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.

 

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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.

 

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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.  

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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!

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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.

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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.

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Do Free Unlimited Music Download Sites Really Exist?

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CD Player Everyone likes getting something for free, and the allure of finding free, legal music downloads is very powerful.  Unfortunately the vast majority of sites that promise unlimited music downloads are not free, and the legalities of using such services are gray at best.  There are ways to find free and legal music downloads, but sifting through the hundreds of scams and malware sites can take hours or days.  The suggestions shown below will help Internet music lovers find reputable, reliable free music download web sites. 

Beware of Any Site That Promises Free Unlimited Music Downloads


A simple search for free unlimited music downloads returns thousands of web sites.  In clicking through the first few pages of results most users will discover that almost all of these sites are not free sites, and in digging a little deeper most require monthly or annual subscription fees.  While the fees on some sites are not incredibly high (as little as $35 for an entire year of unlimited access to thousands of music files), a person has to wonder about whether such low cost sites are truly legal or simply skirting along the edge of the copyright law.  Always do additional research on a web site before signing up.  Reading reviews written by web site customers (or disgruntled ex-customers) can tell a lot about how likely it is that the site is truly the best buy.

 

Legal Unlimited Music Download Sites

That having been said, there are some services that provide unlimited music downloads and are totally safe, secure, and very well done.  One of these is the legendary Napster Music Service.  After being resurrected from legal oblivion several years ago Napster has returned as one of the best and most reliable places for internet music downloads.  For around $13 a month a Napster user has true unlimited music download access with the caveat that once the user cancels his or her account the music can no longer be played.  Users can, however, purchase music tracks outright and those tracks are legal to play even if the master Napster subscription expires.

Other major players in the legal, unlimited music download category include the Internet giant Yahoo!  Yahoo Music provides a subscription service similar to Napster's that provides access to unlimited downloads for only $6 a month if a full year subscription is purchased at one time.  Yahoo Music is also one of very few sites that provide legal free lyrics to almost all of the songs they provide in their database.  Best of all, Yahoo has recently started providing DRM free downloads, allowing users to move music files from device to device without any copy protection. 

Note:  The articles on this site may contain referral links to sites such as Amazon and other online retailers.  The small amount of income received from these links has helped keep MusicEdMagic.com up and running for over ten years now.  Thank you for your support!