Drawing and music, together in one app? That’s the idea behind Sketch-a-Song Kids, which was released this week for iPhone, iPad and Android.

It’s the work of developer Sketch-a-Song, which tells us the app is already being used in a number of schools. The app is aimed at 6-12 year-olds as a way for them to compose music by tapping and dragging on the touchscreen.

The app includes more than 40 instruments to experiment with, turning the music into bright, colourful patterns rather than expecting children to have already grasped traditional music notation.

15 songs are included in the app when you download it, for children to play, examine and use as a starting point to start making their own tunes using the app. “No matter who you are or what your background is, Sketch-a-Song makes music accessible and rewarding,” claim the developers.

We’ve seen apps in a similar space to this before like Color Band and Morton Subotnick’s Pitch Painter, and we really like the idea. We’re looking forward to seeing how Sketch-a-Song Kids catches on and evolves in the coming weeks and months.

Sketch-a-Song Kids is a free download for iPhone and iPad, and a free download for Android. Its developer says the app won’t ever carry ads, and for now it’s also not using in-app purchases – although we can imagine they could be used in a responsible way in future to add new instruments or features.

Read about more music apps for kids on Apps Playground.