In general, learning music is very hands-on, but of course, technology can and should enhance the learning and teaching experience for teachers, students, and parents. With the right online music education tools, education has no limits! The tools that we’re going to mention are great for both teachers and students when it comes to assigning work, completing tasks, and everything else in the middle.
Online Conferences
The InspirED Music Expo is the ultimate online music education tool for all music teachers, no matter if you're just getting started in your teaching, an experienced teacher, or a veteran. We'll have tracks and information for you! The topics that will be covered in the expo include Innovation, Connectivity, and Empowerment.
The first track - Innovation - is for educators looking to innovate instruction in private lessons, small group instruction, and full-sized classes. New instructional practices, or new variations on old techniques, all scaled for music educators regardless of group size. The second track - Connectivity - is centered around the role of technology in our lives as music educators. Our ability to connect with students, curriculum, community, and music through technology is constantly increasing. The third track - Empowerment - focuses on ways to empower music educators to meet the social and emotional needs of their students in the classroom.
Headspace
Headspace is a great tool for mindfulness and meditation when school and practice get too demanding at times. This platform is a great tool for both teachers and students, alike. Did you know that there are meditation techniques that are unique for kids, anger, relaxation, focusing, and more?
There are times as a musician when you may get upset and fed up with the piece that you’re practicing and need to take a few minutes away to collect your thoughts and calm down. Spending a few minutes each day, no matter if it’s in the morning, afternoon, or evening is great to relax and collect your thoughts. When the time is right you can go back to practicing the piece and you’ll be amazed at what a difference relaxing and collecting your thoughts can do.
Headspace offers various subscription plans.
BlackBoard
Blackboard is a learning management tool that helps connect teachers and their students when it comes to assignments. It’s best to set up your classroom’s blackboard at the beginning of the semester with all the required practice assignments, youtube links that students will need to watch or use for help, PDF’s of the scores that they will need to practice at home, and so on. From the teacher’s point of view, it keeps their semester organized and set up, plus it’s always possible to adjust assignments and remove them. From the student’s point of view, all the materials for the semester are easily available.
Blackboard does offer prices for schools and organizations.
Tonara
Tonara's online music education tool is the go-to music education app for both teachers and their students. Teachers get business management tools that help them manage their studio and motivate their students to practice more in-between lessons. While students get a gamified experience the app making their practice more fun and enjoyable.
Some of the features that teachers get include a lesson plan module, sending smart assignment or pulling from a pre-created repertoire, calendar, payment & invoice, and more!
Students get to enjoy rewards the more they practice including receiving points and earning a spot on the leaderboard, unlocking stickers, reaching higher XP levels, and more!
It’s the perfect all-inclusive app that offers solutions for all parties to make those in-between lessons more manageable and fun!
Tonara has a 30-day free trial with various subscription plans.
TED
TED is the perfect video learning tool for teachers and students on an individual level as well as a classroom setting. TED offers videos on a variety of topics including, technology, education, communication, conducting, goal-setting, and much more! On the teacher’s side, TED is great to find inspiration for the classroom and lessons, personal use for your own inspirational teaching moments, and also a way for you to learn more about either a specific topic or on dealing with certain situations with students, no matter what they may be. On the student’s side, TED is great to also learn more about new subjects, gain motivation and inspiration when feeling down, and gain more inside knowledge on the topic that’s being studied. In general, teachers can use TED videos during class sections or assign them for the students to watch while at home.
TED videos are free to access.
KwizzBit
KwizzBit is a fun and interactive quiz platform that allows teachers to make taking quizzes more fun for their students while still being educational. Each quiz can be custom made for the topic or genre being studied. For the teacher, you’re able to track all the answers, right and wrong, and for which kids. The results are sent to you instantly.
KwizzBit costs about $24.47 a week.
Google Drive
Google Drive, which is only available for Google users, is a great tool to stay organized for both teachers and students. Although in this case, we will focus more on the benefit of teachers. As a teacher, you have a lot of materials that need to stay in order for the semester. No matter if it’s quizzes, PDFs of scores, class attendance sheets, or any other materials that are relevant for class can be stored and organized in Google Drive. To take it one step further, each class can have its’ own folder with the relevant materials, and that way nothing will get misplaced or lost.
Google Drive is a free tool.
Google Classroom
Google Classroom, also only available for Google users, is perfect for teachers to create online classrooms, send assignments, give grades and feedback, and more. Google Classroom is a great management tool to keep the classroom organized and flowing nicely so the semester continues moving forward. With an easy-to-use system that is accessible anywhere via all devices, teachers can simply share documents with their students. Students can then either work on the document together or individually. All-in-all it gives teachers and students to connect with one another at any time to create the most efficient classroom experience.
Google Classroom is a free tool.
Slack
Slack is a very convenient online music education tool for teachers and students to communicate with one another. With this tool, teachers can create groups with all their classes set up so everyone can communicate with one another, and more importantly, the teacher can communicate easily with the students. Even more so, students can communicate with one another to collaborate on pieces they are working on together and more.
Slack offers free and paid services depending on what is required.
Quora
If you or your students are looking for the platform where all questions and answers are handled you can find it on Quora. Whether they’re questions about music theory, specific pieces, or instruments, it can all be found on Quora. Or if teachers and students are looking to answer questions they can also browse the questions that have been asked and weigh in on the answers!
Quora is a free tool for everyone.
Music class doesn’t only need to involve playing instruments and preparing the pieces for concerts. The class can consist of communicating with fellow classmates and the teacher for help or collaboration on pieces. No matter what is being done in class, it’s crucial for both teachers and students to have the tools that they need to succeed!