Practice Tools & Listening

Practice Tools

Free tools for practicing at home. Independent practice is the #1 way to grow as a musician!

• Online Tuner — check your pitch on any instrument

• Online Metronome — keep a steady beat; start slow and speed up

• Virtual Piano — find your starting pitch or check a tricky note

• Sight Reading Factory — new sight-reading exercises for every instrument and level

• 10 Easy Ways to Optimize Your Music Practice (NPR)

• Marine Band Lesson Instruction Videos

Music Theory & Ear Training

• musictheory.net — lessons and exercises on notes, rhythms, scales, and key signatures

• Teoria — music theory and ear training

• Chrome Music Lab — fun, hands-on music experiments (great for 5th & 6th grade)

• Noteflight and MuseScore — free notation software for writing your own music

Listening

Great players listen to great players. Pick a recording each week and listen for tone, style, and balance.

• Sound Like This! — model recordings for every band instrument

• US Army Field Band (YouTube)

• United States Marine Band (YouTube)

• Kennedy Center Digital Stage

Jazz

• Learn Jazz Standards (YouTube) — improvisation tips and tunes

• Inside the Big Band (US Army Field Band)

• Jazz Academy Video Library (Jazz at Lincoln Center)