[kraku]

This is a serious question, so I'd appreciate serious answers.

I'm trying to find a suitable software or hardware for my sister's son to learn how to write his own music. He's 9 years old and seems to be more technically interested in the music writing process / gadgets than learning how to actually play an instrument.

So I've been trying to come up with an idea of what HW gadget or software host / etc. would be best for him to learn all this stuff with. I don't want to overwhelm this kid by buying him Logic Pro 8 and some monster software synth, since there would be a too steep learning curve.

He seemed to be really interested in my Korg EMX-1 while building his own simple drum patterns, but since it's a pretty complex machine with complex UI, he wasn't able to do much with it. This proves that if the SW/HW was simple enough, he'd have the energy and interest to learn it.

I've been eyeing the Korg ER-1 groovebox, which would enable him to create his own fun patterns and tweak the sounds a bit, but that's the only thing I've managed to come up with so far. ER-1 is also quite limited since it can only do drums.

I would really like to hear your suggestions what HW or SW might work for this kid.