As the academic year draws to a teaching close for me, I am finding that I am again reflecting on the digital tools which have proved useful (nay, essential)for me personally.

Voice Record Pro

A free app which as the name suggests is not only a voice recording app, but also an easy way to make simple edits to recordings. You can choose to record in a number of ways, but to save space (and at the censure of some more Techie colleagues) I use MP3’s. VRP is also a convenient way to store your music, backings, performances etc. offline for use without the need for WiFi. You can sort your recordings however you want and relabel as you like.

Music Tutor

A free app which is massively helpful to students to learn to read music. You can set up the things you want to be tested on, treble clef notes for example, the range, and the amount of time you are tested – 1 min, 5, or 10 minutes. Then the app just shows (and plays) notes while you select which letter they are. The recognition skills after using this app are astounding. Even the child who finds reading music really hard can enjoy visibly getting better, with a total score and accuracy percentage given at the end. If you log in, it logs your progress too.

ABRSM Singing

If your pieces are included in the ABRSM song book plus publications, this is a useful app to provide accompaniments, which it is possible to change the tempo or key on at the touch of a button. The app itself is free, but you pay for the accompaniments either as a whole book, or per song.

ABRSM Aural Training

Whether you are a youngster or seasoned exam-taker, its always useful to have lots of practice in hearing the way aural tests will be presented in an exam. As a teacher I love this app, because it means that I have the full array of exercises at my fingertips in an instant and my students don’t have to put up with my inaccurate piano playing! In the upper grades whether you take ABRSM or Trinity exams, there are exercises on modulations and cadences which are incredibly useful. In the Grade VIII exercises, the singing of the lower part is also presented in such a way as you can use this as sight singing practice for lower grades. The Trainer for Grades I to V are really progressive and offer the kinds of comment which students would be expected to offer in an exam, so even the choosing of the appropriate features of music is informative, providing candidate with a suitable vocabulary and ideas as to what to listen for or comment on.

ForScore

Since becoming the proud new owner of an IPad Pro at the beginning of the academic year, this app has been amazing for storing all the music scores and PDFs I use in lessons. A very kind and tech-savvy colleague shared books which I had copies of myself, direct to my Ipad in the matter of seconds via IDrop. It means that as a teacher I have a significantly less heavy bag to carry into work! Using this app is brilliant as all the functionality needed to make a musicican’s life simple is here. You can add multiple recordings to songs, which can appear by themselves or within a book, using the bookmark tab. You can mark up a score on the app, and send the new marks to your student and then easily remove them afterwards. You can also assign recordings on various online storage devices like Box to particular songs. Importing from audio sent via email is also possible. You can then play that track whilst you scroll through the music. You can even get the page to turn over at specific points in that music. Your onboard camera can be used to add music to your library which are immediately converted into PDFs and easy to share. This is an app for serious musicians but would also be amazing for any student who wants to store their own music online in a single app. The price tag of around £15 is completely worth the outlay.

Box

Online storage. Once you’re logged in, use it to store all your backings; instantly accessible and can be sent at the touch of a button.