Best Apps for Teaching Piano ON the Bench
Before I get started, let me address a question that comes up over and over again.
Why don’t I write about and use android apps?
Android sales outnumber iOS sales 3 to 1 globally so you’d think that there’d be tons of apps that would be useful for teaching piano. Unfortunately, this is not the case. A paragraph from this post explains the dilemma that app developers face:
Apple is famously strict (some would say too strict) about what apps it allows, while Google’s standards for Android are lax. While Apple's control may seem too tight, it also prevents situations like the one where a fake version of WhatsApp was published on Google Play and downloaded by 1 million people before it was removed. That's a major potential security threat.
Beyond that, some developers have complained about the difficulty of developing for so many different phones. Fragmentation — the large numbers of devices and OS versions to support — makes developing for Android expensive. For example, the developers of Temple Run reported that early in their Android experience nearly all of their support emails had to do with unsupported devices even though they support over 700 Android phones.
Combine development costs with the emphasis on free apps for Android, and it reduces the likelihood that developers can cover their costs. Key apps also almost always debut first on iOS, with Android versions coming later, if they come at all.
Hopefully this validates your purchase of an iOS device if you just made one, own one already or are thinking of getting one!
FYI: some of these apps are available in more than iOS and that’s why I provide links to the developer’s website.
What apps are the best for ON the bench?
There are TWO specific places that I use apps with my students. ON the bench during their lessons and OFF the bench where they complete app assignments, worksheets, practice, etc. This article focuses on apps I use ON the bench.
There are THREE criteria that all apps must pass before I’ll use them in my teaching as the chart indicates below:
There is ONE question that I answer for any app that passes the three criteria.
The question is NOT
What does the app do?
Instead the question is
What does the app do for me?
So, here are the apps I default to ON the bench in alphabetical order. A description of what each app does do for me AND, in turn for YOU, follows.
Anytune
Link: https://anytune.us/
What does it do for me?
It slows down any tune in my iTunes library or an Mp3 imported from Dropbox or Google Drive.
Although I don’t use it as much during my private lessons, I always let students know about AnyTune when they are looking for an app that slows down tunes. I know many professional musicians who rely on the app when learning tunes or riffs, or licks by ear.
For example, my colleague and worship leader, Drew Collins, imports mp3s of choir music into the app so that the choir can listen and sing along and learn the piece at a slower pace.
AnyTune also works well with backing tracks for students’s repertoire. Once an mp3 is imported, the key and tempo can be adjusted within the app so students can gradually increase the tempo while playing along with the track.
[Off bench tip: I enjoy using AnyTune at group lessons when playing Wendy Stevens’ Rhythm Cups. I imported her backing tracks into the app and as students tap the rhythms, we begin at about half tempo and gradually increase as the students gain confidence in their rhythm reading. They enjoy the challenge of playing rhythms correctly while the tempo number steadily climbs upward as shown in the video below which was taken BEFORE Wendy came out with her own backing tracks. Read the full post here.]
*Camera* -use this one first!
Link: native to your phone!
What does it do for me?
It records video that offers accurate feedback and serves as a reference point and reinforcement between lessons.
Although mobile devices get a bad rap because they distract their owners, you have to admit that they have dramatically upgraded the accessibility of a camera. The camera does not lie. I record students’ performances and the camera gives the most accurate, honest feedback on the planet. Watching their own performances allows students to make self-assessments and as a result, equips them to be more independent as a musician.
I also like to record a small section of a piece and then text it to the student. Then they can watch it repeatedly during home practice when they need reminders about proper technique or correct rhythms, tempo, etc.
Decide Now
Link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/decide-now/id383718755
What does it do for me?
It captures students’ attention with a colorful, customizable spinning wheel that takes away the pressure of making decisions and leaves control to chance.
There are SO many ways, in fact 50+ ways, that Decide Now can be used in lessons. Learn more about those the 50 ways that I’ve come up with here.
For a fun twist during performance time at group lessons, play Piano Charades with the help of Decide Now. Learn all about it here.
Another idea? If a student is struggling to see the difference between intervals, ask her to spin a wheel that features the numbers 1-5. After she spins and lands on 4 (as an example), she must find and circle all the fourths in her repertoire. For more ideas on intervals and lesson openers, check out Understanding Intervals.
forScore
Link: http://forscore.co/
What does it do for me?
It stores and organizes digital scores and allows me to annotate the scores and enjoy hands-free page turning.
This is one of my favorite apps. Since 2014, I’ve used forScore on the bench while playing for church services and events. I store, organize, annotate and read all my digital scores using forScore. Most digital sheet music purchased online for my students is imported into the app so I can easily access it during a lesson.
My full appreciation for the app came when I acquired my iPad Pro in December of 2015. The 12.9' inch screen makes a huge difference as a LARGER screen is much more friendly to the eyes. Read more here.
ForScore has minimized the need for carrying a heavy book bag. Now I add a score from a book with an app called Turbo Scan so that I can transform any hardcopy into a PDF. Then I import the scanned document into forScore. Learn more here.
It’s important to download an app like forScore because I can read scores from it and also add markings with my Apple pencil, create playlists and easily flip pages with a tap on the screen. It also works seamlessly with a blue tooth pedal which allows me to turn pages with my foot. Read about my four favorite features of forScore and which blue tooth pedals I prefer here.
One more article you may find helpful is how I create a playlist in forScore which is found here.
Reading digital scores from a tablet is the future of music reading! So even if your students do not own forScore and use books now, it’s valuable to show them forScore so they are aware of this alternative down the road.
iReal Pro
Link: https://irealpro.com/
What does it do for me?
With a few taps and swipes, I can generate hip backing tracks for lead sheets and technical exercises.
Thanks to my friend, mentor, jazz piano teacher and colleague, Bradley Sowash, iReal Pro has become an essential app in my teaching tool box.
FYI: It just squeaks by my criterion for “easy to use” and that’s because I’ve had some excellent coaching from Bradley and experience using the app. Be assured, the power of the app outweighs the steep learning curve!
Follow this link for how I use iReal Pro for solidifying 5-finger patterns. The post describes how I integrate the Decide Now and MusiClock apps, too.
MusiClock
Link: https://www.getmusiclock.com/
What does it do for me?
It’s clever interface immediately engages students and provides cool grooves for improvisation.
This app features slick loops in different styles for various scales including major, minor, pentatonic, blues and more. It’s clock-like format immediately clicks with students and the grooves captivate even the most hesitant improvisers. Here’s a blog post about how I use it with plastic eggs—yes, plastic eggs!
Piano Maestro
Link: https://www.joytunes.com/apps
What does it do for me?
It generates a continually growing library of graded tunes with backing tracks for sight reading that offers immediate feedback.
Although I use this app more during Off Bench time, I include it on this list because of one particular student named Jack. He’s an adult beginning pianist who faithfully plays Piano Maestro at home, at work and even on vacation! His reading skills have skyrocketed in a short time. He’s the poster child for what I wish all my students would accomplish at home with Piano Maestro.
Spotify
Link: https://www.spotify.com/us/
What does it do for me?
First, it’s given me hours of listening pleasure as I exercise (off the bench!) and more importantly, it provides a vast selection of repertoire at my finger tips to reference on the bench.
Although there are various platforms like Pandora and Apple Music, in my bubble, most friends and students use Spotify to access tunes on their smartphones. So, when students request to play a tune, they often share it with me by opening Spotify on their phones or I open it on mine. They can share the tune with me via a text and then I save it to a Spotify playlist.
Some of my students like to arrange tunes from a chord chart so we listen to the tune over and over on Spotify at lessons to inspire an original arrangement. Here’s a student arrangement in final form.
Supermetronome Groovebox
Link: https://apps.apple.com/app/supermetronome-groovebox-pro/id590278208
What does it do for me?
When I inform students that they need a metronome for use at home, they are much more inclined to download this app because it offers more than an annoying “tick.”
When students are ready to align a piece to a steady beat, I usually find a rhythm style on my Clavinova. This helps students lock into a steady beat more readily than a simple tick of a metronome.
Since most do not have a keyboard with rhythm styles at home, I show them SuperMetronomeGroovebox. It has cool styles, drum sets and it’s extremely easy to configure new grooves, slow down the tempo and even change time signatures.
YouTube
Link: https://www.youtube.com/user/clviss
What does it do for me?
Let me count the ways!
When a student is interested in learning a new piece, we search for it first on YouTube so we can listen to it together to determine if it’s a good fit, etc.
Prior to a performance, I record a video of students playing their pieces. It usually takes a number of tries before it’s deemed worthy to post on YouTube. At my channel, I have created unlisted playlists for each of my students to document how they have developed their skills over the years.
As part of Christmas gifts, students video a prepared holiday arrangement, it’s uploaded to YouTube and linked to a QR code. The QR code is printed on a sticker and then can be adhered to a personalized card or ornament. Follow this link for more details.
YouTube recently added a new feature that allows you to slow down any music video so that you can play along by ear. It’s a great way to encourage students to play their favorite pop tunes without the need for sheet music.
I was so excited about this new feature that I include details in Get Inspired! Episode 19 that features a long list of relatively clean pop tunes and their chord progressions. This episode ties in nicely with my 321 Challenge—all about unlocking the secrets of chord progressions and building improv skills.
Well, that’s a glimpse at how the iPad and apps are fully integrated into my teaching at the bench. Stay tuned for future posts about the apps that I like to use OFF the bench.
Which apps do you like to use AT the bench?
