Music is an integral part of education, fostering creativity and expression in students. In today’s digital age, leveraging technology to enhance music learning has become increasingly important. To assist in this endeavor, I have compiled a list of useful iPad and Android apps designed to enrich the music learning experience for students.
These apps cover a wide spectrum of musical education, from music theory lessons to hands-on exercises involving various musical instruments. Whether students are beginners or looking to refine their skills, these apps provide valuable resources to aid in their musical journey.
Each app in this collection has been chosen for its unique ability to make music learning more engaging, interactive, and accessible. From playing favorite songs on the piano to mastering guitar chords, and even creating music on the go, these apps cater to various aspects of music education.
For more educational music resources, check out these lists of the best piano learning apps, guitar learning apps, and educational music websites.
Music Learning Apps
Here are our top picks for music learning apps:
1. Simply Piano
Simply Piano is one of the most popular piano learning apps out there. It allows users to learn to play their favourite songs using any piano or keyboard. The way it works is simple: place your mobile device on your acoustic/MIDI piano or keyboard and start playing. The app will instantly recognize what you are playing.
Other interesting features provided by Simply Piano include: courses to help you learn piano, a library full of fun songs for practice, feedback on your playing, learn the basics step-by-step from reading sheet music to playing with both hands, personalized 5-min workouts, 3D touch, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
2. Gibson
Gibson offers interactive guitar lessons and guidance from expert guitarists to help you learn to play guitar. Gibson also provides you with real time feedback on each note you play. Some of the interesting features provided by Gibson include: video guidance to help with practicing skills, an extensive song library (includes names such as ‘Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Santana, Aerosmith, KISS, Tom Petty, Dolly Parton, The Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd and many more’), a jam guide to help beginners start jamming, a built-in tuner and digital amplifier, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
3. Piano by Yousician
Piano by Yousician is a great piano learning app that you can use to learn and play tons of songs on your real instrument. Yousician listens to your performance and provides you with instant feedback on your accuracy and timing. Yousician also offers a music curriculum designed to help you through step by step lessons and tutorials master the art of piano playing.
Other features provided by Yousician include: over 1000 missions and exercises, tons of video tutorials covering different music skills (e.g., sight reading sheet music, classical and pop songs for piano, etc), resources on music theory, weekly challenges to complete with friends and Yousician community, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
4. Justin Guitar
Justin Guitar is another good guitar learning app that offers a wide variety of educational resources to help you learn to play guitar. Created by the renowned guitar teacher, Justin Sandercoe, Justin Guitar offers step by step lessons and interactive exercises for beginners (grade 1 and grade 2). It also offers over 1000 hit songs and select songs to practice each module.
Other interesting features provided by Justin Guitar include: color chords, easy to use guitar tuner, songs added on a regular basis, new song view UI to find newly added songs, playlists to create auto-play and shareable song lists, songbook with chords filter, beginner friendly song player, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
5. Theory Lessons
Theory Lessons helps students learn everything related to theoretical aspect of music. It offers over 39 music theory lessons sourced from musictheory.net and presented in their original animated version. These lessons include:The Staff, Clefs, and Ledger Lines; Note Duration; Measures and Time Signature; The Major Scale; The Minor Scales; Scale Degrees; Introduction to Chords; Triad Inversion; Seventh Chords; Nonharmonic Tones; Phrases and Cadences; Circle Progressions; and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android alternative / Price: $3.99 / Age: 4+
6. Perfect Piano
Perfect Piano is ‘an intelligent piano simulator design for your iPhone and iPad’. The app offers a wide variety of features including: 88-key piano keyboard, built-in piano timbre, multitouch screen support, MIDI and AAC audio recording, metronome, direct sharing of recording files or set as ringtone, two guidance patterns (falling note and waterfall), speed and difficulty adjustment, real-time online chatting, weekly new song challenge ranking, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
7. GarageBand
GarageBand is Apple’s staple music app. Students can use it to create and share music on the go. GarageBand offers a full-featured recording studio and a collection of Touch instruments with Live Loops. Other interesting features provided by GarageBand include play and record using the Alchemy Touch Instrument, download free instruments and sound packs from the app’s Sound Library, capture any sound and edit it using studio-class effects, add virtual session drummers to songs, create songs using professional mixing effects, and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
8. Fretello
Fretello helps you learn guitar through step by step lessons and by playing your favourite songs. Ftetello also teaches you how to compose your own songs and how to read TABs. ‘imply download Fretello, grab your guitar, and start advancing. It’s that easy!Once you’ve mastered the basics, you’ll deepen your skills and your practice as you progress to more advanced lessons and courses in our curriculum.’
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
9. Real Guitar
Real Guitar is another useful guitar learning app that offers a wide collection of resources including guitars of different models, guitar lessons for beginners, over 1500 chords to play different songs, 3 playing modes, numerous loops, recording mode, HiFi guitar sounds, the ability to export your recordings to MP3 and many more.
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
10. Songsterr Tabs
Songsterr is another good app for learning to play guitar. It offers access to over 8000.000 high qaulity guitar, bass, and drum tabs and chord. Some of the interesting features Songsterr offers include realistic guitar engine, multiple instruments, speed control, loop to play back selected measures, offline mode, solo (listen to only the instrument you are learning), pitch shifting, chromatic tuner to help you tune your guitar through mic or adaptors, background audio support, and many more.
‘Songsterr Tabs & Chords is a subscription based app. The free version allows you to listen and see all tabs. To get unlimited access to all learning features like Loop, Solo, Mute, Speed Control, Pitch Shifting, etc. sign up for a $9.99 USD per month subscription.’
Compatibility: iPhone/iPad and Android / Price: Free, offers in-app purchases / Age: 4+
Final thoughts
In conclusion, the fusion of technology and music education through these innovative apps opens up a world of possibilities for students. By leveraging the capabilities of iPads and Android devices, we can provide students with an engaging, interactive, and comprehensive musical learning experience. Whether it’s mastering an instrument, understanding music theory, or even creating original compositions, these apps cater to a wide range of educational needs and skill levels.
The beauty of these digital tools lies in their accessibility and adaptability. They allow students to learn at their own pace, in their own space, making music education more inclusive and personalized. Moreover, the variety of apps ensures that there’s something for everyone – from the budding pianist to the aspiring guitarist, and from the curious beginner to the advanced learner.
