Music teaching instrument

A music teaching instrument comprising:

• A. a sound system having a memory in which are stored the following sounds:
• (a) audible tones of a musical scale;
• (b) spoken sounds of letters corresponding to the tones of the scale;
• (c) spoken sounds of numbers corresponding to the tones of the scale;
• and
• selector means associated with the memory to extract therefrom the sounds of a tone, a spoken letter sound or a spoken number and to reproduce the selected sounds so that it can be heard by the player;
• B. a keyboard having a row of keys corresponding to the tones of the scale, and switching means associated with the keys and coupled to the sound system whereby when a key is actuated by the player, the corresponding sounds are then reproduced;
• C. a row of normally-retracted humanoid figures mounted behind the keyboard, each figure being in registration with a respective key in the row thereof;
• and
• D. means responsive to actuation of a key to cause the corresponding figure to rise up so that it then faces the player and appears to be issuing the selected sounds then being reproduced.

A music teaching instrument adapted to teach a player the notes of a musical scale so that the notes will be remembered, the instrument comprising:

• A. a sound system having a memory in which is stored audible tones of the musical scale, and means to reproduce a tone extracted from the memory so that it can be heard by the player;
• B. a keyboard having a row of keys corresponding to the tones of the scale, and switching means associated with the keys and coupled to the sound system whereby when a key in the row is actuated by the player, a corresponding tone is then reproduced;
• C. a row of puppets behind the row of keys, each puppet being normally inactive and in registration with a respective key, and
• D. means responsive to actuation of a key to activate the corresponding puppet, whereby the puppet then appears to be voicing the tone being reproduced.