Software is typically more powerful than an app or online tool
but the line is blurring........
Notation
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The BIG Players:
Noteflight. My long-time favorite because it's online. No upgrades or file incompatibility. The free version gets you 10 scores with basic functionality. Do yourself a favor and purchase a classroom subscription to the full-featured Noteflight Crescendo. You'll be able to keep your work & your students' work in a protected environment. No worries about students needing to supply emails or personal info. |
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Flat. My new crush for its ease of use and education friendly features. Teachers can remove or lock out tools to simplify the interface for students. With the lock templates function, students must work with notation provided. The dictation function and quiz creator are game-changers.
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Sibelius. I prefer Sibelius over Finale as a full-on notation program. But it's pricey. Worth it for me as a musician & teacher. Not worth it for 99% of my students.
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Finale. Many of my respected friends and colleagues swear by Finale and Finale Notepad for students. If you use SmartMusic, Finale might be the best path for you. Various versions are available beyond the professional version of Finale and Notepad that might suit your needs.
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Musescore. Totally free, with an active online community. The robust editing functions continue to improve with each new release. If you want to download scores from the community, you'll need to pay for a membership. If you are a MusicFirst teacher, download this software to make creating custom PracticeFirst activities quick and easy.
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Yes, there are other notation platforms. For the cost and convenience, go with Musescore, Flat, or Noteflight.
DAWs for Recording & Sequencing (Digital Audio Workstation)
Digitial Audio Workstations. DAWs.
For elementary, middle and most high schools, any one of the software platforms below will suit the needs of your students.
If you offer a multi-year middle school into high school program, at some point your students will need to step up to Logic or ProTools.
For elementary, middle and most high schools, any one of the software platforms below will suit the needs of your students.
If you offer a multi-year middle school into high school program, at some point your students will need to step up to Logic or ProTools.
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GarageBand. Free with any Mac computer. Excellent (but very different) app version.
If you're on Mac, this is the go-to for beginning and intermediate users. |
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Mixcraft. Offers all of the functionality of GarageBand, and then some! Mixcraft is for PC and Linux.
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Soundation - Soundtrap - Bandlab. All of these online DAW's do the same sorts of things as GarageBand and Mixcraft, except for video. Collaboration features, education controls, and pricing vary, but all offer free versions. Try each to see if you have a preference.
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DAWs plus...
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Ableton Live. Live performance, audio processing & plug ins. And recording.
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Reason. Sound synthesis and design.
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Band in a Box. Generates backing tracks and works as a DAW.
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Instructional Software
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Musition & Auralia. Music theory and Ear Training. These siblings are brilliantly designed, offering customization and teacher controls. Downloadable and cloud versions available.
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Breezin' Thru Theory. Music Theory and ear training, in a interactive, game-like environment.
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Ear Master. Ear training. Highly customizable, and now there's a cloud edition as well.
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Alfred Essentials of Music Theory. Comprehensive music theory program with network and cloud versions available.
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