Time to Read: ~2 min
The main problem for unrealBook is that it competes directly with forScore, which is one of the most polished and stable apps on iOS. This means that even if unrealBook is really, really good (and it is), there's little reason to recommend it over forScore if you have an iPad. UnrealBook - 4 stars - The Music Reader Review. I'm about to purchase my first tablet. I'm going to use it for storing music and at the piano as an accompanist. Which way should I go: Android with Mobilesheets or iPad with ForScore. Any comments will be greatly appreciated. ForScore and Musicnotes.com have teamed up to bring you the ultimate combination of tools and content. Musicnotes is the world’s largest digital sheet music retailer and publisher, with an incredible catalog of over 300,000 arrangements and a proven record of satisfaction with over 35 million downloads to more than six million customers. Once you open them in ForScore, they are automatically saved. Our files are named by hymn number then the title (ie: 591 Have Thine Own Way). NOTE: It is convenient to use the same app/program as my music director because you can email files from ForScore (in case a song doesn’t get added to Dropbox).
This is a guest post from my daughter, who was a disciplined saver with a goal of buying the iPad Pro for her piano playing, among other things. She met her savings goal and was able to order the iPad Pro the first day it was available. It arrived yesterday, and she is happy to share her unboxing story with you: iPad Pro for Pianists.
As I opened my new iPad Pro, I was so excited! I have saved up my money from teaching piano lessons, babysitting and allowance, and my grandparents added some money as birthday and Christmas presents. As I walked up to the box, two things crossed my mind. One, how excited I was, and two, how big it was! The iPad Pro is 12.9 inches tall and 8.6 inches wide. It is extremely thin at 6.9 millimeters. I wanted the Pro because of the size. I mostly use the iPad for sheet music, so the bigger the better. I was previously using the iPad 3 which was quite a bit smaller. I was looking forward to some new features such as the Touch ID. I really like how quick and easy it is to get into the iPad.
I love the four speaker sound, too! It really turns the iPad into a good sound system. The camera is so much better on this iPad. The photos come out very crisp and have a great resolution. It is a great device to look at and take pictures on. It's really awesome!
I am currently waiting for the Smart Keyboard that attaches to this iPad to arrive. Right now, I am typing this story on the iPad’s on-screen keyboard and I love that it is big enough to feel like a natural keyboard! I also plan to use this iPad with the keyboard as a laptop for writing school papers and sheet music.
For music on my iPad, I use an app called forScore. With an app called TurboScan, I scan music into the iPad and then open the electronic music into forScore. ForScore also lets you open a PDF of any sheet music and load it into the app. For me the challenge of the app was the music page turns. I have a hard time with playing and using my hands to turn the page. I got a device from Airturn (a refurbished BT-105) which connects to the device and lets me turn the pages with my feet.
I think the bigger design will really help with drawing, typing, and music. I didn't buy the Apple pencil because I don't draw very much, but if you are into drawing, it really helps be more precise and helps add details to the drawing. For me, the biggest perk of the larger design is how much it will help me with the music. This iPad has been great to use so far, and I look forward to getting to use it more!
iPad Pro for Pianists: Video with Airturn
Check out the video of me playing. The page turns are triggered from my foot, so I can keep my hands on the keys!
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Technology has been able to offer teachers tools and apps that make their work a lot easier or even explore new ways to teach.
Some of these tools come in the form of mobile apps, which offer a wide range of possibilities depending on what you are looking for.
There is an app for almost every problem so there are thousands of apps out there.he difficult part is to find which ones are really worth it.
First of all, note that there are great apps for music learning but the focus here is to see which ones could assist music teachers.
On that note, let’s have a look at the best 5 apps for music teachers that are available right now.
Symphony Pro
This one is all about digital sheet music and it allows you to compose with up to 48 instruments.
It offers lead sheets, chords, charts, guitar tabs and so much more such as being able to make annotations and edit notes and bar properties.
forScore
forScore is a bit similar to Symphony Pro in the sense that it allows you to manage your sheet music but it focuses more on managing rather than composing.
You can drag and drop multiple files into the forScore library from Safari or the photos app. You can also import a PDF version of your score via iTunes, email, Google Drive, AirDrop, Dropbox or Bluetooth.
Piano Maestro
If you are looking to make your piano lessons a bit more fun and interactive for your younger students, Piano Maestro is one of the best options out there to do so.
Forscore Music
If you are familiar with rhythm games and guitar hero then this will seem quite similar to that, however, its interface and overall presentation is all about bright colors and a clear focus towards learning how to actually play piano.
The way the app works is that it shows you the sheet music so that you play it, but in a way that it also feels like a game, encouraging students to beat high scores and get better at it.
It is definitely a very useful tool to get the hang of reading sheet music while playing piano.
It also features “Home Assignments” which you can use to assign specific songs to your students and make your lessons a lot more fun.
The Metronome by Soundbrenner
Every music teacher needs to remind their students about keeping an organized mind when it comes to music, and what does that? Well, staying on tempo.
The way to practice this is of course is using a metronome.
You could buy a metronome but there is no doubt that the magic word here is convenience.
The fact that you can just download a metronome app and use it right there is very useful for every musician and it makes it all easier for teachers to show their students that it is indeed an easy tool to have.
However, which metronome is a good option to have?
Forscore Music App For Android
The Metronome by Soundbrenner is a great choice. First of all, it’s available on android and iOS, secondly it’s free and every music student needs a metronome to learn music properly.
With this app you can go from simple 4/4 to more complex time signatures so your students can practice staying in tempo.
It also allows you to personalize your click sounds and save custom rhythms so you have no trouble finding them quickly.
Music Teacher’s Helper
Every music teacher needs some assistance on schedules, tasks, students and every little thing that comes with the job of education.
With Music Teacher’s Helper you can update student information, plan your schedule, prepare upcoming lessons and keep up to date with billing and invoices.
It’s also very easy to access your account from any of your devices so there won’t be any problems with accessibility.
This will allow you to have a lot more time on your hands to plan your lessons instead of using that precious time for tedious but necessary tasks.
If you want to try it out, you can start your free trial today!