Kids Karaoke

[mattDP]

Hi,

Our youngest daughter, soon six, is music mad. We think she would love a karaoke machine as a present.

They seem to vary a lot in price from sensible to stupid. But one thing that all the lower end models always seem to have in common are a fair proportion of user reviews saying they break easily. And "lower end" is still £50+ - at that price, you want something to last.

Does anyone have any experience with these sorts of products, and whether they break? Any suggested models we should look at? Or is there an alternative like a karaoke video game that we could check out?

There are plenty of karaoke games on wii, ps3/4 and x box but would be out of your price range.

It looks like they do singstar for pc as well as consoles now

It might be more useful longer-term for her to learn PROPER music, and have a Keyboard; at six, she could teach herself from tutor books, with a bit of parent help if the reading is difficult. Some Keyboards will have a microphone input, and be able to record both the Keyboard and the voice track. They also come with 'backing tracks' for some songs, and once she has learnt some tunes, she can record them and sing along. It is also possible to record to a computer, via MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface).

A keyboard would need to have a least 61 full-size keys, and ideally be touch-sensitive (so the keys vary the note volume.)

One of the cheapest Yamaha Keyboards is the PSR-F50, (not touch-sensitive), about £95, with 120 Sounds, 112 Styles, and 30 Songs. However, it probably doesn't have a microphone input.

(Do MN Search on my name and keyboard, and you will find I have done many similar replies.)

Come back if you want more information.