Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Katie Wardrobe
Midnight Music
www.midnightmusic.com.au
I’ve collected a number of free iPad apps for music teachers over the past few years and today I’m
super excited to share this ultimate collection with you!
Generally speaking, paid apps are better supported, they offer more features and there are no in-app
advertisements. However, it can be useful to start out with some free apps or supplement your
current collection. Most of the apps below are suitable to use with students but please check them
thoroughly before using them in the classroom, particularly if you work with young students.
The apps are divided into different categories to help you navigate through the list more efficiently.
I hope you enjoy this collection. Do you use any free apps you think should be on the list? If you do
decide to try out any of these apps and have feedback, feel free to let me know in a comment below!
1. GarageBand
● Free with your iPad and one of the most versatile free music apps
● Record songs, create podcasts, compose movie themes, create video game music
● Play a huge range of instrument sounds including keyboards, strings, guitar, bass, Chinese and
Japanese instruments
● Full course AND a set of lesson plans available: The Music Teacher’s Guide to GarageBand on
iPad
2. Bandlab
● Digital audio workstation - audio recording and sequencing
● Record software instruments, audio and create rhythmic patterns with the inbuilt looper
● Completely free and also works on Macs, PCs, Chromebooks and smartphones
5. Loopseque Lite
● Beatmaker - create beats with three parts: drum, bass and lead
● Simple interface that allows you to use premade loops to create music
● Has a unique way of altering the premade loops by changing the meter used by the
instrumental part. It makes for some really interesting patterns!
● Use of the app requires sign-in with email or Propellerhead account
7. Auxy Music & Beat Maker
8. Medly
● Create snippets or “blocks” of music by tapping sounds into a grid-style graphic notation
interface
● Copy, paste and adjust blocks you have created to build an entire piece
● Would work well as a songwriting tool for students: they can compose in bite-sized pieces
while seeing melodic contour and rhythmic values
9. GrooveMaker 2 FREE
● Allows you to remix pre-existing loops and samples that have been grouped together in
“always sounds good” songs
● Useful for reinforcing concepts of musical form, arranging, tension and release
● “Perform” the remix in real time, add effects and trigger sounds
● Limited uses in the classroom, but would work well as an introductory activity for remixing
10. SoundForest
● This one is not an app in the App Store, but an interactive website which works well on iPads
● Songmaker is one of 13 “experiments” in the Chrome Music Lab
● Create melodies and basslines using a graphic notation style by tapping sounds on to the
screen
● This app keeps things simple from a musical point of view so it’s perfect for young students
and beginners
● Use it for composition, ear-training, transcribing known songs and creating simple rhythms
● Best open in the Chrome browser
12. Musyc
● Create music soundscapes using a combination of geometry and physics
● Choose shapes from the menu, add them to the screen and listen to them playback as they
bounce
● Explore different horizontal positions (which affect pitch), a variety of vertical positions
(which affects the direction of the shape and the speed at which it falls) and have fun with
gravity and physics
● This app would be perfect for a cross-curricular unit of work combining physics, geometry,
maths and music. Lots of fun!
13. SoundRebound
● Like the Musyc app, you can create music in SoundRebound by adding shapes to the screen
and then adding balls which make sounds when they hit the shapes
● Combines physics and geometry with music
● Great for exploring sound and creating soundscapes
● Create your own “one-person band” music videos where you sing all play all the parts
● Video/audio record the first part of your song, them overdub the subsequent parts
● Creating these videos is a great exercise for students: reinforces playing in time, listening,
synchronising parts, performing to the camera and arranging skills
● For 13+ only. Requires sign-up and the free version is limited to 30-second songs (upgrade to
unlock longer songs and more features)
Songwriting
15. Suggester
● Useful songwriting tool: explore chord classic progressions, or test out your own
combinations
● Discover what chords will work together best and hear them played back
● You can either choose a scale and build your song from the chords suggested by the app, or
you can start by selecting a set of chords and discover which scales will match
● Band-in-a-Box style app that lets you put together a chord progression and hear it played
back in a comping style of your choosing
● Useful as a songwriting tool, but also useful for creating backing tracks
● Saving and exporting requires an upgrade to the full version
● Slow down (or speed up) songs for the purposes of learning or transcribing them
● You can also shift the pitch by semitones and set up repeated playback loops
19. Amazing Slow Downer Lite
● Another great app for slowing down your songs for transcription or learning purposes
● Repeat any section at any speed or change the key of the song
● Free version only plays first quarter of a track. Upgrade for the full features
● Handwrite music by drawing on the iPad screen with your finger, or a stylus. The app will
translate your handwriting into “printed” digital music in real-time as you write
● This free version is limited to single staff scores, but makes a great option for students
needing to practice handwriting in a digital format
22. iWriteMusic SE
23. RealPercussion
24. theDrumDictionaryFree
● An app that challenges you to play Steve Reich’s famous Clapping Music piece with accuracy
● You can play one part yourself, while the app plays a second part
● Your performance is scored on the accuracy of your playing. You can change the tempo and
practice all parts as individual “levels”
● For a free lesson plan Clapping Music [Free Music Tech Lesson Plan]
26. Groove Pizza
● This one is not actually an app in the App Store, but a website which works well on iPad (use
the Chrome browser)
● Create rhythmic patterns using 3 instrument sounds, on a circular interface
● You can build a 4-measure pattern, change the tempo, alter the meter, change drum kit
sounds and more
Musical Instruments
● You can have a whole class set of congas with this app!
● 18 conga samples included
Utility Apps
● Chromatic tuner with a visual interface that allows you to see what note you’re playing
● Works with all instruments
33. Ultimate Guitar
Want More?
Hello! I’m Katie Wardrobe – an Australian music technology trainer and consultant
with a passion for helping music teachers through my business Midnight Music.
I’m a qualified teacher but no, I don’t currently teach in a school. I help teachers
through my online professional development space - the Midnight Music Community
- where there are tutorial videos, courses, links and downloadable resources.
I like to focus on easy ways to incorporate technology into what you are already doing in your music
curriculum through a range of creative projects. I also run live workshops and have presented at
countless conferences and other music education events.
If you want simple, effective ideas for using technology in music education, I would LOVE to help you
inside the Midnight Music Community.