Part of a well-rounded musical education includes access to free resources. Sparky’s Music Studios has collected a list of resources that are tried and true, and are proven to be effective. Please browse through to find what speaks to you!
MuseScore
Free notating software available for download with a community of composers sharing sheet music. www.musescore.org.
Transcribe! (must purchase after free trial)
Import audio and slow down the tempo as far as 20% of the original to practice along at the speed you are most comfortable with. Change in tempo does NOT alter the pitch, meaning you can practice along to all of your favorite songs at your own speed to match yourself to the song. www.seventhstring.com.
Musictheory.net
Free online content on music theory. Includes activities and games to help the learner practice their note reading skills, ear training, and more! www.musictheory.net.
Audacity
Digital audio editor and multi-track recording software. www.audacityteam.org.
IMSLP
The International Music Score Library Project, aka the Petrucci Music Library, is an online library of public domain music scores. The library consists mainly of scans of old musical editions out of copyright, as well as scores released under a Creative Commons license. http://imslp.org .
Mutopia Project
Similar to IMSLP, this website offers thousands of pieces of music for free available from the public domain or under a Creative Commons license. http://www.mutopiaproject.org.
BlankSheetMusic.net
Although we love a nice hard copy of manuscript staff paper, sometimes you need something on the run or easy to access. This site lets you customize blank staff paper to your needs and then print. http://www.blanksheetmusic.net.
Classics for Kids
A great website for information on music history, composer biographies, awesome book and media recommendations, games, and more! http://www.classicsforkids.com.
*Know of any others? Please let us know and we’ll add them to the page!
