The MuseScore open-source notation app has been an incredibly helpful tool in my studio for several years, and as I get more familiar with its many features, I’m finding even more uses for it. Here are my top 10!
1. Notating
It’s MuseScore’s primary function: a “word processor” for writing music! Get started here by writing out your favorite scale assignments for students, using the MuseScore menus, palettes and helpful online manual (search for the function you need). Practice copying and pasting, and raising or lowering pitches by octave. Add repeats and endings. Listen to playback to check your work. Change key signatures to learn about…
2. Transposing
This capability is such a time saver! Besides changing keys for your own self-created scores, you can download user-created scores from the MuseScore website and edit them freely. Want to give your violin student a piece notated for cello, or clarinet? Change the clef, key signature and octave if necessary, and it’s instantly playable. Set up your own MuseScore account and share your scores with others.
3. Marking up
If you have a nice clean copy of a teaching piece without bowings or fingerings — or if you want to mark your own preferences — add these markings from the Articulations and Fingerings palettes. You can also add or change dynamics — the Lines palette has hairpin markings.
4. Reformatting
Enlarge or reduce sheet music, and add fixed line and page endings to address awkward page turn problems.
5. Arranging
Explore your creativity by arranging sheet music for your students from pieces not written for solo violin! Alternatively, take a solo piece with its piano accompaniment and arrange it as a violin duet, chamber ensemble piece and more.
6. Simplifying
Along the lines of arranging, you can take an existing piece and write-down the octave of the highest parts, or transpose to a more violin-friendly key. This is never the ideal substitute for playing an upper level piece as written, but… do you know how many simplified arrangements of Für Elise there are in piano method books??
7. Accompanying
Two options here: #1, if you have a MuseScore file with a piano part, you can play back only the piano part audio without the violin solo like a playalong track.
#2: combine this with Simplifying to make your own easier-to-play piano accompaniment parts. A real help for violin teachers with modest piano skills.
8. Practice Tracks
Export the piano part or the entire score as an MP3 file to use for playalong practice. Create different tempo versions to help students progress.
9. Training
Now that you’ve learned all the ways MuseScore can help you, pass this on to your students! Chances are they will learn very quickly and soon be able to show you their own tips and tricks.
10. Composing
It’s never been easier to noodle around with notes and write your own music. MuseScore can give you instant feedback with its playback function. Even if you’re not inspired to compose, your students might have a real gift. Encourage them to compose in MuseScore too!
BONUS:
11. PDFing
Save scores as PDFs and open them in ForScore for even more fun with technology …. to be continued
