs a few times. In Handbell Harmony, you're given a set of colored bells, one mapped to the Nunchuk and the other to the remote. When your color hits the time bar, you swing the appropriate controller, and voila, you're playing handbells. Given that you're able to speed up and even increase the complexity of each song, this mode does offer a fair bit of challenge. The last minigame is Pitch Perfect. This mode tests your ability to recognize different pitches. It starts off easy by asking you to pick which two instruments out of three are playing the same note, but as you progress, you'll have to put together four-note chords, arrange a large number of musicians in proper order to make a song, and other fairly difficult tasks.

Wii Music, fun for all ages

This "game" has surprising depth and is a lot of fun. I bought it mostly for my 3.5 & 5.5 year-old children, but my wife & I have played it almost as much. There are simple things to do that just let you enjoy participating in music, like banging on the piano or drums to tap out a variation of many different tunes (50? multiplayer up to 4, or "multi-track&quot​; yourself on all 6 parts), there is conducting the orchestra and playing handbells in a group (up to 4), and there is a quiz game akin to music theory that is a fun challenge. My kids like all parts of it, either playing an instrument and making "videos" of the performance (i.e. a replay), or working on the harder things with help. My 5.5yo would play different instruments and songs on "Jam" for hours were she allowed! It was great fun to see her with her 3.5yo brother jamming an electric guiter version of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. Since it has a "pallette" of melodic notes pre-programmed, shaking the remote in any rhythm will get you a recognizable but pleasant variation on the melody or harmony, so every version is "good" but at the same time different. Kudos to the designers and programmers for envisioning and packaging this concept!
UPDATE after 1 year: This game remains playable again & again because it is about creating; playing the same song with a different instrument makes it a different tune. I can't recommend it highly enough for anyone who wants to increase their kids' interest in making music.

Fun non-competitive game.

I loved this game so much, I bought another one as a gift. Great for people of all ages, with or without muscial ability. Unlike teen games that make old people like me (in my 40s) feel stupid, this game lets me have fun. Also, as a quasi-musician, I appreciate the chance to conduct an orchestra, or play instruments I never have gotten the chance to try in real life, and some that don't exist (cat suit comes to mind). Fun, fun, fun game!

Family Fun

Wii Sports, with its simple, but fun (and in the case of bowling, surprisingly deep) control mechanics, has proven a runaway sensation for Nintendo. I still pick up the compilation now and again, especially when I've got some friends over, and bowl a few rounds or even hit some virtual tennis balls back and forth. And I have supported the developer's innovative exercise program, Wii Fit, since it was first unveiled; it is another piece of software that I continue to use -- it has, in fact, become part of my weekly workout regimen. On the other hand, I've remained outwardly skeptical of Wii Music since its unveiling because, for all of Nintendo's demos of the title, I've never really been convinced that there is an interesting or fun mechanic to playing the wide assortment of instruments housed within. And disappointingly, my extended time with the finished product has not wiped away that skepticism. If anything, it's only confirmed my suspicions, specifically that Nintendo's first step into the music / rhythm genre is actually a misstep, one resulting in a product so unsophisticated that it practically plays itself.

Great for kids - Fun for Family Night

This Music game is great for kids. This introduction and terminology to music is a great start for kids 2 and older. The "tutes" characters are fun to watch, and make it easy to experiment with different types of music and instruments. My 4 & 6 year old love to make new music videos within the game. It would be a fun party game at any age.