The iPad As A Sheet Music Reader: A Guide

A number of apps have been released to read music on the iPad.  There are four main categories these apps fall into, as far as I can see:

1. Apps that read (and recognize) your music.

2. Apps that read everything.

3. Apps that allow paid downloading from a single source

4. Apps that display music included with the app

Here’s a breakdown of some of the apps that fall in each category, as well as some features of each.

Apps that read your music:

MusicReader (free, $59 or $99 Mac or PC version required) – A comprehensive music reading app, which recognizes measures and displays on the iPad in either full or half page (landscape) modes.  All kinds of image files are supported by the program, not just PDF’s.  Annotation and playlist support are inlcuded, and the app has been updated several times, showing an active development team.  The iTunes description boasts integrating with an available music stand and an upcoming foot pedal.

Apps that read everything:

Forscore ($4.99) – A music centered app that reads PDF’s.  It doesn’t recognize the music on the page, but instead adds a metronome, the ability to create playlists, and tools to annotate your music.

Good Reader ($.99) – While not a music reader specifically, Good Reader reads PDF, TXT, and all Microsoft Office and iWork formats, plus more.  Good Reader can use USB file transfer or link over WiFi to a computer or Mobile Me account.  Good Reader does not support annotating, but is a simple viewer and cataloger of PDF files, music included.

Unreal Book ($4.99): This app features many of the reading capabilities of apps like Good Reader, but adds the capability to bookmark as well as iTunes library playback controls in-app.

Apps that allow paid downloading from a single source:

MusicNotes Sheet Music Reader (Free) – This app only syncs proprietary files downloaded from Musicnotes.com.  It offers annotation, a metronome, and bookmarking.  Ironically, this app’s biggest limitation – only reading music purchased from Musicnotes – is also it’s greatest  strength: it’s legal, folks.  While I’d argue a single copy of sheet music you own being used on your iPad is within Copyright fair use, putting the music on a classroom full of iPads is a gray area, even if you own 40 physical copies.  With purchases from Musicnotes, using them on the iPad is part of the license, even if using it on 40 might not be.

Apps that display music included with the app:

iReal Book ($7.99): 900 standard charts are included with this app, which is designed to run on both the iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch.  While it doesn’t include lyrics, it does show changes, with the ability to alter the chords shown, and to change the key of the piece.  The app promises one-page charts for all songs, so the player can keep his hands on the keyboard.

One more thing:

If you’re looking into using an iPad to read your music, you may need to transfer your files to the PDF format.  In my case, I’ve been scanning music into my computer in TIFF format for optical character recognition (OCR) using SmartScore for years.  If you have files in any graphics format you’d like to convert to PDF, I recommend the Mac program Graphic Converter ($34.95, functioning demo available).  It includes a batch converter that can read a series of nested folders (like I have) and make every appropriate file into a PDF.  I converted about 250 choral octavos into PDF in a few minutes, uploaded them to my iPad via Mobile Me, and brought them into Good Reader, and now I have an entire choral library at my fingertips!

If you’ve used an iPad music reading software you feel deserves mention – post your comments below!

Updated: How Many iPads Can I Sync With A Single iTunes User Account?

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article that concluded, with information from the iTunes End User Agreement, that 5 iPads could sync with a single iTunes account.  It turns out I was mistaken: an iTunes user account can be used on up to 5 computers.  However, any one of those computers can sync with as many iPads as you like.  This information comes from commenter Cindy Buchannan, whose response to my first post I’ll quote here:

“I worked for Apple for 3 1/2 years and left to come back to teaching last August. This was a very common question asked both by consumers and educators. You can sync your ipod content to as many devices as you would like – all from one library. You may authorize that content in the library on up to 5 authorized computers – meaning you may copy a library’s content and have it on up to 5 computers. OPTION 1) I can have one library – sync to 40 ipods or ipads (or more). OPTION 2) I can purchase songs, apps, video, whatever – and legally authorize that content to be on 5 computers (5 libraries). I would do the second option if perhaps I want content on my imac and also my macbook. Generally to make things easy, people keep one library – sync all ipods in the house or classroom to that one central library. Also to address another common question – you can sync multiple devices at once on a mac. Windows users – one at a time, as windows does not support multi-device syncing. Same rules as far as syncing multiple ipods of course – just not all at the same time on PC’s.
Hope this helps clarify – and even better news to save money in a school. Apple’s still making their money on the devices – no worries! Definitely back up your school’s library on an external drive – having all the content on one computer is a risk. If the computer that has the library gets upgraded or replaced – be sure to DE-AUTHORIZE after transferring the library to the new computer in order to preserve one of the “5 lives of authorization. Further explanation can be found in itunes.”

So… Instead of spending $1918 for the 5 software purchases I blogged about before, the cost is a single purchase of $47.95.  If the cost of software licensing has ever been an obstacle for technology in your classroom, the iTunes App Store is the solution!

Thanks to Cindy for clarifying this issue.  Those of you considering implementing a lab of iPads in your classroom, this might be a major argument you can use when considering costs versus using netbooks or laptops.

Please visit our new site: ipmep.org

Greetings,

I’ve been away from posting for the last week, as I work to make the transition from our wordpress hosted site to our new site at http://www.ipmep.org.  Please adjust your bookmarks and RSS feeds; and post your comments at the new site!

Cheers,

Dave

Practical Facts About the iPad in the Classroom

Last week, I purchased a 32GB Wi-Fi iPad to my great delight.  Since then, it’s become my go-to device for casual Web browsing, E-mailing, and the occasional game.  I’ve spent lots of time surfing the App store, reminding me of two years ago when I first purchased my iPhone 3G.  In my first week of using Apple’s new device, I’ve come to some conclusions relevant to using the iPad in classrooms.

First, the battery life is stellar.  My family can use the iPad on and off for an entire day, from 6am until 10 at night, and still have had no less than 35% battery life remaining.  I have no doubt the iPad will last for an entire school day (maybe two) on a single charge.

Second, the interface is child-simple.  I have two kids, a daughter aged 4.5 and a son who is 21 months old.  I synced the iPad with my computer, and transferred most of my iPhone apps with the iPad.  This included games such as Uno and Peggle.  I also downloaded Doodle Buddy, a free drawing program and Super Why!, a PBS Kids game.  My daughter, a pre-reader (recognizing letters and numbers but not most words), was immediately able to grasp the interface, and within a few minutes could play and switch between  Uno and Peggle by herself.  She made many drawings and saved them to the iPhoto library with ease.  Even my son, who saw us playing, has learned to press the home button and swipe the unlock slider!  I have no doubt that any student will be able to operate the interface easily.

My Daughter's Doodle Buddy drawing of "Mommy"

Third, this thing is FAST.  Apple’s done a great job of keeping the OS streamlined and optimized for its custom processor.  Launching apps, returning to the home screen, browsing the Internet, checking email, downloading apps, scrolling, everything responds instantly and accurately to the touch.  Kids will be able to spend their time using the iPad working, not waiting for apps to load.

Fourth, syncing an iPad is easy, until I imagine syncing 40 of them.  Plugging the iPad into my computer, it quickly syncs programs and data, music and photos, just as I expected having used an iPod and iPhone.  Unfortunately, Apple has not announced any kind of lab-management tools with their iPhone OS 4.  While it’s certainly not too late for Apple to recognize the value of the education market and release an Apple Remote Desktop-like solution, there has been no indication of any plans so far.  The silver lining of the current situation is the fact that Apple’s license allows 5 devices to sync with a single software purchase, but for many iPad lab managers, the ease of use of a remote management system likely overshadows the cost savings.

Finally, there are tons of music apps, but none ideal for the classroom setting… Yet. I’ve downloaded the music game Magic Piano, which is fun, but not a composition or performance tool of much depth.  Drum simulators Beatwave and PatternMusic have more potential for creating music, but they’re not really serious composition tools.  I’ve downloaded the free piano/organ/rhodes/etc. keyboard app ProKeys, and I was even able to plug into a guitar amp and play some organ licks with my band when our keyboard player was stuck in Paris last week.  Of course, this app is only useful if you have some piano skill to begin with.  I’ve downloaded Karajan Pro, a $9.99 “Music and Ear Trainer” which is really more of a testing app than a teaching app.  For an inexperienced musician, this might help in checking memorization of key signatures and basic intervals, but again, it’s only really useful for testing.  I’m still on the lookout for more comprehensive solutions for theory and eartraining instruction.  If you’ve found the killer music app, please leave a comment recommending what I should check out!

How Many iPads Can I Sync With A Single iTunes Account?

EDIT: Be sure to see my updated post on this subject:

Updated: How Many iPads Can I Sync With A Single iTunes User Account?

Great Question!  (Thanks)  Let’s imagine a scenario:

I’ve purchased 40 iPads for my classroom, and as I prepare to introduce them to my students and begin using them in regular instruction, I need to choose apps that will support my instruction and get copies on each of the 40 iPads.  For the sake of argument, let’s use the apps I mentioned in my last post:

Pianist Pro $9.99

Mozart HD $9.99

Nota HD $7.99

Pitch Primer $9.99

Pages $9.99

TOTAL $47.95

If I want to create an iTunes account on each iPad and download each app separately, this will cost me a total of $1,918.   Not to mention, creating an account on each iPad will take a great amount of time, and I’ll have to sync each iPad to a computer separately to back up my data and ensure the safety of my purchased apps in case of any problems which erase my iPad’s memory.

This brings me to the question raised in the title of this article: How many iPads can I sync with a single iTunes account?

Simply, If I can sync all 40 with a single iTunes account, I can download each app once, on my computer, and then sync each of the 40 iPads with my computer.  A slow process, to be sure, assuming I can only do one (or maybe two) at a time, but certainly a money saver.  You see, in the research I’ve done so far, there are conflicting reports of  how many iPods (and thus iPads) one can sync with a single iTunes account.

According to this Apple Support Article regarding downloaded iTunes videos:

“You can authorize up to five computers to play purchased videos, and you can sync the video to as many iPods as you like”

This might be the case for apps as well, as seen in this iPad syncing Apple discussion, and in the iLounge forums.

The definitive answer may be found in the iTunes App Store Terms and Conditions:

“9. (iii) You shall be able to store Products on five iTunes-authorized devices at any time.”

So, with this information, it seems to maintain a lab of 40 iPads, I will need to establish 8 separate iTunes accounts, and purchase each app 8 times, one for each account.  This means to load the above apps on 40 iPads will cost a total of $383.60.   Lets see those numbers again: $1918 vs $383.60.  That’s a huge pile of money my school is saving and developers (and Apple) aren’t getting.  And it’s possible that the license agreement isn’t enforced by iTunes, but is simply a legal limit, making syncing more than 5 iPads possible.

Let’s make this clear: I’m not complaining!  However, I can’t imagine Apple letting all that money slip through their fingers.  Maybe the iPhone OS 4.0 announcement scheduled for April 8th will address lab-pack purchases, but in the mean time, this really is a great discount for schools.

One more thing: When evaluating app purchases and their per-iPad cost, the rule seems to be “Divide by 5.”  Until the user agreement changes, that is.

Teaching ALL the National Standards: an iPad App Roundup

A year ago, I attended a conference keynoted by Bennett Reimer, the author of 3 editions of “A Philosophy of Music Education.”  If you are a music educator trained in the last 30 years, chances are pretty good that you read this book as part of your undergraduate study.  In his address, Bennett spoke about the nine National Standards for Music Education:

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.
3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.
5. Reading and notating music.
6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.
8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

Bennet made the assertion, backed up by formal polls of music educators (and an informal poll of the conference attendees), that most performance class (choir, band, orchestra) music teachers are focused almost exclusively on standards 1 or 2 and 5.  The other standards are ‘left behind’ in favor of preparing music for the next concert.  Despite my music education degrees and years of experience, I had to acknowledge that I certainly devote the vast majority of my classroom time to standards 1 and 5.

One of my goals for the iPMEP is to make the other standards a more prominent part of my classroom instruction, using the iPad’s technology to facilitate them in an interesting and relevant way.  So now, I am searching for apps to best help make these goals more achievable.

Let’s go through the standards, and see what kinds of apps might be best for making them part of my classroom instruction.  Because most music teachers do them most and (hopefully) best, I’ll skip #1 and #2.

3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.
4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

Because they’re related, I’ll group number 3 and 4 together.  For composition, an obvious choice is a loop-based music creation tool, akin to Apple’s Garageband, available for Macintosh computers, but not yet for the iPad.  I’ve had the chance to play with one loop-based recorder on an iPad, Pianist Pro.  This app uses a piano keyboard, with several piano-organ sounds, and a simple drum machine.  Students can record one part (such as a bass line) and then multi-track several more parts while listening to what has been recorded.  Students could easily record a 4-part chorale or be given the pattern for a simple blues bass line, and then improvise a solo using the included pentatonic scale mode.

Pianist Pro Play and Record Mode

Pianist Pro Pentatonic Mode

I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until we see a glut of music composition software for the iPad.  Pianist Pro might be great for kids after some experience with the piano, but for an introductory composition experience, I’d like to see more graphical, drag-and-drop composition software.

5. Reading and notating music.

The App store already has quite a few apps which address this goal, although none I’ve seen that follow a step-by-step approach needed for comprehensive theory and eartraining.  A new entry is Mozart HD,  an app designed for helping users to read in the 12 major and minor keys.

Mozart HD

Another music theory program that has a good track record on the iPhone/iPod Touch is Nota HD, now for the iPad.  Nota offers piano training, as well as quizzing on basic theory.  The  developers of Nota seem to be dilligent in upgrading the software frequently, and may be responsive to educators who wish to use the software in their classrooms.

Nota HD

6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
7. Evaluating music and music performances.

Here’s another place I think the iPad could really shine as an instructional tool.  An obvious use of the iPod software built into the iPad as a way for students to listen to recordings, and keeping a diary in a text editor like Pages.  Students could use headphones for a more enveloping experience of the music they’re evaluating, which could be served from a teacher computer’s iTunes library.

In addition to analyzing existing recordings, I’d like to use the iPad to allow students to analyze their own performances, visually evaluating their pitch accuracy.  Using software such as Pitch Primer to record their own voices (using an iPhone headphone/mic headset) while singing with the choir, and then going back and listening to their own voices while studying the pitch information shown on the screen could provide valuable, concrete feedback about the pitch aspect of their performance.

Pitch Primer

8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.
9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

On these last two points, the web capability of the iPad is most useful.  Apps such as Brighthouse Labs’ “History of Music Study Guide” (I can’t find a direct link, so fire up iTunes to see this app) offers information on history, art, and culture, although it may be more useful as a college student’s companion to NAWM than to the average middle school music student.  Resources such as Wikipedia can be browsed with various apps rather than via Safari, which helps constrain searches to only the information available there, rather than the whole, wild web.

Okay, now here’s your chance.  These are only a few of the apps that are available, and there’s no way I could possibly review or catalog them all.  What apps have you used?  Do you have a favorite piano app or theory app?  Have you read news about the major music textbook or software publishers preparing iPad software for music education instruction?  I could really use some help from like-minded music educators out there… So post away, and thanks!

Teaching Piano on the iPad

As the iPad’s launch nears, more app developers are beginning to preview their work, in the hopes of hitting the’gold rush’ of initial iPad software offerings.  One developer, MooCowMusic, has released screenshots of their Pianist Pro app.  Pianist Pro is a version of their Pianist app, already available for the iPhone/iPod Touch.  The app enables many features for recording and composing, as well as beautiful graphics with life-size keys on the iPad screen.  Check out a preview of Pianist Pro here.  Know of a better piano app?  Let us know about it in the comments.

Will Apple Offer Educational Pricing on the iPad? My Best Guess is “Not Yet.”

Today, Apple announced it would begin taking pre-orders for the Wi-Fi
enabled version of the iPad starting next Friday, March 12th. The Wi-Fi
only iPad will be available to consumers on April 3rd, and the 3G
enabled iPads will ship later that month. The Wi-Fi iPad is the most
likely seller in the education market, as the 3G option (with its $15 or
$30 optional per-month internet “everywhere” fee) is unlikely to appeal
to institutions who already have widespread Wi-Fi coverage.

The big question for me is whether the iPad will be sold at an
educational price. Research has shown that Apple stands to make a
significant profit from each iPad sold, with some estimating that the
16GB Wi-Fi version, retailing for $499 costs about $230 to produce.
This leaves plenty of room for profiting from a discounted iPad sold to
schools and universities, especially in volume purchases. Current
academic pricing for Apple computers typically discounts MacBooks and
iMacs $100 off of retail. If any discount is given to education markets
for the iPad, I’d be willing to guess that $50 is as deep as Apple is
likely to cut.

This is, of course, speculation, but I predict that for launch, no
discount will be given to the education market. However, if the iPad
fails to gain traction in replacing educational netbook purchases, look
for Apple to start bringing the price down this summer, in to boost
school orders preceding the beginning of the 2010-11 school year.

UPDATE: The iPad pre-order went live on March 12, and, as predicted, the educational pricing for both individuals and institutions is not discounted from retail.  Time will tell if volume education sales will offer discounts.  I suspect iPad lab packs will sell starting this summer.

UPDATE 2: The Apple Store for Education Institutions is now offering 10-packs of the iPad, in each of the 6 varieties.  They are offering a $20/pad discount when purchasing in 10-packs.

Music Reader for the iPad

Music Reader on the iPad

I’ve blogged about an ideal music reading software.  Music Reader is a program that exists for Mac, PC, and Tablet PC’s, and it looks like they’re preparing an iPad version. They are asking for musicians to complete a short survey about features they find important in the software, and you can sign up to be notified on its release.  While it’s not my ideal, it looks like a good program, with PDF importing and built in recording/playback in-app.  Sign up to be notified on its release here.

The iPad Possibilities Podcast

Listen to some great ideas about using the iPad in a music education setting here.  Some great links to discussions and articles about the iPad and music are included.