The basis of Isle of Tune is really simple. You start with a blank island that you can build up by adding items such as roads, trees and houses. You then add cars to drive on the roads which trigger the items to make a noise when they pass. Depending on your road layout, cars will either turn around or continue round the loop. Take a look at the example video below of Starlight by Muse created in Isle of Tune.
Underlying all the cute illustrations, Isle of Tune is helping to teach key principals of music composing. It also doesn’t restrain creativity as the tunes can be as simple or as complex as you like – making it perfect for all ages.
If you’re struggling where to start, the app contains over 200,000 examples that have already been created by other users. It really is a super way to produce music.
Using Isle of Tune in the Classroom
- Try and recreate a popular song or tv theme
- Use only a certain number of beats or instruments
- Limit the number of roads or cars used