Consumer Level Music Writing Software Guide

Low Cost MusicTechnology Options For The Music Education Classroom

Low Cost MusicTechnology Options For The Music Education Classroom

Finding ways to stretch your budget in a music classroom is always important and even more so when trying to purchase high tech electronics, software, and other materials. This article provides an updated list of dozens of different low cost or free alternatives to expensive music education products. It includes such categories as music notation software, drill design software, special needs hardware, and many more.

The Star Spangled Banner- Free Sheet Music For Band Inst.

The Star Spangled Banner- Free Sheet Music For Band Inst.

This document contains sheet music for all common instruments to play The Star Spangled Banner, also known as the sheet music to the National Anthem of the United States of America. You can view the sheet music online or download the individual parts arranged for all common concert band instruments. If you do not see your instrument listed please scroll to the bottom of the page and try one of the the other instruments. Most musicians will be able to find at least one instrumental part that matches their range and preferred key signature. If you are seeking a simple piano version of the song please select from the voice, trumpet, or alto saxophone versions.

Using Plickers as an Assessment Tool in the Music Education Classroom

Using Plickers as an Assessment Tool in the Music Education Classroom

Music, band, choir, and orchestra classrooms can be huge and assessing the knowledge and retention of individual students in such a large class can be daunting. Plickers are one of several solutions that can be adapted to work in large groups, making the act of assessing a student’s understanding a little easier and a whole lot faster.

Is Marching Band A Sport? Pros, Cons, and a Reality Check

Is Marching Band A Sport? Pros, Cons, and a Reality Check

In recent years the question of whether or not marching band is a sport has been brought up time and time again for various reasons and by various groups. On one side you have the YES crowd who says that marching band is competitive, physically demanding, and every bit as much a team event as any traditional sporting event. On the other side of the coin are those who say no, that marching band is NOT a sport and it is a musical pursuit that happens to involve coordinated movements. Both sides are right, but to make a final decision we need to look deeper into the facts. Read on to find out what they are!

Portable Digital Audio Recorder Buying Guide With Reviews

Portable Digital Audio Recorder Buying Guide With Reviews

Scroll down to view the comparison chart of over a dozen different portable digital audio recorders.

Buying a portable digital audio recorder is a major decision. The balance between price, features, and quality is a fine line that has many different options to choose from. There are dozens of different models of portable digital audio recorders, some of which have drastically different sets of features yet sell for roughly the same price. This easy to read head to head comparison chart and guide to many of the more popular portable digital audio recorders is intended to help potential buyers more easily see these differences and make an educated buying decision.

Apps and More for the Choral Classroom

Apps and More for the Choral Classroom

The number of apps, software, and gadgets available for use in the music classroom continues to grow each year but finding things that can actually be beneficial to your classes grows more and more difficult as well. We spoke with Dr. Christopher Russell, Director of Choirs at Oltman Middle School in St. Paul Park, Minnesota to get his must-have list of apps.

This is a list of some of the most common consumer level music writing software programs on the market. These products tend to have fewer features and capabilities than the professional music writing software programs such as Finale 2010 and Sibelius 6. The music writing programs on this page typically sell for around $100 or less.

	Mozart 9	Notation Composer	Finale PrintMusic 2010	Sibelius Student	Finale Songwriter 2010
Current Pricing
Site License Available	Yes	Unknown	Yes	20 seat network available	Yes
MEdM Editor Rating
Read Review at MEdM	Read our review of Mozart 9	Read our review of Notation Composer	Coming Soon	Coming Soon	Read our review of Finale SongWriter
Maximum # of Staves	64	Unlimited	24	12	8
Custom Staff Styles	Yes	5 line/1 line/0	Yes	No	No
Compound time signatures		No	No	No	No
US/UK Terminology	UK	US	US	US	US
Tablature support	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes
Plugin Support		No	No	No	No
Input via MIDI	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Input via microphone		No	Yes	No	No
Input via scanner		No	Yes- SmartScore Lite Included	No	No
Exports to		MusicXML, MIDI, KAR	MIDI, MusicXML	MIDI, Scorch	MIDI, MusicXML
Imports from	MIDI, NIFF, RMI, KAR	MIDI, KAR	MusicXML, Finale, MIDI	MusicXML, MIDI, Sibelius, OPT	MIDI, MusicXML
Imports image file formats for use in scores		No	No	No	No
Parts dynamically linked to score		Yes	No, extract parts to seperate files	No, no part extraction	No, no part extraction from score
Custom note head styles		Yes	No	No	No
Video support		No	No	Yes	No
Audio Output		None	WAV, MP3	WAV	WAV, MP3
Save Files As		NOT	MUS	SIB	MUS
Files can be opened in		None	Finale 2010, Songwriter 2010	Sibelius 6, Sibelius 5	Finale PrintMusic 2010, Finale 2010

Teacher Control (computer lab capable)		No	No	Yes	No
Support options	Online forum, email	Email, Online Help Desk, Forum	Email, Online Help Desk, Forum	Email, 30 Day Phone support, Online forums	Email, Online Help Desk, Forum
Additional Info	Auto-save function	High quality MIDI transcription numerous options for cleaning up the score

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