Joomajam is an interactive app that lets bands and singers help in children’s learning

We’ve already seen a number of great educational tools from tech startups in Asia. In the Philippines, a social enterprise startup RITMO Learning Lab is creating a new addition to that list. It has developed Joomajam, a combined iOS app and iBook manual and music album, intertwining music with e-learning for kids.

Learning through Filipino music

So what makes Joomajam different? To make it more unique, the team decided not to stick with the classic pre-school songs that we already know like Twinkle, Twinkle, and Humpty Dumpty, among the many others. Instead, it teamed up with some local artists to compose new children’s songs.

RITMO co-founder and CEO Vin Dancel says that making the songs recognizable as a Filipino creation is part of the plan. He adds:

When we spoke to the artists we specifically asked them to sound like themselves because we wanted to give credit to the taste of kids, for kids to appreciate original pinoy music as early as preschool, and [for] them to know who these guys are and what they sound like. We wanted to have a collection of music that is a healthy mix of pop and rock.

The team also recognizes the part music plays in children’s education. Vin says “being silly and a lot of laughter is a mark of a healthy childhood, and music can help make that happen.”

The collection of music is bilingual, in English and Filipino. It’s accompanied by a parent guide, which shows a lesson plan with recommended activities and resources. This content can be used through one’s iPhone (using the app) and iPad (using the iBooks).

RITMO is set to launch the app within the month, together with two lessons for volume one for pre-schoolers. After which, one lesson will be released each month, and another batch of lessons that’s tailor-fit for the K to 12 programimplemented in Philippine schools. Lessons about colors, saving money, making friends, and more will be made available. This means more Filipino artists will be recruited too.

The startup is backed by Philippine incubator Kickstart Ventures, which was part of the Launchgarage accelerator program. Kickstart Ventures president Minette Navarette says, “Teachers and parents need to collaborate in supporting children through the education process, but lack of engaging, appropriate materials is a constraint. […] It is an investment in educating the next generation of Filipinos.”

Tale of two cities

The team realizes that while some parents can afford to buy an iPad or an iPhone, more marginalized communities in the Philippines lack access to these gadgets – or to any interactive educational materials. The whole idea of Joomajam came from a passion to give access to quality and fun education to marginalized communities, according to Vin.

But for them to reach a good number of public schools, the team needs to come up with a business model that would scale. Vin says,”Once [Joomajam] scales, then it would provide more funding so we could reach as many schools as possible.” He adds:

The big dream is for Joomajam and for all the learning tools of the RITMO Learning Lab to be integrated in the public school system.