Stuck at home? Looking for some inspiration? West Music has you covered. We are working on compiling resources and opportunities for players of all ages and abilities to keep making music and staying motivated. We will continue to add resources to this page to keep the inspiration going.
If you have a tip or idea you would like to share, please contact us at service@westmusic.com and we will work on adding it to the list!
Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer
Are you a perfectionist when it comes to rhythm? Or, are you needing something to help polish your rhythm sight-reading skills? The Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer app can help! This app will give you short excerpts of written rhythm that you can either tap or clap along with. It will also give you feedback on how accurate you are — down to the millisecond! You can even challenge your friends with the rhythms you create!
Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer on the App Store Read reviews, compare customer ratings, see screenshots, and learn more about Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer. Download Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer and enjoy it on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
With the increasing amount of stress that is in our world today, many are turning to music to help alleviate it. Carl Fischer and Newzik are offering several different scores for almost every instrument so you have the ability to play from home. From Bach’s Cello Suites to Dvorak’s Comin’ Home, there will be something for you! Check out the link to see all that’s available.
For our Android friends, unfortunately, Rhythm Sight Reading Trainer isn’t supported on Android at this time. We recommend checking out, Complete Rhythm Trainer which has many of the same features for sightreading rhythms! Check it out!
Chrome Music Lab
We know everyone studying an instrument has been practicing for several hours every day during our extended time and home! We also wanted to help out and guide you towards some other fun activities you can do online with music. Chrome Music Lab has several activities that are really fun. Our String Specialist and orchestral teacher in our Coralville, IA store, recommends the Song Maker experiment, “because you can create any song with a fun beat! You can change the instrument, key, time signature, length of bars, type of scale, and length of octaves. Basically you click on the note that you want and place the note in the correct part of the beat. It takes a little time to get the feel for how each note lines up but it is very addicting!”
You will find some songs samples in this blog—bonus points if you can guess what songs they are! We suggest taking these samples and adding your own flair with harmony or beats. There are also some fun other experiment in Chrome Music Lab to try out, as well, like the spectrograph. Here, you can the play with the full spectrum and frequencies of different instruments! The Kandinsky experiment is also fun: you can draw anything and comes to life with music! Some shapes will create specific sounds, and if you change the colors, it will change the instruments. This lab is great resource to learn, create, and most of all play with music!
What experiments have you played with on Chrome Music Lab? Share your findings in the comments!
SmartMusic
If your student is looking for an interactive way to stay motivated with learning their instrument, check out SmartMusic. SmartMusic is a web-based suite of music education tools that help students develop and grow their musical skills. Along with many other features, SmartMusic is able to give immediate feedback to students who record their practice sessions.
With over 150 method books and thousands of solo pieces available, it’s likely that your student’s method book and songs are already on SmartMusic. If your student is unable to have in-person lessons with their regular teacher, join SmartMusic and have a virtual teacher alongside them!
Now through the end of June 2020, SmartMusic is offering a free subscription for schools and music directors to work with their students to keep the practice going! Learn more about free subscriptions for schools here. You can also sign up independently but will have to pay an individual subscription fee.
Berliner Philharmoniker – Free Concert Series
Show your student some of the finest performances from around the globe! The Berliner Philharmoniker is sharing its library of hundreds of archived performances from some of the greatest conductors and soloists around the world. Have your student attend a virtual performance that will get them inspired to keep practicing as well as learn about another performing arts organization from another part of the world.
The Berliner Philharmoniker is currently offering free access to its library of performance with registration! Sign up here to get access to their archives and share an inspired performance with your aspiring musician.
