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EarBeater is a new, very extensive ear training app for the iPad that goes far beyond the capabilities of most apps in the category, especially in terms of depth of instruction and evaluation. What makes it so useful? Read on to find out!

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Drumpants iOS Interface

So who doesn't have a drummer or two in their bands that are constantly drumming on their legs, table, or anything they can in absense of a pair of sticks?  Here's a cool Kickstarter project (that is already funded) that is a perfect match for people that just can't stop playing.  

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Snare Drum

If you're a drummer or if you teach drummers at the middle or high school levels you might want to take a closer look at a cool app for the iPad called Drum Guru. What does it do? It's a collection of videos and written out drum set patterns that you can use to learn and practice new techniques. The app itself is a freebie and it comes with seven sample lessons. Additional lesson packs are available for $3.99 each through in-app purchases.

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NotateMe App Logo

I've written about Neuratron's great new NotateMe app for Android and iOS in past articles here at MusicEdMagic.  For those that aren't aware it's a new handwriting recognition app that translates your own hand drawn music notes into clean, professional looking music notation that can then be printed or downloaded as a MusicXML file for use in other music notation programs.  My only real problem with the app was that it was so expensive.  Well, I received word from Neuratron that a new version called NotateMe Now has already been released on the Android store and is awaiting approval from Apple over the next few days.  The NotateMe Now app only lets you write on a single stave, but from a music education perspective this is going to be perfect for use in class especially since it comes at the low low price of FREE!  

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Guitars on sale in a music store

If you truly want to enjoy your job as a teacher you have to have a strong network of people around you that look out for each others interests. In a school setting we think of this as being other teachers, our administrators, and in some cases extending out to our students and parental organizations. There is another group of people out there that are also working hard to make sure you succeed. They may not be directly tied to your school or your ensembles, but their success is directly tied to your success. Those people are the music retailers and shop owners in our communities that provide us with the music, supplies, instruments, and specialized services that are a vital part of making music in both public and private school and they can help you in many ways you may not have been aware of.

 

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Sheet Music Score

Teaching our students about copyright law and fair use is not something we probably enjoy spending time on but it is, nonetheless something we need to do. Here are a few useful resources for teaching music students about the concept of copyright and how it applies to the use of musical compositions both in the classroom and at home.

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Free Music Fonts

I was digging for a font the other day to use with a PowerPoint presentation when I came across a very useful resource for music educators. Chances are that you already know about the Maestro font that Finale and similar music notation products use to display music noteheads on the screen, but did you know that there are many more music themed fonts that you can use for free on posters, handouts, and many more?

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Social Media-Photo by ePublicist- http://www.flickr.com/photos/epublicist/

There was a time, not so long ago, that having a web site for your music program was considered cutting edge communication technology.  Today though, over forty years after the birth of the Internet and in this age of instant information, having a simple, static web site just don’t seem to be adequate any more.  The growth of text messaging and sites like Twitter, Facebook, and others have changed the way we communicate.  At the same time our increased usage of smart phones and other mobile devices means that people are beginning to expect more from us than a simple static HTML web page.  To really get our message out we have to be willing to get a little more social.

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A GarageBand Project- Photo courtesy of JetPlaneJournal.com

Recently Apple decided to make GarageBand a free app for the iPad.  While this may seem like an awesome deal don't get too happy about it until you take a closer look.  Apple, like so many other software companies, has adopted the freemium model for Garageband.  What once cost $5 for all the bells and whistles is now free, but there is a BIG catch.

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NotateMe App Logo

Neuratron is known for their Photoscore software that many people use to scan music and convert it into a music file that can be read by Sibelius, Finale, and other music notation programs. Now they have come out with an incredibly useful and handy app that does much the same thing on the iPad, iPhone, and Android devices. NotateMe takes hand written music, made with your finger or a stylus on your device's screen, and instantly changes it into a form than can be printed, edited, or exported to a music notation program. While this is pretty cool by itself the features they have planned down the road blow make it almost indispensable.

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Chopin and Dellacriox - Wikipedia Commons

 

MusOpen.org is pressing forward with a campaign to professionally record over 240 of Chopin’s works.  When it is done you’ll be able to download all of them from their site, possibly for free!  Read on to find out more about this unique project and why it is so important to the music education community.

 

  1. A Teachers FAQ On The New SmartMusic
  2. Zoom Releases New H6 Digital Audio Recorder
  3. Using YouTube In The Music Classroom
  4. Preventing Hearing Loss In Music Teachers and Other Music Professionals Through Technology