Browse below to discover new favorites among the continuous new repertoire included with your regular subscription. New works for concert band, string orchestra, jazz ensemble, choir, and solos for any instrument or voice are included in this month’s new interactive music ready to assign, practice, and record in MakeMusic Cloud.

Highlights include concert band works by Tyler S. Grant, Robert W. Smith, and Randall D. Standridge; string orchestra works by Brian Balmages, Carrie Lane Gruselle, and Chris Thomas; jazz charts by Rick Hirsch; and choir publications by Robert T. Gibson and PinkZebra.

Also included are classical solos from Bach, Saint-Saëns, Schubert, and many more.

Movie and pop highlights include music from Kelly Clarkson, Elf, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, George Michael, Panic! at the Disco, The Polar Express, and Taylor Swift.

Click to view this month’s new interactive repertoire in the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes

33 new solos
31 new concert band titles
10 new titles for string orchestra
5 new publications for small ensembles
3 new choir titles
1 new jazz ensemble chart

CONCERT BAND
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Apollo Fanfare	Robert W. Smith	Alfred Music	Beginning
	Attack Of The Garden Gnomes	Timothy Loest	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Conquest	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Creatures In The Attic	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Diary Of A Grumpy Elf	Timothy Loest	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Creepy Crawlies	Michael Story	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Dark Adventure	Ralph Ford	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Downtown Strut	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Very Easy
	High Hopes	Panic! at the Disco; Doug Adams	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	It’s Raining Tacos	Parry Gripp; Patrick Roszell	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Shadow Fire	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Very Easy
	Tadpoles	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Very Easy
	Walk Like a Spartan	William Palange	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	…music speaks	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Extremis	Randall D. Standridge	FJH Music Company	Medium Easy
	Last Christmas	Chris Bernotas; George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	River Valley Overture	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Sleigh Ride	Leroy Anderson; Michael Story	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Apex Predator	Michael Oare	Hal Leonard	Easy
	Fanfare for the Gold	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Easy
	Fragile	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	Magic Sevens	Richard Saucedo	Hal Leonard	Easy
	Now & Forever (March)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Easy
	Santa the Barbarian and the Pirates of the North Pole	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	The First Day of Summer	Jorge L. Vargas	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	A Carmen Christmas	Georges Bizet; Randall D. Standridge	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Choose Joy	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium
	Forever Joyful!	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Into The Arctic	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Celtic Carol	Robert W. Smith	Alfred Music	Medium Advanced
	Concert Suite from The Polar Express	Alan Silvestri; Glen Ballard; Jerry Brubaker	Alfred Music	Medium Advanced
STRING ORCHESTRA
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Festive Foundations (String Orchestra)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Very Easy
	Impulse	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Beginning
	Downtown Strut (Orchestra Version)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Very Easy
	Gap Of Dunloe	Chris Thomas	FJH Music Company	Very Easy
	Creatures	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium Easy
	Last Christmas	Chris Bernotas; George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Storm	Soon Hee Newbold	FJH Music Company	Easy
	Mambo	Leonard Bernstein; Robert Longfield	Hal Leonard	Medium
	Themes From The Nutcracker	Carrie Lane Gruselle; Piotr Tchaikovsky	FJH Music Company	Medium
	Panoramic Landscapes (Orchestra Version)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Clambake	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium Advanced
SMALL ENSEMBLE
	God Rest Ye Merry, Hepcats	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium
	Motherless Child	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium
	Swing Low, Sweet Chariot	Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium
	Let My People Go	Afro-Semitic Traditional; Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium Advanced
	Wade in the Water	Afro-American Spiritual; Rick Hirsch	HirschMusic Publications	Medium Advanced
CHOIR
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Winter Lullaby (SATB)	Pinkzebra	Pinkzebra Music, LLC	Medium Easy
	Thixo Onothando	Michael Barrett; Traditional isiXhosa	GIA Publications Inc
	We Shall Overcome	Robert T. Gibson	GIA Publications Inc
SOLOS
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Bad Liar (Imagine Dragons)	Aja Volkman; Benjamin McKee; Daniel Reynolds; Daniel Platzman; Jorgen Odegard; Wayne Sermon	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Bad Liar (Imagine Dragons) (Vocal)	Aja Volkman; Benjamin McKee; Daniel Reynolds; Daniel Platzman; Jorgen Odegard; Wayne Sermon	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Buddy at Work (from Elf)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Christmas Morning (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)	John Williams	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Christmas Vacation (from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Mavis Staples)	Barry Mann; Cynthia Weil	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Christmas Vacation (from National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Mavis Staples) (Vocal)	Barry Mann; Cynthia Weil	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Elf (Main Title)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Elf Dancing (from Elf)	John Debney	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Faith (George Michael)	George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Faith (George Michael) (Vocal)	George Michael	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Hagrid’s Christmas Tree (from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)	John Williams	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry)	Gene Autry; Oakley Haldeman	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Here Comes Santa Claus (Gene Autry) (Vocal)	Gene Autry; Oakley Haldeman	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Main Title (from The Polar Express)	Alan Silvestri; Glen Ballard	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	My Grown-Up Christmas List (Kelly Clarkson)	David Foster; Linda Thompson Jenner	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	My Grown-Up Christmas List (Kelly Clarkson) (Vocal)	David Foster; Linda Thompson Jenner	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) (from The Vault) (1989)	Diane Warren; Taylor Swift	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Say Don’t Go (Taylor’s Version) (from The Vault) (1989) (Vocal)	Diane Warren; Taylor Swift	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	The Polar Express (from The Polar Express)	Alan Silvestri; Glen Ballard	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	We Are Family (Sister Sledge)	Bernard Edwards; Nile Rodgers	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	We Are Family (Sister Sledge) (Vocal)	Bernard Edwards; Nile Rodgers	Alfred Music	Medium Easy
	Chamber Concerto for Viola and Strings	Antonio Vivaldi; Lynne Latham	Southern Music Company	Medium
	Air Varie in G major op. 23 no. 3 part I – IV	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Clarinet Sonata	Camille Saint-Saëns	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Concertino in A minor Op. 46 No. 3, Part I – III	Julius Klengel	Rubato
	Concertino in D major Part I – III	J.B. Breval	Rubato
	Concerto in B flat major, Part I – III	L. Boccherini	Rubato
	Fantasy Pieces	Robert Schumann	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Sonata in G minor, Part I – IV	Henry Eccles	Rubato
	Sonata No. 3 in G major, Part I – III	L. Boccherini	Rubato
	Suite	Henry Purcell	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Suite No. 2 BWV 1067 in B minor Part IV – VII	Johann Sebastian Bach	Rubato
	Swan Song – Serenade (no.4)	Schubert	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje

MakeMusic Cloud is home to the largest interactive and digital sheet music libraries available, with tens of thousands of titles spanning every instrument, ensemble type, skill level, and genre. Each subscription provides access to every title in our unrivaled repertoire library of music from more than 130 different publishers. Get started by generating a quote.

The post December 2023 Repertoire Update appeared first on MakeMusic.

1. Assign New Music

Assign new solo and/or ensemble music for the kids to look at and listen to during break. Try to pick the pieces that will generate the most student excitement. Consider making practice time part of a contest, available for extra credit, or making these ungraded assignments so kids who travel are not “punished.” Either way, you can hit the ground running when students return.

Another option is to pick a few potential spring concert or festival pieces for students to select from. Assign them in MakeMusic Cloud, and set up a digital survey that allows students to indicate which piece or pieces they would most like to play. Giving students the power to choose can really impact their level of commitment and help motivate their practice. You can easily find music from your state’s required contest list using our State Lists tool.

2. Make Holiday Music Performance Opportunities Possible

Distribute music or assign a few holiday solos or tunes in MakeMusic Cloud so students can play for loved ones over the break. If performing for others is a required assignment, or an option for extra credit, use the video assignments feature to document their performances. You might also consider holiday-themed performance opportunities around the school, or even elsewhere in the community.

3. Send Instruments to the Shop

If you have school instruments that are in need of repair, send them to the shop. This means less time out of students hands when you come back to school in January.

4. Complete Grading

Get as much grading and paperwork completed as you can before you leave. The very hectic nature of December makes difficult to do, but having nothing over your head during the break will help you to unwind, relax, and regenerate. For the same reasons, if possible, complete the first-week-back lesson plans, too.

5. Calendar/Schedule Work

Have all spring schedules (rehearsals, workshops, performances, etc.) passed out, listed on your website, on Schoology, and posted on school calendars. Even if you distribute a calendar at the beginning of the year, it’s a good idea to do it again – especially if there have been changes.

You might also plan the schedule of before/after school rehearsals prior to leaving for break, and plan your assignment schedule for the next quarter.

6. Student Social Event

Have a social event with students before they leave for winter break.

7. Study Scores

Study scores for the return to school and prep for the concerts and performances that will be on your mind the minute you return.

8. Clean Up

Clean up – and have kids help. Pick up the rehearsal hall, storage rooms, your desk, behind percussion cabinet, inside the percussion cabinet, etc. It will feel so much better starting fresh in January. While you’re at it, collect and file all the music from your winter or holiday concert, too.

9. Review Fall Teacher Evaluations

Go over your fall teacher evaluations. If necessary, have a game plan for improvement, even if that means a sit-down with administrators. The break will give you a relaxed time to reflect.

10. Thank People!

Do something nice for your colleagues. Even a small gesture goes a long way in letting people know you appreciate their help. Consider teachers from all parts of the building and anyone else who helps make your life easier.

Most importantly, acknowledge your custodial staff. These are the people who are always with you on Friday nights after the football game as you sweep the hallway for uniform parts. They’re the folks who help you set up and tear down for every concert, and do so much more. Consider getting them a gift card as a small token of appreciation for all their help throughout the year.

Special thanks to Giovanna Cruz, Michael Gibson, Stephen Goss, Leigh Kallestad, Kevin Mead, Ted Scalzo, Laura Vaughan for contribution ideas for this post.

The post Music Educators: Don’t Leave on Break Before Doing These Things appeared first on MakeMusic.

Browse below to discover new favorites among the continuous new repertoire included with your regular subscription. New works for concert band, string orchestra, jazz ensemble, choir, and solos for any instrument or voice are included in this month’s new interactive music ready to assign, practice, and record in MakeMusic Cloud.

Highlights include concert band works by Tyler S. Grant, Michael Kamuf, and Randall D. Standridge; string orchestra works by Brian Balmages and Soon Hee Newbold; and choir publications by Robert T. Gibson and Pinkzebra.

Small ensembles and duets of any kind can celebrate with Christmas with Canadian Brass – Flex for Two.

Also included are classical solos from Bach, Clementi, Fauré, Handel, Saint-Saëns, Schumann, Telemann, Vivaldi, and many more.

Movie and pop highlights include music from Dan+Shay, Selena Gomez, Michael Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Led Zeppelin, Rag’n’Bone Man, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Bill Withers, and Wham!

Click to view this month’s new interactive repertoire in the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes

59 new solos
24 new concert band titles
2 new titles for string orchestra
2 new choir titles
1 new jazz ensemble chart
1 new publication for small ensembles

SMALL ENSEMBLE
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Christmas with Canadian Brass – Flex for Two	Johann Pachelbel; Mark F. Adler	Brassworks Music, LTD
CONCERT BAND
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	All Purpose Performance Collection (Flexible)	Larry Clark	Excelcia Music Publishing
	March Phantasma	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	Starfire March	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Easy
	(not) Alone	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Conquering the Nemesis	Michael Kamuf	Belwin	Medium Easy
	Flexcel Chorale Collection (Flexible)	Ed Kiefer; Traditional	Excelcia Music Publishing	Medium Easy
	Immortal! Invisible!	Ralph Hultgren	Neil A. Kjos Music Co.	Medium Easy
	Palette	Randall D. Standridge	Randall Standridge Music LLC	Medium Easy
	Miles in the Sky	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium
	One Common Journey	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium
	Banner of the Sky	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
	Pacific Grooves	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
	Panoramic Landscapes (Band Version)	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
	Solace in the Equinox	Tyler S. Grant	Tyler S. Grant Music Works	Medium Advanced
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Road Song	Alan Baylock; Wes Montgomery	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium
STRING ORCHESTRA
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Medieval Wars	Brian Balmages	FJH Music Company	Medium Easy
	Warrior Legacy	Soon Hee Newbold	FJH Music Company	Medium Advanced
CHOIR
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	Amazing Grace TTBB	John Newton; Robert T. Gibson	GIA Publications Inc
	United (SATB Acapella)	Pinkzebra	Pinkzebra Music, LLC	Easy
SOLOS
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	PUBLISHER	LEVEL
	3 Romances	Robert Schumann	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Adagio e Tarantella in F minor Part I & II	Ernesto Cavallini	Rubato
	Air varie in G major op. 10 part 1 – 5	Pierre Rode	Rubato
	By The Light Of The Moon	Jean Baptiste Lully	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Concertino in D major Op. 25, Part I – III	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Concertino in G major Op. 24, Part I – III	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Concerto in A minor Op. 14 No. 1, Part I – III	Georg Eduard Goltermann	Rubato
	Concerto in D major Op. 36, part I – III	Oskar Rieding	Rubato
	Concerto in G major, Part I – IV	Georg Philipp Telemann	Rubato
	Concerto No. 1 in A minor, Part I – III	Johann Sebastian Bach	Rubato
	Fantasia	Gabriel Faure	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Flute Sonata no.5	George Frideric Handel	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	He is Born the Divine Child	Traditional	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Jingle Bells	James Pierpont	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Kol Nidrei	M. Bruch	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Silent Night	Franz Gruber	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Solo De Concours	Jules Mouquet	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Sonata	Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Sonata II in F major Part I – IV	Antonio Vivaldi	Rubato
	Sonata III in A minor part I – IV	Antonio Vivaldi	Rubato
	Sonata in A major Op. 5 No. 9, Part I – IV	Arcangelo Corelli	Rubato
	Sonata in A minor Op. 2 No. 10 Part I – V (flute)	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in C major Op. 2 No. 9 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in C major, Part I – IV	Pietro Gaetano Boni	Rubato
	Sonata in D minor Op. 2 No. 8 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in D minor, Part I – IV	Andrea Caporale	Rubato
	Sonata in E flat major No. 1 Part I – III	James Hook	Rubato
	Sonata in E minor Op. 38 No. 4 Part 1 – 3 (cello)	Bernhard Romberg	Rubato
	Sonata in E minor Op. 5 No. 8 Part I – IV	Arcangelo Corelli	Rubato
	Sonata in F major No. 2, Part I & II	James Hook	Rubato
	Sonata in F Major, Part I – III	Georg Philipp Telemann	Rubato
	Sonata in G major Op. 2 No. 5 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata in G major, Part 1 – 3	Jan Křtitel Vaňhal	Rubato
	Sonata in G minor Op. 2 No. 11 Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonata No. 2 in D minor Part I – IV	Robert Valentine	Rubato
	Sonata No. 6 in G major Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello	Rubato
	Sonatina in A minor Op. 47 No. 2, Part I – III	Julius Klengel	Rubato
	Sonatina in C major Op. 65 No. 1, Part I – III	Otto Muller	Rubato
	Sonatina in G major Op. 36 No. 5, Part I – III	Muzio Clementi	Rubato
	Sonatina in G major Op. 47 No. 3, Part I – III	Julius Klengel	Rubato
	The Swan	Camille Saint-Saëns	Popscord Makednija Doo Skopje
	Black Dog (Led Zeppelin)	Jimmy Page; John Paul Jones; Robert Plant	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Black Dog (Led Zeppelin) (Vocal)	Jimmy Page; John Paul Jones; Robert Plant	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Human (Rag’n’Bone Man)	Jamie Hartman; Nick Monson; Rory Graham	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Human (Rag’n’Bone Man) (Vocal)	Jamie Hartman; Nick Monson; Rory Graham	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lose You to Love Me (Selena Gomez)	Julia Michaels; Justin Tranter; Mattias Larsson; Robin Fredriksson; Selena Gomez	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lose You to Love Me (Selena Gomez) (Vocal)	Julia Michaels; Justin Tranter; Mattias Larsson; Robin Fredriksson; Selena Gomez	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lovely Day (Bill Withers)	Bill Withers; Skip Scarborough	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Lovely Day (Bill Withers) (Vocal)	Bill Withers; Skip Scarborough	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Pet Sematary (The Ramones)	DANIEL RABINOWITZ; Douglas Colvin	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Pet Sematary (The Ramones) (Vocal)	DANIEL RABINOWITZ; Douglas Colvin	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Psycho Killer (Talking Heads)	Chris Frantz; David Byrne; Tina Weymouth	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Psycho Killer (Talking Heads) (Vocal)	Chris Frantz; David Byrne; Tina Weymouth	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Speechless (Dan + Shay)	Dan Smyers; Jordan Reynolds; Laura Veltz; Shay Mooney	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Speechless (Dan + Shay) (Vocal)	Dan Smyers; Jordan Reynolds; Laura Veltz; Shay Mooney	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper)	Cyndi Lauper; Rob Hyman	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper) (Vocal)	Cyndi Lauper; Rob Hyman	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (Wham!) (Vocal)	George Michael	Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.	Medium Easy
	Thriller (MakeMusic Soloist)	Erik Morales; Rod Temperton	MakeMusic Inc.	Medium

MakeMusic Cloud is home to the largest interactive and digital sheet music libraries available, with tens of thousands of titles spanning every instrument, ensemble type, skill level, and genre. Each subscription provides access to every title in our unrivaled repertoire library of music from more than 130 different publishers. Get started by generating a quote.

The post November 2023 Repertoire Update appeared first on MakeMusic.

With Sight Reading Studio, available as a standalone subscription and included in MakeMusic Cloud subscriptions, it is easy to generate infinite exercises within parameters that you can specify or select from our preset levels. Once you have set parameters that you like, you can generate a brand new exercise to read with one click, and do so as many times as you’d like to! 

A valuable music classroom tool 

Sight Reading Studio makes sight reading practice during class time a breeze. With a little preparation and a few repetitions, your students will be ready to sight read on the daily. 

Here’s how to generate a template or exercise for sight reading:

When it’s time to sight read in class, establish a routine that works well for you and your students that you can consistently work through. Consider using a student leader to click the generate button between exercises so that you can be walking around the room supporting your students. 

Keep all students engaged by encouraging a group who is not currently reading the exercise to act as sleuths to look for who has the best posture, hand position, engagement, foot tap, or anything else you are focusing on with students. Allow time for them to compliment their peers in between reps to build community.

Finally, celebrate small victories with your students and encourage them to continue to put forth their best efforts daily to get better and better! 

Power sight reading up with available assessment 

Sight Reading Studio also includes our powerful assessment algorithm. You can easily gamify the classroom experience by keeping assessment on during class time (and potentially encouraging a little bit of fun competition). 

The uses for Sight Reading Studio stretch far beyond the classroom —the powerful assessment feature makes it easy for individuals to practice on their own. Even if you do not assign a sight reading score as an assignment, anyone can open a share link, play through your customized score (generate infinite versions of it), and receive instant feedback!

You can easily share your sight reading outline with anyone by clicking Share inside of Sight Reading Studio, and generating a public link. 

Commit to a daily sight reading practice 

Commit to spending a few minutes daily on sight reading and you’ll see fantastic results! Get your students involved and mark off your class sight reading streak on a classroom calendar. Enjoy the pride and confidence boost you’ll see in your students (and their musical improvement, too). Start using Sight Reading Studio to support you in your efforts to support your students!

Get Started Today

The post Sight-Reading Success in Just a Few Minutes Per Day appeared first on MakeMusic.

Being able to look at a brand new piece of music and play it at sight is a pretty amazing skill to have. Just think—what we’re trained as musicians to do is to simultaneously scan and identify various symbols and visual cues, register and process each one (both individually and collectively), and effectively communicate those instructions to other parts of the body to physically produce the correct sounds. Each element of that split-second process requires its own individual development and understanding, spanning everything from pitch, timing, and dynamics, to harmony, rhythm, and technique—all of which are essential to becoming a well-rounded musician and capable sight reader.

Because of this, for most of us, sight reading is a skill that takes time to develop, often improving in the background alongside overall musical ability. Similar to learning to read a book, a student’s musical vocabulary and comprehension requires years of deliberate practice (and patience!), and will naturally grow as time goes on the more they are exposed to new elements of the language.

Why Sight Reading?

It creates confidence

Being able to successfully sight read music on the spot helps musicians measure their ability and overall progress, and affirms that hard work pays off. Plus, strong sight readers gain an edge in auditions and other professional settings.

Stronger foundation in rhythm and pitch

Improving sight reading fluency also improves the ability to quickly interpret rhythmic patterns combined with interval training and pitch matching.

Better ears = stronger accuracy

Being able to hear the music before playing or singing a note is another incredible skill that sight readers develop, also known as audiation. Even if it’s not possible to sing the exact pitches out loud, sight reading helps the ability to feel the rhythm and get the general direction of the melodic notes and harmony just by looking at the music. This improves overall accuracy tremendously because of the ability to anticipate the pitch and rhythm before playing.

It’s fun

Playing the same or similar warm-ups and routine drills can often become monotonous. Being able to pull out any piece and play or sing it can be fun, challenging, and rewarding.

Expanded musical opportunities

Strong sight readers may find additional opportunities to to be of service to other musicians. For example, pianists who sight read well might find themselves accompanying soloists and choirs. They can also play individual parts for rehearsal purposes.

More joy

Musicians who are strong sight readers will find learning new music far less stressful, which can ultimately create more enjoyment and connection with their instrument and encourage long-term playing. 

Tips for Sight Reading Success

While sight reading often improves in the background alongside general musical ability, when it comes to deliberate sight reading practice, there are various ways to ensure success. Inspired by Andy Beck’s blog article, 9 Tips for Sight-Singing Success, here are some practical tips for optimizing sight reading practice:

• Sight read often. Every day, if possible. Without a doubt, practice pays off.
• Isolate rhythms from pitches. These are two different skills, so work them separately before combining.
• Gradually increase the level of difficulty. A logical sequence of concepts is critical.
• Have a methodology and stick to it. Is Kodáy better than numbers? Is count-singing better than Takadimi? Not at all. Any of these systems is effective with consistency.
• Tap a steady beat or pulse, and try not to stop. Even if you make a mistake, keep going.
• Review before you start. Notice the time signature and key; determine the starting note; examine the rhythms, notes, and intervals; identify potential challenges; then “sing” silently to yourself—all before the official start.
• Emphasize independence! Perform solo or with an accompaniment that does not double the part.
• Always look ahead. As a matter of fact, never look back. While you are singing or playing bar three, your eyes (and mind) should be preparing for bar four.
• Don’t forget tone and technique! Make sight reading practice musical—a lack of support or confidence might imply errors.

More Sight Reading Resources:

• Sight Reading Studio
• Sight-Singing Workshop
• S-Cubed Sight-Singing Curriculum in MakeMusic Cloud
• Sound Sight-Reading (Also available in MakeMusic Cloud)
• Sing at First Sight (Also available in MakeMusic Cloud)
• Improve Your Sight Reading! Series
• More

The post The Benefits of Sight Reading: The What, Why, and How appeared first on MakeMusic.

Here are 9 ways that music teachers can use MakeMusic Cloud as a classroom tool:

1. Project music on-screen to demonstrate musical concepts.

One way of using MakeMusic Cloud in the physical classroom is by displaying music on a Smartboard or projector so that all students can view the same piece of music at the same time. Teachers have been known to play exercises on screen while students follow along and count, or hum specific intervals or harmonies. Some teachers also may choose to display an example or line from one of the hundreds of method books available to talk through musical concepts, fingerings, time signatures, dynamics, note values, and much more. 

2. Use MakeMusic Cloud as an accompanist during choir and other rehearsals.

Teachers can also take advantage of MakeMusic Cloud’s professional accompaniment recordings for students to play or sing along with during rehearsals. Whether working with a soloist, a section, or the entire ensemble, teachers can play the accompaniment track, metronome, or individual parts live in class and walk around the room to listen to individual students or sections and provide immediate, in-person feedback. Choir directors may choose to play just the piano accompaniment, or turn on a specific part, while having students of another section sing against it.

3. Display warm-ups, sight reading exercises, or the rhythm of the day.

In a similar manner to displaying lines from methods on a screen, teachers have also utilized MakeMusic Cloud in the classroom by projecting warm-ups, sight reading exercises, or daily rhythms that support the concepts being worked on in a particular rehearsal or class. Students can read or clap together at the beginning of every class or rehearsal prior to the lesson or working on repertoire. 

With plenty of materials to choose from, teachers can generate custom sight reading exercises using Sight Reading Studio, explore MakeMusic Cloud’s rhythm exercises category, select a section from a piece of repertoire, or choose specific exercises from a method book. Additionally, teachers may choose to display their own exercises by importing files or notating directly within Compose.

4. Students can print their individual parts from MakeMusic Cloud for classroom-only use. 

One problem that music teachers often face is when students forget their music at home. Students with a Print add-on can print additional copies of their own individual parts to keep at home and in the classroom, minimizing opportunities for them to forget their sheet music. Students can also use these printed copies to take notes on during rehearsal, then apply their learnings in their at-home practice whether playing from the physical page, or in the Practice app. 

5. Play recordings to model exemplary performances.

So much of music education is about listening! Whether it’s for choir, band, orchestra, or a general music class, students need to listen to exemplary performances of the music they’re learning to help them understand proper phrasing, articulations, dynamics, and tone, so that they can work toward emulating these sounds. Teachers can display different parts on screen, toggling Accompaniment and/or My Part on and off to hear individual parts isolated and/or within the greater context of the arrangement. Music can also be displayed on screen to discuss the form of a piece.

6. Demonstrate practice techniques and how to use the practice tools available in MakeMusic Cloud.

Students are often instructed on how to optimize practice by applying techniques such as slowing the tempo, focusing on specific measures, and repeating sections of music, but with MakeMusic Cloud, teachers can show them. Using the Practice app as a visual aid, teachers can demonstrate how to properly apply the various built-in tools within MakeMusic Cloud to students’ practice, utilizing the metronome to slow the tempo, and the looping feature to focus on the repetition of specific sections of music. Plus, the Increase by __ BPM feature in Loops takes the guesswork out of building speed: students can set a number of beats per minute which will automatically increase their practice speed in each take.

7. Display the tuner on screen and demonstrate tuning tendencies.

Regardless of subscription status, all music students and teachers have access to our public, digital instrument tuner, with a spectrum of green, yellow, and red areas that provide instant visual feedback on pitch accuracy. Transposed instruments can see both the concert pitch and transposed pitch. This tool can be used in a classroom with a microphone to help students visualize tuning tendencies for their instrument. 

8. Use Compose with a Smartboard to teach, explain, and collaborate on compositions.

For lesson topics on composition, teachers can project MakeMusic Cloud’s Compose notation tool on screen and demonstrate composition concepts to the entire classroom, helping to satisfy the Creating National Standard criteria. As a class activity, students can collaborate in creating an original composition, taking turns filling in a blank staff with notes, harmonies, rhythms, dynamics, etc., and then listen to their completed creation, or play along with the music during playback.

9. Upload your own Finale-created files for exercises, auditions, drills, chamber music, etc.

For teachers who prefer to create their own custom arrangements, assignments, and exercises for students, original music notation files can be uploaded into a Content Library and projected on screen for students to collectively see in class to play or follow along with. Content can also be created directly within MakeMusic Cloud, using the built-in Compose music notation tool. The sky’s the limit! 

Conclusion

As schools reopen and teachers make a return to in-person instruction, it is becoming more and more important to have flexible tools readily available that can adapt to both digital and in-person settings. Take advantage of MakeMusic Cloud’s digital and print solutions within the context of the classroom to provide accompaniment, play musical examples, display visuals, assist in student comprehension, improve practice techniques, and much more. 

Need more ideas on how to use MakeMusic Cloud in the classroom? Join our online community and engage with other music educators who are using MakeMusic Cloud and sharing creative teaching solutions with one another.

The post 9 Ways to Use MakeMusic Cloud in Your Classroom appeared first on MakeMusic.

The process of selecting literature for festival and contest performances just got an upgrade. MakeMusic Cloud has a new tool to help simplify your search process—easy access to interactive titles in the platform featured on state lists. Browse the nearly 5,000 titles for concert band, orchestra, choir, jazz ensemble, and solos and ensembles on select state contest lists. Click your state below to begin, and bookmark our state lists tool for future reference.

MakeMusic Cloud simplifies every step, from selecting music to practicing to performing. Explore the extensive music catalog by state to curate an unforgettable musical journey. Power your ensemble’s potential with MakeMusic Cloud.

Is your organization new to MakeMusic Cloud? Request a free 30-day platform trial to learn more.

Request a Trial

Select your state:

Alabama

Arkansas

California

Florida

Georgia

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Lousiana

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Virginia

West Virginia

Wisconsin

The post Power Your Contest and Festival Performances with MakeMusic Cloud appeared first on MakeMusic.

Browse below to discover new favorites among the continuous new repertoire included with your regular subscription. New works for concert band, string orchestra, jazz ensemble, choir, and solos for any instrument or voice are included in this month’s new interactive music ready to assign, practice, and record in MakeMusic Cloud.

Highlights include concert band works by Robert Longfield, Randall D. Standridge, and Jorge L. Vargas; string orchestra works by Cooper Ford, Kathryn Griesinger, and Todd Parrish; and choir publications by Dan Davison, Ola Gjeilo, and Pinkzebra.

Movie and pop highlights include music from Barbie, The Wizard of Oz, Lukas Graham, Michael Jackson, and scary tunes from Dark Shadows, Halloween, IT, The Nun II, and Doctor Sleep.

Click to view this month’s new interactive repertoire in the shareable playlists below.

New Ensemble Repertoire Includes

41 new solos
20 new titles for string orchestra
19 new concert band titles
15 new choir titles
one new jazz ensemble chart

CONCERT BAND
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Spooky Foundations (Concert Band)		Very Easy	Alfred Music
	Blackbeard	Randall D. Standridge	Very Easy	Randall Standridge Music
	Dance of the Crows	Kevin Hilbun	Very Easy	Carl Fischer
	Fanfare	Brian Monroe	Very Easy	LudwigMasters
	For the Crown	Aric Branchfield	Very Easy	LudwigMasters
	The Conquerors	Jeremy S. Martin	Very Easy	LudwigMasters
	Blue Comet	Jorge L. Vargas	Easy	Randall Standridge Music
	Blue Sky Horizon	Randall D. Standridge	Easy	Randall Standridge Music
	Slava March	Randall D. Standridge	Easy	Randall Standridge Music
	Sortofa March	Gary Garner	Easy	Southern Music Company
	Too Much Percussion!	Randall D. Standridge	Easy	Randall Standridge Music
	Warriors of the 16th Empire	Randall D. Standridge	Easy	Randall Standridge Music
	Setting on a Polish Hymn	Jan Gall; Quincy Hilliard	Medium Easy	Southern Music Company
	The True Lover’s Farewell	Stuart O’Neil	Medium	LudwigMasters
	Distant Shore, The	Gene Milford	Medium	Southern Music Company
	Entry of the Acrobats	Kelly Bennette	Medium	LudwigMasters
	Swingin’ on the Moon	Michael Kamuf; Various	Medium	Belwin
	Heart of America	James Barnes	Medium Advanced	Southern Music Company
	Safe Harbor	Robert Longfield	Medium Advanced	LudwigMasters
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	The Thumb	John L. (Wes) Montgomery; Terry White	Easy	Belwin
STRING ORCHESTRA
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Spooky Foundations (String Orchestra)		Very Easy	Alfred Music
	Ascension	Samuel Gelfer	Very Easy	Carl Fischer
	Rockin’ Ol’ St. Nick	Caryn Neidhold; James R. Murray	Very Easy	Carl Fischer
	Wisteria Waltz	Yukiko Nishimura	Very Easy	Carl Fischer
	Bell Carol Tidings!	Deborah Baker Monday; Mykola Leontovych; Traditional; Traditional Sea Shanties	Easy	Carl Fischer
	Academic Festival March	Katie O’Hara LaBrie	Medium Easy	Carl Fischer
	Aquila	Lauren Taylor	Medium Easy	Carl Fischer
	Chinese Folk Song Suite	Anhui Folk Song (Han); Todd Parrish; Yi Chen	Medium Easy	Carl Fischer
	March Triumphant	James O. Lockett	Medium Easy	Carl Fischer
	Sonata in G minor	Domenico Scarlatti; Yukiko Nishimura	Medium Easy	Carl Fischer
	Winter Stars	Kathryn Griesinger	Medium Easy	Carl Fischer
	A Cold Winter’s Night	Erica Donahoe; Traditional	Medium	Carl Fischer
	Amapola	Jose Garcia; Robert Longfield	Medium	Southern Music Company
	Dynamism	Kathryn Griesinger	Medium	Carl Fischer
	Night Blooming Jasmine	Yukiko Nishimura	Medium	Carl Fischer
	Sea of Stars	Liam Ramsey-White	Medium	Carl Fischer
	Sea Squall	Eric B. Davis	Medium	Carl Fischer
	Shadow of Fate (reimagined from Beethoven’s 5th Symphony)	Jeffrey E. Turner; Ludwig van Beethoven	Medium	Carl Fischer
	Star of Emmanuel	Cooper Ford; John Henry Hopkins	Medium	Carl Fischer
	Zephyrus	Todd Parrish	Medium	Carl Fischer
CHOIR
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Can We Sing the Darkness to Light?	Kyle Pederson		GIA Publications
	Cantate Domino SSAA	Josu Elberdin		GIA Publications
	Come, Travel with Me	Scott Farthing		GIA Publications
	Ritmo	Dan Davison		GIA Publications
	Ritmo SA(T)B	Dan Davison		GIA Publications
	Rock-a My Soul	Stacey Gibbs; Traditional Spiritual		GIA Publications
	Sigue	Ivette Herryman Rodriguez		GIA Publications
	The Fox – SA	Blake Richter; Taylor Shaeffer		GIA Publications
	The Ground	Ola Gjeilo		GIA Publications
	Where Your Bare Foot Walks			GIA Publications
	United (2-part)	Pinkzebra	Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	United (SAB)	Pinkzebra	Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	United (SATB)	Pinkzebra	Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	United (SSA)	Pinkzebra	Easy	Pinkzebra Music
	This Christmas (2-part)	Pinkzebra	Medium Easy	Pinkzebra Music
SOLOS
	TITLE	COMPOSER / ARRANGER	LEVEL	PUBLISHER
	Highlights From The Wizard of Oz (MakeMusic Soloist)	Carrie Lane Gruselle; E. Y. Harburg; Harold Arlen		MakeMusic Publications
	Skysplitter Fanfare (MakeMusic Soloist)	Brian Balmages	Beginning	MakeMusic Publications
	The Last Gladiator (MakeMusic Soloist)	Timothy Loest	Beginning	MakeMusic Publications
	On the Horizon (MakeMusic Soloist)	Katie O’Hara LaBrie	Easy	MakeMusic Publications
	Primeval Dance (MakeMusic Soloist)	Brian Balmages	Easy	MakeMusic Publications
	Struck by the Ree (MakeMusic Soloist)	William Owens	Easy	MakeMusic Publications
	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (MakeMusic Soloist)	Carrie Lane Gruselle; Hugh Martin; Ralph Blane	Medium Easy	MakeMusic Publications
	Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (MakeMusic Soloist)	Hugh Martin; Ralph Blane; Ryan Nowlin	Medium	MakeMusic Publications
	Thriller (MakeMusic Soloist)	Rod Temperton; Soon Hee Newbold	Medium Advanced	MakeMusic Publications
	Concertino in C major Part I-III	Friedrich August Kummer		Rubato
	Concertino in D major Op. 15 Part I – III	Ferdinand Kuchler		Rubato
	Concertino in D major Part I – III	Ferdinand Kuchler		Rubato
	Concertino in G major Op. 11 Part I – III	Ferdinand Kuchler		Rubato
	Concerto in G major part I – III	Antonio Vivaldi		Rubato
	Concerto in G minor Part I – III	Antonio Vivaldi		Rubato
	Concerto No. 1, Part I – IV			Rubato
	Petit Concert in B flat major, part I – III	Darius Milhaud		Rubato
	Praeludium and Allegro (in the style of Pugnani) in E minor, Part I – IV	Fritz Kreisler		Rubato
	Sonata in B flat major Allegro, Part I – III	George Frideric Handel		Rubato
	Sonata in B flat major Op. 43 No. 1 Part 1 – 3	Bernhard Romberg		Rubato
	Sonata in E minor, Part III – IV	George Frideric Handel		Rubato
	Sonata in F Major Adagio Part I – V	George Frideric Handel		Rubato
	Sonata in F major Op. 2 No. 12 Part I – V	Benedetto Marcello		Rubato
	Sonata in F Major, Part I – IV	F.M. Veracini		Rubato
	Sonata in G major Op. 1 No. 1, Part I – III	Salvatore Lanzetti		Rubato
	Sonata IV in B flat major Part I – IV	Antonio Vivaldi		Rubato
	Sonata No. 1 in F major part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello		Rubato
	Sonata No. 2 in E minor Part I – IV	Benedetto Marcello		Rubato
	Sonata No. 3 in G major, Part I – V	George Frideric Handel		Rubato
	Sonata No. 6 in D major part I – IV	Attilio Ariosti		Rubato
	Sonata VI in B flat major Part I – IV	Antonio Vivaldi		Rubato
	7 Years (Lukas Graham)	Christopher Brody Brown; David Labrel; Lukas Forchhammer; Morten Pilegaard; Morten Ristorp; Stefan Forrest	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	7 Years (Lukas Graham) (Vocal)	Christopher Brody Brown; David Labrel; Lukas Forchhammer; Morten Pilegaard; Morten Ristorp; Stefan Forrest	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Choose Your Fighter (Ava Max) (from Barbie)	Amanda Koci; Henry Walter; Madison Love; Michael Pollack	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Choose Your Fighter (Ava Max) (from Barbie) (Vocal)	Amanda Koci; Henry Walter; Madison Love; Michael Pollack	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Every 27 Years (from IT)	Benjamin Wallfisch	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	Halloween Theme (from Halloween)	John Carpenter	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	The Nun Too (from The Nun II)	Marco Beltrami	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	The Nun’s Story (from The Nun II)	Marco Beltrami	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	The Overlook (from Doctor Sleep)	The Newton Brothers	Medium Easy	Alfred Music
	We Will End You! (from Dark Shadows)	Danny Elfman		Alfred Music

MakeMusic Cloud is home to the largest interactive and digital sheet music libraries available, with tens of thousands of titles spanning every instrument, ensemble type, skill level, and genre. Each subscription provides access to every title in our unrivaled repertoire library of music from more than 130 different publishers. Get started by generating a quote.

The post October 2023 Repertoire Update appeared first on MakeMusic.

1. Create template from ensemble

In addition to creating a sight reading template for a single instrument, you can also create them for pre-defined or custom ensembles.

The predefined ensembles include common types of band, choir, jazz, and orchestra ensembles. Additionally, for users with a Teacher subscription to MakeMusic Cloud, you can instantly import ensembles from your classes.

2. Save as an exercise

When using Sight Reading Studio, you’re typically creating a template: an outline on what your exercises will look like, based on the settings you select. The actual piece you see on screen will change each time the template is updated, and when your piece is sent out (to a student, for instance) they will see something entirely different (but still based on your settings). 

However, if you see the perfect piece that you absolutely want to practice, or have a student practice, you can save as an exercise rather than a template. When you save as an exercise, the piece will stay exactly the same as you see it on screen. 

3. Create custom rhythmic pattern

Each Preset level includes a variety of rhythmic patterns that vary in difficulty as the level increases. But did you know that you can also create your own custom rhythmic patterns?

In the custom pattern editor, you can craft any rhythm you would like to include in your sight reading music, as long as it fits within a single measure. Simply add the number of notes, select the duration of each note, and choose which presets to apply the pattern to.

4. Change number of repeated pitches and accidentals

In the Ranges settings in the Instruments menu, you can modify the number of repeated pitches and accidentals in an exercise. Simply drag the sliders to change the settings to your desired output.

5. Fine tune your rhythm options

In addition to selecting your time signatures, rhythmic patterns, and tempo settings, Sight Reading Studio provides several additional rhythm options to fine-tune your exercises even further. You can enable syncopation for single note patterns, modify rest settings, set the frequency of ties in and between measures, and more.

6. Add multiple staves of the same instrument

We’ve already covered how you can add multiple instruments to an exercise, but what about when you want multiple instances of one instrument? Not to worry. One of the newest features in Sight Reading Studio enables you to add as many instances of a given instrument as you wish. Simply select “Edit number of instruments” when starting your new sight reading template:

Then, you can edit your desired number of each instrument in the instrument editor.

7. Modify intervals and scale degrees

When creating a sight reading template, you have extensive control of the intervals and scale degrees that appear in the generated music. You can select all or remove the intervals that you would like to have appear, set the maximum interval following intervals of a specified width, and choose which scale degrees will be used. Please note that you are not currently able to disable intervals of a unison, 2nd, and 3rd. This ensures that Sight Reading Studio always generates music that sounds like real music.

8. Share your template or exercise

For Sight Reading Studio users that also have a Teacher subscription to MakeMusic Cloud, you can easily assign your sight reading templates to your students using the Assign feature. However, if you do not have a MakeMusic Cloud subscription, or you simply want to send your template to another person, you can do so using the Share feature.

When you share your music, you will be able to send either a template or an exercise (see tip #2 for more information on the difference) to anyone via a shareable public link. 

9. Display fingerings in Practice

Opening your sight reading template in the Practice app offers a whole new dimension to your Sight Reading Studio experience. Here, you will receive real-time feedback as you perform the sight reading exercises. Green and red notes display where you’re playing correctly and where you could improve, respectively.

In addition to helpful practice features like a built-in tuner and metronome, there is also a lesser-known feature that can help improve your practice – fingering diagrams for each note. When you highlight a note in the Practice app, two buttons appear underneath: one to display the fingering(s) for a given instrument, and the other will play the selected note.

These are just a few of the features that make Sight Reading Studio such a powerful tool for music practice. In the coming months, we will be adding even more to Sight Reading Studio, including classroom/ensemble display mode, harmony and improved musicality controls, and the ability to create and save custom ensembles.

If you’re not yet a user, you can start your subscription today for just $19.99 per year!

Get Started Today

The post Top 9 Sight Reading Studio Tips appeared first on MakeMusic.

Sight Reading Studio makes it incredibly easy to generate unlimited sight reading exercises, but that’s only half of the true impact of this app. Sight Reading Studio is the only sight reading application that can not only generate music, but also assess your performance of the music in real time, empowering you or your students to level up their sight reading game. Start practicing by clicking “Practice Your Template” to open your music in the Practice app:

Red and green notes appear in real time as you play along with your sight reading exercise, giving you instant feedback on what you’re playing well, and what you could improve on. When you complete an exercise, you’ll receive a score based on how well you played, turning your practice sessions into a fun and interactive musical experience.

Here’s how to practice your sight reading materials with Sight Reading Studio:

In the classroom, Sight Reading Studio is a great tool to prepare for an upcoming festival or AP exam. It also contributes to that ever-elusive educator’s goal – active and engaged learning – by generating music for full ensembles and enabling sight reading practice for the entire class. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Practice app separate from Sight Reading Studio?

Yes, the Practice app is an additional application that is included with your Sight Reading Studio subscription. When you begin practicing your sight reading template, you will be directed to the Practice app.

Here, practice is not limited to just sight reading exercises. You can open any music in the Practice app and receive real-time feedback as you play. What’s unique about opening sight reading exercises in the Practice app is that the template is maintained from Sight Reading Studio, allowing you to generate new pieces of music from the same settings.

Why does the music change when I open it in the Practice app?

When creating music for sight reading in Sight Reading Studio, you are typically creating a template. This template serves as an outline on what your exercise will look like when you open it in the Practice app. Once you open a template in the Practice app, you will have an unlimited number of exercises to practice based on your settings. Click “Generate New” to generate new pieces of music based on your template.

Can I assign sight reading exercises to my students and receive their scores?

Yes, with a MakeMusic Cloud Teacher subscription, you can assign the templates you create to your students with just a few clicks. Once they complete the assignment, you’ll receive their score.

What if I don’t have a Teacher subscription? Can I still share my sight reading templates?

No problem. Rather than using the Assign feature to send your music, everyone has access to the Share feature in Sight Reading Studio. This feature generates a unique URL that will enable anyone to open your sight reading template or exercise in the Practice app, even if they don’t have a MakeMusic Cloud account.

Get Started Today

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