Which apps are useful for practice at home?
At Music Makers Academy, we know that learning an instrument is about more than just lessons—it's about what happens at home too. That’s why we created the Raising Musos podcast: to support parents in guiding their child’s musical journey with practical tips, real-life advice, and the occasional clever app suggestion. This week’s episode dives into 15 music education apps every family should know about.
Whether your child needs help staying motivated, improving their sight reading, or exploring their creative side, there’s something here for everyone.
Why Apps Can Help
Today’s students are digital natives—so why not meet them where they are? Apps can make practice more engaging, bring structure to busy routines, and help parents feel more involved, even if they don’t have a musical background.
5 Categories of Music Education Apps
We’ve organised these apps into five categories:
1. Practice Organisation & Motivation Apps
These help students track, plan, and stay motivated to practice.
Vivid Practice - Visual, goal-driven practice with teacher and parent access. Great for building consistency.
Link: vividpractice.com
Practice Space – Allows audio recordings, goal setting, and feedback. Promotes self-awareness and improvement.
Link: www.practicespaceapp.com
Tonara – Gamifies practice with points and streaks—ideal for younger students who thrive on external motivation.
Link: www.tonara.com
2. Sight Reading Apps
Designed to build fluency in reading and playing music on the spot.
Read Ahead – For piano only; uses a “disappearing notes” system to strengthen real-time reading.
Link: https://readaheadapp.com/
Sight Reading Factory – Customisable difficulty levels and endless practice material. Great for exam prep.
Link: www.sightreadingfactory.com
PlayScore 2 – Not strictly a sight reading app, but it scans printed music and plays it back, so students can hear how it should sound.
Link: www.playscore.co
3. Note Reading & Naming Apps
Improve quick recognition of notes on the staff.
Staff Wars – Fast-paced note-naming game with increasing difficulty. Fun and challenging.
Flashnote Derby – Horse-racing themed note recognition game for younger kids.
Link: https://flashnotederby.com/
Note Rush – Students must play the note shown on their actual instrument. Great for bridging reading and physical playing.
Link: https://www.noterushapp.com/
4. Ear Training Apps
Sharpen your child’s ability to recognise musical sounds, chords, intervals, and more.
Tenuto – A full ear training curriculum in your pocket.
Link: https://www.musictheory.net/products/tenuto
Perfect Ear – Broad range of ear training exercises. Free version available, with extras in the paid upgrade.
Link: https://perfectear.app/
Theta Music Trainer – Gamified ear training with fun visuals and interactive games.
Link: https://trainer.thetamusic.com/
5. Creative Music Making Apps
Let your child explore, compose, and create their own music.
GarageBand – Apple’s popular music studio app. Record, layer, and create full arrangements.
Link: https://garagebandonpc.com/
Soundtrap – Browser-based DAW (digital audio workstation) ideal for collaboration and creativity.
Link: https://www.soundtrap.com/musicmakers
Blob Chorus – A silly, fun pitch-matching game perfect for younger children learning to hear in tune.
Link: https://educatortoolbox.weebly.com/blob-chorus.html
Final Thoughts
There’s no one-size-fits-all app. Each child learns differently, so try one or two and see what clicks. Many of these apps have free trials—perfect for testing them out together.
Technology won’t replace a great teacher or the power of human connection in music, but when used well, it can be a powerful addition to your child’s practice toolkit.
Try These Apps
You can find links to all the apps mentioned above in this blog post or podcast episode description.
And if you try one, let us know what you think! We’d love to hear how it helped your child learn and grow.
📩 Send us a message on Instagram @musicmakersacademy or reach out via email to book your spot.
Until next time — keep raising musos,
Eliza 🎶
