Online Resources
Music Theory
Here is a great place to find tutorials on reading music, intervals and scales. You will also be introduced to chords, harmonic functions and musical forms, but DON’T PANIC because these are concepts that will be addressed later in your coursework. This site offers note-reading practice and the ability to set your own level of difficulty on drills, which include rhythmic dictation, pitch dictation and intervals.
This site explains basic vocabulary including lines and spaces, whole and half steps, and clefs and ledger lines. Simple notes values, time signatures, scales and key signatures are described in detail. One click allows you to both see and hear each concept. This site does include chords and Roman numeral analysis; go for it if you’re ready, but don’t worry if you’re not. You’ll get to it in your semesters of undergraduate theory courses!
Special features of this site include the ability to practice constructing scales and understand key signatures. A list of Italian, French and German musical terms is a unique feature. Do you need manuscript paper? You can print it for free from here in a variety of sizes. The site is somewhat interactive, but previous knowledge of concepts is helpful as basic terms are not always explained and concepts become more advanced quickly.
You can register for access to a variety of drills for a minimal fee. There are links to multiple free resources as well.
Study fundamentals, harmony, listening and practice dictation using this site. Free piano and guitar music are easily downloadable. Tutorials are also available in Spanish!
Choose the concepts with which you need work—note names, key signatures, spelling triads, piano notes names, etc.—and drill yourself.
The site provides one-minute video tutorials. There is also an opportunity to ask questions of the site’s designer.
Aural Skills
“Dr. Jack” is available to chat and answer any questions you may have. Short video lessons are available on this site for those of you who are auditory learners that explain intervals, triads, and more advanced concepts like suspensions and modulations (remember—you do not have to worry about these yet!). If something doesn’t quite “click” for you on another site, try this one to come at it from a different angle.
Choose “beginner” and start with simple interval identification, then move on to major vs. minor scales. There are some drills where you are asked to think in solfege. Unfortunately, you have to sign in to go beyond the basic version.
This site not only defines scales, but you can listen to .mp3 examples. The same is true for melodic intervals and dictation. You can obtain a free account to work your way through theory and aural skills courses, earning “belts” along the way. Games like “Parrot Phrases” ask that you play back what you hear on a keyboard or guitar. You can even play a game called vocal match, but a microphone and headset are required.
Recognizing intervals and comparing which is larger is great practice for future aural skills exercises. There is a virtual piano on this site but, unfortunately, each key corresponds to a letter or number on a qwerty keyboard, so it’s not ideal might become a bit confusing. Again, you must create an account for full functionality.
Exercises begin at a basic level and allow you to practice intervals, scales and chord identification. Some exercises go far beyond the scope of preparing to begin the aural skills sequence. Choose your level and challenge your ears as far as they’ll take you!
SmartMusic is a tool that can be used to practice sightsinging. The best part is that you get instant feedback on which notes were correct. Unfortunately, the cost is high, but if your school has a subscription talk to your teacher about the capabilities. It is probably more helpful for instrumentalists, but vocal exercises can be added fairly quickly and easily using Finale.
Chet is an app that can be used to practice a variety of aural skills. There are tons of fun games to help you identify intervals, increase your tonal memory, and label scales and chords. You decide the difficulty level. Unfortunately, it is only available for Apple products.
Piano Practice
Be careful! Some sites charge a hefty fee and several are set up only to help you play by ear. Since you need to be familiar with actually reading notation at the keyboard, here are a few FREE sites that may be helpful to you. Again, there is no substitute for live weekly lessons with a qualified instructor!
You will find short YouTube videos that show a view from above so that you can see what notes the instructor is actually playing. The gentleman moves fairly quickly through notes and scales. This is not necessarily a method condoned by people who study piano pedagogy, but if your musical knowledge is already in place but your fingers haven’t caught up, this may be a helpful site. Clips are short and you can begin at different levels depending on your prior knowledge. You can also see, hear and read a short synopsis of what is being explained in the video.
G Major Music Theory’s Free Piano Music
This is a great site for finding sheet music for beginning and intermediate levels. It offers PDF’s, mp3, and videos of the site’s creator playing the songs. Several also have an accompaniment track so you can play along. The easiest pieces come with pictures of where to put your fingers and all notes labeled with finger numbers. There are four intermediate levels featuring several pieces that would be appropriate solos for the piano proficiency test when the time comes.
This site offers 50 lessons for older beginners. There are links to You Tube video tutorials, but what really caught my eye were the written explanations of the practice steps to be taken in learning a piece. The flash animation with a picture of a keyboard that lights up along with the note on the staff as you listen didn’t hurt either!
This site won’t help you learn how to play, but it will provide enough music to keep you busy for a long time. No sign-up is necessary to download almost 8,000 public domain piano solos and scores (no pun intended) of sheet music for piano duets, trios, etc. as well as for piano with other instruments. Many also include .mp3 files so you can listen to what you’re seeing on the page.
Music History
Summary of Western Classical Music History
Short explanations of how music has changed throughout history interspersed with listening examples. Just click to hear what the author is describing!
Naxos: The World’s Leading Classical Music Group
Find a timeline and links to multiple recordings from each of the historical eras.
Music History 102: A Guide to Composers and their Music from the Middle Ages to the Present
This brief history contains links to more information about composers and key terms.
The site discusses the history and analysis of the standards jazz musicians play the most as well as musicians, and includes many resources.
Music Production, Music Notation and Communication
Audacity is a free multi-track recorder and editor. You can import, edit, combine, and export sound files with this easy-to-use, open-source software.
This is a great tool for group communication. The teacher can check to see that all students have received and read the message.
For Mac users, GarageBand allows you to electronically play instruments of all types as well as produce multi-track recordings with the available sounds library or of your creation. It’s a complete music studio right on your computer or device.
This online music writing software can be used to create professional-looking scores. It is very user-friendly. A paid version allows you to share, purchase and sell scores.
This tool makes group communication and individual texting a breeze. It will even translate your message into different languages. You can even make a purchase within the app to take part in online tutoring.