JSI Music Theory Laminated Mat

I am nut for circle of fifths charts. This one is jam packed: it could benefit from a more sophisticated layout and thoughtful editing. Had some great ideas -- the grand staff aligned with the keyboard -- that just missed the missed the mark. I like the way the circle was divided into third, like a peace sign: sharps, flat and who-the-heck-needs them (the enharmonics). Large placemat size. Lots of print: short on the graphics. I enjoyed studying it: would not recommend at a beginner tool. I hope the author/designer collaborates to come up with an improved edition.

This is a good laminated poster and helps refresh me as I learn to play the keyboard. I like the size of the mat and the size of the lettering on it. I also like the packaging. It can in a large envelope that was heavy enough to keep it from bending or crinkling. All in all, I really like it.The only small suggestion I would make to improve it would be to move letters showing the notes' names up between the staves and the piano keys but that is not too important really.

I plan to give them as gifts for my students playing at my piano recitals. The physical quality of the place mat is very nice.However, in the Time Values section, the quarter note heads are slanting opposite to what they should be which is low on the left and high on the right. There should not even be a key to type the head in the wrong direction.Oh no, I found another flaw. The treble clef sign on the staff does not fit the staff properly. The top loop should start a ledger line above the staff, cross at the 4th line, touch the bottom line (E) and hang below the staff. The Font size does not match the Bass Clef.These errors are seen in Theory for primer students.Also, there should be the note (G) on the bottom line of the Bass Clef, especially since this is an education tool.

I had an entirely different experience than a previous reviewer. The item was shipped in a rectangular box 4 x 2 x 12.5, but the box was sturdy enough to withstand the rigors of shipping. The 11 x 17 mat was curled into the box, but had no creases, only a couple of bends, which relaxed after I placed the mat on a flat surface overnight with telephone books on top. It is now completely flat and stiff enough that it stands up smartly against the music rest on my electronic keyboard.I am an adult beginner. As such, I think the mat will help me in reading music. The Circle of Fifths on the back shows how key signatures relate to key names. The diagram on the front showing how the Grand Staff relates to the keyboard will aid in learning to play by sight.I am very pleased

If I could afford to order one of these for every one of my piano students, I would! The music theory mat is has so many elements of music theory, is two sided, laminated so it'll last and is extremely helpful. I think it's fun to use and my students love it, too. I gave one to a student who is going away to college to she'll have the basics of music theory with her and as a gift. Great for teaching, learning, as a gift for the music student or musician. Love it.

This was invaluable to me during an introductory Music Theory course as a visual tool to support class notes and the textbook. I still keep it setting on a wide screen computer monitor to help maintain the learning. It highlights basic information in a 1st semester course including notation, octaves (A2-G5), major & minor keys, minor scales and a bit on cords. The lamination also allows for further notes and highlights to be added.

Great product; effective placement of lots of information. I will be using this to enhance learning for my two grandchildren (6 and 8 years old) and myself. I am sure this product will provide us with plenty of learning information that will be referred to for quite a while. Other reviews mentioned poor packaging when it arrived in a tube. Mine arrived in a narrow and shallow box and the result was a slightly curved product that has already flattened itself out after a 20-minute breather from the packaging. Nice touch!

The chart is approximately 11x14 and has a concise collection of important musical concepts crammed into both sides. That is the good part. The bad: the laminating was cheap and flimsy.Also, it arrived packaged and rolled into a square "tube" which was slightly crushed on one end (a round tube probably wouldn't have collapsed as easily). Because the laminating is so thin, the paper within it (i.e., the chart) had already permanently creased in 2 spots (where the rolled end had been squashed).On the other hand, I was easily able to make a bunch of photocopies and I use those exlusively with my kids/students, saving the original laminated chart for future copies. In that sense, it was a wast to get because it's not sturdy enough to use/reuse (with eraseable markers, for e.g.) but it's more expensive than a plain-paper poster would have been.