Pro Tips #1: Recommended Apps and Resources

For the next two weeks, we are sharing a series of “Pro Tips” articles that feature the input of many professional musicians, all answering the same question.

This week’s question: What is one tool / resource / app that you use frequently and find really useful?

Basic HTML, oddly. It allows me to make simple website adjustments without needing to ask a professional. I wish I had better movie-making skills, and I’m beginning to see that good databasing is the key to the universe.

– John Pickford Richards, Violist & Executive Director, JACK Quartet, New York, NY

Asana. It’s a great project management tool for teams, and is free to start!

– Melissa Ngan, Executive Director and Flutist, Fifth House Ensemble, Chicago, IL

My iPad Pro – I do all my writing on it, by “hand” with an iPencil. It is immediate and fast, and allows for really creative, quick sketching (e.g., you can copy your hand written notation and paste it to another page, or color code stuff, or just keep swiping to make more manuscript paper so you never run out!)

-Dr. Roy Magnuson, Assistant Professor of Music, Illinois State University, Bloomington, IL

Adobe Fill & Sign: This app is my go to resource for any form that needs either filled in electronically or signed.  This free resource first imports your signature, and then saves it, so you don’t have to re sign every time.  It will also store forms for you like W9’s, contracts, etc to send to others.  This app eliminates the time consuming process of printing out a form, filling it out/ signing it, and re-scanning it to your computer.  A major time saver.

– Dr. Sean Murphy, Assistant Professor of Arts Management & Entrepreneurship, Baldwin Wallace University, Berea, OH 

I would not survive without my Google Drive! I spend the $2 per month to upgrade the storage, and I am able to keep scores, audio recordings, practice tracks, and continuously updated files with me anywhere I go. I use this for personal practice and access, as well as for teaching classes and sharing data/information with students. Even when I’m on the go, I can start new projects / brainstorming / clinic hand-outs / outlines / and share info with other people, where it is saved and available whenever I come back to it. It is easily accessible on my phone through the Google Drive sheets/docs apps. In addition, being in a duo that is long-distance, this allows me to keep audio files in the drive that I use for practice that are easily accessible from my phone or laptop.

– Andrea Venet, Assistant Professor of Percussion, University of North Florida. Escape Ten Percussion Duo, Jacksonville, FL

I use Google Classroom SO MUCH.  I not only post info/reminders for my students, but I use it to collect recorded assignments.  It’s 100% reliable and allows me to quickly listen to each student’s recording.  I also use Sight Reading Factory (teaching and assessing) and Charms (communication with families, management of things like Music Trip Payments).

– Lauren Verney-Fink, Fairfield Warde High School Choir Director, Fairfield, CT

Metronome by Soundbrenner – Although Tunable has been my go-to app for my own personal practice as a tuner/metronome, I have recently started using the Metronome developed by Soundbrenner because it allows me to pre-program in “setlists” of tempo markings which I have found to be incredibly valuable in my work as music director/conductor for the New York State Ballet.  After each performance I like to talk to the dancers/choreographers and ask them how it felt, any changes for the next night, etc. and they would say typically either “it felt perfect” or could it be a little “slower/faster”.  For the next night, I have to remember exactly what “perfect” felt like, or try to go 54 BPM instead of 52 BPM which was very stressful.  Also, different casts/leads like slightly different tempos.  I do not like using this app for any other conducting that I do because it takes away from the spontaneity and freedom of performance, but using this app has made it a lot easier and less stressful for me to be 100% consistent and accurate for the ballet dancers from night to night.

– Jared Chase, DMA, Associate Professor of Music, Director of Wind Studies, Nazareth College, Music Director, First Presbyterian Church of Pittsford, Music Director, New York State Ballet, Vice President, CBDNA-Eastern Division, Member, Wilmot Brass Quintet, Rochester, NY

Doodle makes finding a meeting time super easy. I’ve used this to coordinate board meetings, staff meetings, even drinks with colleagues visiting town. FindTime is Microsoft’s answer to Doodle, and is compatible with larger institutions that might use Outlook.

– Christopher Thibdeau, Freelance Musician, Boston, MA

There are three things I have been finding very helpful this year in my high school band and orchestra program. The first two deal with tuning: Firstly, I really like the tuner app “Tunable” because it shows musicians not only pitch but how stable and constant their pitch is. I also really like using cello tuning drones in class as it helps students play in tune by listening and adjusting like they would in ensembles rather than by sight.

Additionally, I have been finding the book “The Culture Code” by Daniel Coyle really helpful in keeping and establishing a culture of pride and success in a high school music program.

– Arthur Thovmasian, Director of Instrumental Music, Longmeadow High School, Massachusetts

I use YouTube in nearly all aspects of my career, usually as an instantaneous reference. I can find a recording of nearly any song or piece ever written if I need to show a student examples of musical elements. I can easily evaluate a pop song that has been requested to be played at a gig to see if it would be appropriate as an instrumental or watch my friends live stream their recitals if I can’t be there. I’ve used YouTube to brush up on theory concepts, and it is a constant source of learning and inspiration by discovering artists I haven’t heard of. I would bet that the number of topics you can learn about and the catalog of music you can listen to will only grow over time.

-Belinda Ho, Baby b Strings, Miami, FL

I subscribe to a variety of online resources to stay informed about professional opportunities as well as current events in the field. Subscribing to a website such as Musical Chairs (link: www.musicalchairs.info) or Bridge (link: necmusic.edu/bridge) will help you to keep tabs on recent job openings, while getting updates from a blog such as Slipped Disc (link: slippeddisc.com) will deliver the latest headlines from the professional music world straight to your inbox. It’s also useful to set Google alerts for various organizations or individuals you’re interested in, so you can receive a daily report of any articles that have been posted about them. Similarly, subscribing to the Twitter feeds of individual bloggers/commentators in the field can be a convenient way to keep up with their activities and get different perspectives on current events.

– Zachary Preucil, D.M.A. candidate, Cello Performance; Arts Administration minor, University of Wisconsin-Madison