Higher Ed

The NAMM Foundation provides resource lists, blog articles, virtual events, webinars, and more for both parents and educators. NAMM is a nonprofit organization with a goal of promoting music education for students of all levels and abilities. The website provides help on distance learning from ways to create virtual ensembles to helpful classroom tips.

Price: Always Free

Link: NAMM Foundation

This program makes music fun with scaffolded games that teach basic music concepts like theory, note reading, and ear training. Teachers can assign games and monitor progress directly from the app or website. There is also an option for parents to search for virtual private lesson teachers.

Price: Free

Link: Tunelark

Mixxx is software perfect for secondary technology and general music classes. Teachers can utilize Mixxx to create and perform live mixes with digital music files. Students can upload several songs to the software, then mix them into their own compositions. Students mix on a  turntable simulator and add exciting visuals elements.

Price: Free always

Mixxx

This facebook group provides a space for higher education studio teachers to share work. Teachers discuss strategies, successes, failures, platforms, lesson plans, etc. It is open to all high ed studio teachers.

Price: Free Always

Link: Higher Ed Music Lessons Facebook Group

This resource is ideal for general music educators looking for help on how to transition their instruction to online learning. This video “workshop” is free to sign-up for (must provide name and email), and the instructor talks through a PowerPoint presentation about transitioning one’s music classroom to an online medium.

Price: Free always

Link: 4 Simple Steps to Taking Your Music Class Online

This resource is great for both general music & music tech classrooms of all ages. This is a self-contained lesson and only requires speaking in rhythm. Teachers might use it early in the year as an “icebreaker” activity. The project allows for the use of applications/softwares to create a rhythmic accompaniment. The rapping portion allows some creativity, but also provides structure in creating rhythms.

Price: Free always

Link: “Rap My Name” Lesson Plan

This video tutorial is perfect for secondary students to work on their intonation and air usage. Students will need a device to play the YouTube video, their major instrument, and a device to use as a drone. The video is only 8 minutes long, but students can practice something like this for an extended period of time, or add it to their daily warm-up routine. Intonation drills are something that build upon many different focus areas, especially for brass players!

Price: Free always

Link: Target Note Intonation Drill

This is an ideal resource for keyboard or piano teachers looking for online learning resources. This app is designed for building successful sight-reading skills on piano, including different exercises to build skills without the presence of a teacher. The provided lessons and supplemental books work on memory, speed, accuracy, tempo, and continuity.

Price: Free always (Four supplemental books for $14.99 each)

Link: Read Ahead App

This resource is ideal for educators who want help to be more culturally inclusive. An educator can get access to resources such as support in lesson planning, downloadable content, live Q&A sessions, and a monthly Newslette. The Patreon includes four different levels with varying degrees of resources.

Price: Monthly membership fee of $1, $5, $10, or $20

Link: Culturally Responsive Resources for Music Educators

This Google Sheets provides descriptions of apps perfect for enriching your virtual music education and choral classroom. It includes well-known resources such as Zoom and Audacity, as well as hidden gems such as Join the Virtual Choir. The sheet also includes video links to educational “things to watch” and “assessment ideas” prompts pertaining to music education.

Price: Free always

Link: Distance Learning for Choir-intine

This YouTube page is dedicated to teaching vocal pedagogy and technique. Featuring numerous playlists on topics such as breathing, vocal anatomy, vowels and consonants, and elements of stylistic performance, this page is perfect for choir teachers looking for supplemental video materials in a range of concepts. It is also valuable for singers looking to maintain their vocal practice during a period of online learning. All lessons are led by Justin Stoney, an credibly acclaimed voice teacher based in New York City.

Price: Free always (Optional $4.99/month subscription to access exclusive perks)

Link: New York Vocal Coaching Playlists

Teachers can use this resource as a  Soundtrap-based lesson plan database. Soundtrap is a website designed for incorporating electronic music and recording projects into the classroom. This resource provides an extensive amount of lesson plans for all grades. The lesson plans focus on general music and satisfy National Core Arts Standards. Each lesson plan provides objectives, the level it is best suited for, a detailed explanation of the activity/project, and extended learning goals.

Price: Free during COVID-19 (Soundtrap subscription normally $249/year for 50 users)

Link: Lesson Plans To Inspire Your Classroom Activities

Quadio Media is an Instagram account where college musicians can post/ upload their own songs, arrangements, etc. One simply needs a college email address to upload and post songs/arrangements. This is a wonderful place for college musicians to connect with one another!

Price: Always Free

Link: Quadio Media

This resource is ideal for secondary music teachers looking for a composition medium for online learning. The Acapella App is a great way to have students collaborate and create music together. Students can put together a song with multiple voices either by themselves or with their peers. Note: Students must be 16 years old to create an account and everything students create is public for everyone on the app.

Price: Free Always with Paid Upgrades Available

Link: Acapella App

Soundtrap is a website/app that allows students to make electronic music both individually and through collaboration. With music production activities for all grades and levels, students can easily combine tracks, create loops, and record themselves to create an impressive final product. By downloading projects on Soundtrap as MP3s, students can submit final products to numerous online educational platforms.

Price: Free Always with upgrades available

Link: Soundtrap

Sight Reading Factory is perfect for teachers of ensembles who are looking to assess individual student sight reading. Teachers can customize online sight reading exercises as a practice and assessment tool. The program is compatible with Chrome, iPhones, Android smartphones, iPads and Android tablets, laptops, and desktops.

Price: Free Trial then $35/year plus student account fees

Link: Sight Reading Factory

“Appcompanist” is perfect for teachers or students to gain access to thousands of free piano accompaniment tracks. The website provides users with the ability to adjust rubato, accents, and smoothly increase or decrease tempo as the piece plays without affecting piano quality. One can adjust Accompaniment to any key or turn it into a repeated exercise. Create and edit playlists to easily find your “go-to” repertoire and share it with others.

Price: Free with upgrades available

Link: Appcompanist

This resource helps choral teachers develop listening units for students in beginning, advanced, and/or collegiate methods or choirs. Based around the state festival system, students will think critically about their own music and the process of evaluation. The unit is adaptable for distance learning, homework, or in-class projects. The PDF download includes editable student worksheets for multiple levels of learners.

Price: Free during COVID-19

Link: ChoirEval_Final

Learn Movable Do | Solfege Flashcards! is a solfege quiz game on the free site music-theory-practice.com. The player picks the correct solfege syllable for the note on the staff, and the key is given on the card. Wrong answers and corrections are displayed if you scroll down the page. You can work through four levels, from Apprentice to Wizard, with a timed quiz at the end. This would be entertaining practice for vocal students or theory students.

Price: Always Free

Link: Solfege Flashcards

This resource is perfect for collegiate professors looking for aural skills resources during a period of online learning. This resource was created by Dr. Julia Alford at Temple University. She has made her Aural Skills classroom syllabus for online learning available – specifically for those teaching beginning level aural skills.

Price: Always Free

Link: Theory/Aurals Review

This is ideal for secondary and post-secondary educators looking for music history-related online resources. This source includes great resources for every era of music history directly from the American Musicological Society Pedagogy Group. Resources include assignments, activities, handouts, syllabi, digital music reserves, blogs, and online journals, and more.

Price: Free Always

Link: Teaching Music History

A constantly updating Google Doc with a myriad of resources for K-12 general music/choir teachers looking for additional resources and lessons for use with online instruction. The Doc features nearly 100 resources for lesson plans, worksheets, and assignments; advice on effective online learning practices; videos and demos; blogs and websites; concerns and questions; and contact information for others in the music education world that can also serve as valuable resources to other educators.

Price: Free always

Link: The Big COVID Survival Choral Doc

Students who may be practicing on their own for the first time can utilize this Google Doc, which gives tips and techniques on how to practice effectively. The tips include having supplies nearby, starting with a warm-up, have a goal, etc. This list can also serve to help those who are already advanced to improve their practice sessions. The Doc is open to edit and be added to.

Price: Free always

Link: Strategies for Effective Practice Time

Ideal for students who may be practicing on their own for the first time, this Google Doc gives tips and techniques on how to practice effectively. Tips include having supplies nearby, starting with a warm-up, have a goal, etc. This list can also serve to help those who are already advanced to improve their practice sessions. The Doc is open to edit and be added to.

Price: Free always

Link: Strategies for Effective Practice Time