StaffPad Music Notation App – Awesome

StaffPad is a wonderful looking new music notation application for Windows. Unfortunately it is not available for Apple. Although I haven’t tried it out since I am an Apple guy it sure does look incredible. So clean and quick. You can notate your ideas before forgetting them!  It cost a modest US$69.95  Check it out at StaffPad.net

Great Composition App for Music Students & Mashups

One of my music students found a great FREE online application today while trying to make a mashup.  They wanted to find the tempo bpm of a song and the key it was in, so searched for an app and found HookTheory.com  This application will do that plus a whole lot more.  They have a beginner music composition music theory ibook for purchase at $14.95 as well as two wonderful online applications that are totally FREE.  This interface is slick and easy to use and it will even create a notated score using western notation and even tabs if needed.  Composing is simple and fun.  Everything is colour coded and the application will even suggest chords to go with your melody.  Checkout THEORY TAB for composing.  The snap shot below gives you an idea of how everything look.  Pretty straight ahead and if you have trouble figuring things out there is an online manual with video tutorials.  CHECK IT OUT YOURSELF ONLINE.  

 

Learning How to Play Guitar by Playing a Game

String Wars is a game that can be played using a real guitar

“The most enjoyable and effective way to learn guitar!”

So many of us are gamers and love music as well.  Stringwars is a great way to do both at the same time.  I can see it being a tremendous boost for getting students to practice.  When we are having fun learning it doesn’t seem like practice.  I unfortunately do not play guitar myself but I am going to get my students to try it out and see what they think.  You can even record your performance for assessment.  Great fun!  Learn to play guitar and enjoy music.  Try out String Wars

Learning Math Multiplication on a Djembe Drum?

Here is something if you teach MYP Music and need something for a joint unit with another department.  Most teachers have discovered that there are many close links between music and other subjects.  Here is one new method for teaching student their multiplication times tables.

If anyone out there has tried it out please let me know.

Easy and Quick Bibliographies with Easybib and NoodleTools

If you or your students find creating accurate bibliographies complicated try using Easybib or NoodleTools.  Both make creating a bibliography a snap.Both come recommended and use several accepted bibliography formatting.

Cool New MIDI Instrument – Percussa Audio Blocks

Audio Blocks is one of the coolest new instruments I have seen.  These look like so much fun.  Audio Blocks by Percussa are a new MIDI instrument that you can input your own samples to create completely original and new compositions of your own.

I wish they were a bit cheaper to buy.  A set of four blocks runs around $600 US.  A little steep.

Here is some info from their site.

Improvisor is a MIDI sequencer application which plays back multiple step sequences with up to 64 steps in length.

Each sequence is entered using velocity and semitone patterns, relative to a root note.

Semitone patterns can be played back using different velocity patterns or the other way around.

Semitone patterns can follow each other, which means they will add to each other’s relative semitone steps.

By drawing your own semitone and velocity patterns, and making patterns follow each other, you can create completely new melodies, which you didn’t imagine before!

Practice App for Musicians – Tracks rehearsal and practice – FREE and iphone App

I was looking for an app that would let students keep track of their rehearsal time in a method that included more than just how many minutes a day.  I wanted them to create a much more informative log.  I think this is it and it also has an iphone app to boot and it is FREE.  Students can record their rehearsal into the online program and teachers can track their students.