With the Jonas Brothers mugging on its iridescent cover, one would be right to assume “Disney Sing It Pop Hits” would be just another vehicle for the House of Mouse’s manufactured tween pop stars. Except for one thing: a mode called Sing It Pro. While every other singing game out there is pretty much a karaoke machine with an incredibly limited song list, “Pop Hits” uses the game’s ability to detect pitch to do something that would seem obvious but I haven’t seen in any other series. In Sing It Pro, perky blonde Tiffany Thornton, of “Sonny With a Chance,” whatever that is, acts as your singing coach, guiding you through lessons on everything from breathing to holding long notes, managing duets and key changes, and the ultimate challenge, harmonizing.
In 25 exercises of a few minutes each, Thornton, backed up by a piano, sings “lalala” and “oooh yeah” patterns, and you’re graded on how well you mimic them afterward. This training is an absolute blast to go through between singing the game’s packed-in songs, and will have any budding singer yearning to join the school choir. (One note of caution, though: The ability to hear and repeat melodies is often one of those things people either “get” or don’t, and it can be humiliating if you can’t even get past the first lesson.)
