Within the last decade, the prolific rise of smartphones and tablets has created an appetite for mobile sheet music scanning. Recent technologies such as Optical Music Recognition (OMR) have been a gamechanger for the music scanning market. As a result, OMR mobile apps provide enormous benefits for those who need a simple yet efficient solution to teach music to students.
OMR (OCR for Music) recognises the specifics of staff notation so that it plays the music naturally and accurately with dynamics and articulation. For example, the world’s first handwritten music recognition system was used in an OMR app called NotateMe. It enables users to write their own staff notation on the screen which it then converts to standard music font layout for instant playback. In addition, NotateMe includes software from PhotoScore, allowing you to hear back printed sheet music by taking a photo of it with the device’s camera!
The PlayScore 2 app also uses the latest techniques in OMR and lets you play any music by taking a photo, or by scanning an image or score from a free PDF sheet music site like IMSLP.
There are many benefits of OMR scanning apps for music educators, among the most obvious being time and convenience. Many sheet music programs require users to manually scan in scores, which can be a long (indeed, costly) task if teachers need to photocopy music for students. However, an app where users can hear a piece just by pointing at it is attractive, so you can send assignments or parts to students in that way. OMR scanning apps also have the facility to share scores via cloud software (e.g., Dropbox, iCloud) or email.
Another great feature is part-separated playback. With PlayScore 2, for instance, students in a choir can practice by isolating their individual parts on their own or with others in the background. What’s more, if teachers want to create learning tracks for students (like Music Minus One), the app enables them to export individual parts or any combination of parts as MIDI files.
However, you’ll get much better results by exporting scores from your chosen app as MusicXML files. This is because MusicXML contains more detailed information about the music and is designed for sharing sheet music files between applications. Moreover, having scores in MusicXML format means that you can export them into DAWs or notation/scorewriting software for further editing and arranging (e.g., for classroom music, high school bands). In July, both Dorico and Sibelius launched new interfaces for iPad so, for example, you can simply send your MusicXML files from the app into them.
A word about set-up: ensure that you have good lighting, an up-to-date camera and that the quality of the score and scan is sufficient for the device to process it well (check the tech specs on your app store). Also, you’ll typically need to pay a one-off fee or a subscription to access more advanced features such as multi-export, transposing parts and MIDI/MusicXML export. But if you’re looking for a technological aid that will significantly speed up and improve all areas of your music teaching, then it’s worth investing a little more into the paid version of a music scanner app.
The music scanning app market is still a somewhat niche area. However, all of us have had to become more proficient with mobile technology over the last sixteen months, and as a result, it is very likely that music education will now comprise “blended” learning methods. OMR scanning apps are designed not to replace traditional methods of music pedagogy but to complement them. They are multi-functional for both students and teachers, giving them vast potential for music education.
Have you tried any OMR scanning apps and what do you think of them?
Annabelle is the marketing manager for PlayScore 2, an innovative mobile music scanning app for students, hobbyists, professionals and educators.