Recommended Apps

I find technology to be an invaluable tool in the lesson, especially when it comes to taking some of the pain out drilling fundamentals. Becoming truly comfortable with navigating the staff is the most common obstacle for beginning students, and many standard note teaching methods actually make it harder than it needs to be. So, I introduce all my beginning students to Tenuto, an app produced by musictheory.net. It’s available on the App store or at https://www.musictheory.net/products/tenuto.

Dozens of Exercises

Tenuto has 24 different exercises ranging from note identification, to scale recognition, to ear training.

Customizable

Tenuto has tons of options for customization, so you can really focus in on specific notes or chords. There’s also a “challenge mode” so you can test yourself on a set number of questions or try to beat the clock.

Works with Electronic Keyboards and Mobile Devices

Tenuto can be played with the touchscreen, but if you have a MIDI-enabled keyboard, you can just plug into your device and use the piano keys to play.