Articles

Miscellaneous Music Education

Why Children Should Learn An Instrument
Learning a musical instrument benefits child development through building discipline, concentration, creativity, teamwork, motor skills and reinforcing academic concepts.
How To Practice Effectively
Mastering a musical instrument takes dedication and discipline. Setting goals, structuring practice time, starting slow, focusing on weaknesses, and using a metronome can make your practice sessions more effective.
Practice Tip: Record Yourself!
Recording yourself when practicing music can help identify weaknesses, track subtle improvements over time and isolate problem areas.
Free Blank Sheet Music and TAB
Download free printable blank guitar tab, bass tab, ukulele tab, and music stave sheets to save and print at home.
Fun Music Games For Children
Using fun musical games can keep kids engaged during music lessons while developing rhythm, pitch, and listening skills.
Cognitive Benefits of Learning An Instrument At All Ages
Learning a musical instrument as an adult boosts memory, focus, multitasking skills and emotional intelligence. Unlock the mental benefits and strengthen your brain.
How To Practice Sight-Reading
Learn 10 tips for improving your piano sight-reading skills. Practice rhythms, hand positions, reading ahead, and exploring different styles to boost sight-reading proficiency.
In Praise of the Metronome
There are many benefits of using a metronome and why using a metronome can improve your rhythm, timing, and accuracy.
EPQ (Extended Project Qualification) Music Ideas in Ilkley
Ideas for music EPQ projects in Ilkley, composing or recording your own song.
Duke of Edinburgh Skills Ideas in Ilkley
Choose your Duke of Edinburgh skills in Ilkley - learn an instrument, compose or record a song, learn music theory.

Music Technology and Production

Free Easy Online Audio Editor
Sodaphonic is a free online audio editor that makes recording, editing and sharing audio simple. Quickly convert, edit or trim audio files right in your browser.
Transpose - Chrome Extension
This free Google Chrome extension allows you to slow down or change the key of any website audio.
Music Scanning With iPhone
Simple iPhone tip: Long press Notes app icon to scan music sheets quickly. Camera detects page area & saves as editable PDF to share easily.
Free Music Notation Software
Notation software like MuseScore, Flat.io, Noteflight Learn, Notion, Sibelius First, and Dorico SE allow composers, musicians, and students to write and edit musical scores and lead sheets on computers, smartphones and tablets.
4four.io - Free Rhythm Training
4Four.io is a site for learning rhythm concepts. It offers tools like Rhythm Bingo and Rhythm Dice to help music teachers engage younger students through interactive rhythm practice.
Learning Music With Ableton
Learn music production basics for free with Ableton’s Learning Music site. Interactive lessons teach you beats, notes, melodies, chords, basslines, and song structure.
AI Audio in Music Education
Learn about using AI tools Moises & Vocal Remover to isolate vocals, instruments, and drums from songs, providing many benefits in modern music education.
Making MIDI Drums Sound Real
Learn tips for natural and realistic programmed MIDI drums by humanizing timing, using velocity and articulations, and applying professional mixing techniques.
Daily apps for music learning: enhance your music education with these apps
Discover the top smartphone and tablet apps for daily music learning, from tuners and note-reading games to metronomes and DAWs. Available for both iOS and Android
Neural Amp Modeler - free!
Any amp you can think of... gratis??

Music Theory

Key Signatures Made Simple
Learn the mnemonics for the order of sharps (FCGDAEB) and flats (BEADGCF). Understand how to determine the major key based on the key signature, and how to find the relative minor.
How To Recognise Intervals
Learning to identify musical intervals by ear is a key skill. Use songs like Jaws, Happy Birthday and The Simpsons Theme to help recognize intervals.

Guitar

TuxGuitar - Free Guitar Tab Editor
TuxGuitar is a free, open source guitar tablature editor that can open, play, and edit Guitar Pro, Power Tab, and TablEdit files.
Crafting Your Own Guitar Solo
Learn how to write impressive guitar solos by developing strong musical ideas. Use techniques like repetition, transposition, phrasing, and using rhythm to make your own powerful guitar parts accessible to all levels.
Quick Guide To Guitar Pickups
Electric guitar pickups use magnets to convert string vibrations into electrical signals. Types include single coil, P90, and humbuckers. Pickup type affects guitar tone.

Piano

Strengthen Fingers 4 and 5
Simple exercises to strengthen piano playing by improving 4th and 5th finger independence. Focused techniques like scale accents develop control and enhance weaker finger dexterity.
How To Prepare A Piano Exam Piece
Tips for effectively preparing for your next piano exam. Practical advice to help build confidence and enjoyment.

Songwriting and Composition

Songwriting Tip: Chance and Randomness
Chance and randomness can help spark creativity. Use techniques like random words, shuffled lyrics, AI chatbots, and Oblique Strategies to take the pressure off and unlock new creative directions for your songs.
Songwriting Tip: Obect Writing
Object writing uses detailed sensory descriptions of physical objects to inspire unique, vivid lyrics that tell stories and convey emotion in songwriting.
Rhyme and Rhythm in Songwriting
The art of songwriting involves finding the perfect blend of music and lyrics. Songwriters use rhyme, rhythm and phrasing to craft lyrics that resonate emotionally and are memorable.
Overcoming Songwriter’s Block
This article explores techniques like embracing imperfection, using creative prompts, and disrupting routines to beat and cure writer’s block.
Using personification in lyric-writing
Personification is a powerful lyric writing tool that gives human qualities to abstract concepts to create vivid imagery, evoke emotions, and make lyrics relatable.