Best Music Technology Books for Teachers

Music Technology in Education Books

Note: This is an updated version of an earlier post: 15 Of The Best Music Technology in Education Books. I’ve kept the original list of 15, but added some more recently-published editions.

I love buying books – both digital and paper – especially when they are relevant and useful. Here are a number of music technology in education books I recommend. I own almost all of these books and they contain excellent ideas for music technology curriculum integration.

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links which will earn me a very small commission (at no extra cost to you!). These are all books that I recommend because they are quality resources and any commissions earned go back into supporting the upkeep of this site.

1. Barbara Freedman’s Teaching Music Through Composition: A Curriculum Using Technology
contains practical step-by-step lessons focussing on composition. There are lesson plans and student project sheets which will help you implement her ideas straight away.

2. Like Barbara Freedman’s book, Dr Scott Watson’s Using Technology to Unlock Musical Creativity includes lesson plan ideas with step-by-step instructions for using music software in the classroom. In addition, Dr Watson provides background information and the reasoning behind the integration of technology in music education.

Youtube in Music Education

3. YouTube in Music Education by Thomas Rudolph and Dr James Frankel offers an insight into the ways that educators can use the huge number of videos on Youtube. The book also includes a chapter on what to do if your school blocks Youtube.

4. Making Music With GarageBand and MixcraftMaking Music with GarageBand and Mixcraft by Robin Hodson, Dr James Frankel, Michael Fein and Richard McCready teaches the vital skills for using two popular sequencing programs: Mixcraft (for PC) and GarageBand (for Mac).

Skills covered include how to edit audio, how to work with MIDI, video, recording, editing, mixing and mastering. The true value of this book however, lies in the lesson plans for each program: film scoring, podcasting, and multitrack recording. The concepts covered in the book could also be adapted for other sequencing programs.

5. Technology Integration In The Elementary Music Classroom Technology Integration in the Elementary Music Classroom by Amy Burns.

One of the rare books that outlines ideas for using technology with young students. Author Amy Burns and the other contributors provide lesson plans that integrate technology with singing, playing and literacy actvities using a variety of software programs and tech tools.

Help Smartboard
6. Amy Burns has also published Help I Am An Elementary Teacher with a Smartboard! – a FREE guide for music teachers using interactive whiteboards in their classrooms.

Help iPads
7. Help I Am An Elementary Teacher with One Or More iPads! is Amy Burns’ latest FREE ebook which provides lesson ideas and other resources for music teachers with one or more iPads.

8. Using ProTools in Music EducationUsing Pro Tools in Music Educationby Robin Hodson is the first book to address the use of industry-standard Pro Tools in the classroom.

Robin Hodson divides the book into two main areas – Teach Yourself Pro Tools and Pro Curriculum which gives project ideas for students.

Sibelius 7
9. If you’re new to Sibelius (or even you’re not) James Humberstone’s Sibelius 7 Music Notation Essentials is the definitive guide. Beginners will start off on the right foot and intermediate and advanced users will discover hidden features and new (better) ways of using the software.Although it was written for version 7, it’s still highly relevant for Sibelius users of version 8 too.

10. Complete Guide to Film ScoringComplete Guide to Film Scoring (Berklee Guide)by Richard Davis.If you’re interested in pursuing film scoring with your students this book is a fascinating read.

Guide to Standardised Drumset Notation
11. Guide to Standardized Drumset Notationby Norman Weinberg.

Published by the Percussive Arts Society, this book gives an insight into creating clear, readable drum patterns. My go-to drum notation guide.

Drummers Bible
12. The Drummer’s Bible: How to Play Every Drum Style from Afro-Cuban to Zydeco is a highly useful text for drummer’s and non-drummer alike. As an arranger, I find it particularly useful when I need to know what a drum pattern should look like. The book includes fantastic audio examples.

Sequencing
13. Although written a number of years ago, I really like the simplicity of Alfred’s Sequencing And Music Production text book. It includes ideas for composing and arranging with sequencing software that are still relevant today.

Composing with notation

14. Like the Sequencing guide, Alfred’s Composing Music With Notation offers lesson plans that incorporate music notation software. Each lesson is adaptable to the software program you have at your school, be it Sibelius or Finale or another alternative.

Musical iPad
15. Musical iPad: Creating, Performing, & Learning Music on Your iPad sheds light on music accessories, apps and general iPad how-to for music educators.

16. Mixing Secrets For The Small Studio is a favourite among teachers who are guiding senior students through the basics of recording and mixing for their assignments.
17. Composing Music For Video Games is a useful guide for composing game music itself and also launching a career as a game music composing. Author Chance Thomas gives some great step-by-step techniques and tips.
18. A Composer’s Guide To Game Music by Winifred Phillips is another award-winning book on the topic of composing music for video games. She has practical tips and advice for would-be game composers.
19. Make Your Own Music A Creative Curriculum Using Music Technology by Richard McCready contains lesson plans, skills and ideas for using Notion and Studio One software from Presonus. The book includes basic getting started information, as well as ideas for projects, examples of STEAM problem-solving strategies and there are supporting materials online.
20. Recording Tips For Music Educators by Ronald E. Kearns aims to provide practical advice for music educators who wish to record their school groups. Suitable for complete beginners as well as those more comfortable with technology, it helps with the planning and execution of all the different components of a school recording project.
21. Digital Organisation Tips for Music Educators by Robby Burns is a guide to managing all of the “other” parts of the music teach role – planning trips, finances, logistics, arranging and composing and more. This book will help you navigate the many technology solutions for increasing productivity in your professional life.

22. The Oxford Handbook of Technology and Music Education by Alex Ruthmann and Roger Mantie is a handbook detailing the way technology integrates and intersects with music education. Contributions to the chapters of the book have been made by a range of experts in the field.

Download a copy of this blog post

Would you like to take a copy of this with you? Click on the download button below and we’ll send a copy straight to your email inbox. You’ll also receive weekly music tech tips and news (if you don’t already). You can unsubscribe at any time.

6 Comments

  1. Glenn Lestz June 29, 2017 at 4:44 am - Reply

    Hi Katie,
    That’s a great list and one to which I will refer back. Thanks.

  2. Sinead Gjerde July 11, 2017 at 2:43 pm - Reply

    Thanks Katie. A great list from someone I trust!

    • Katie July 12, 2017 at 10:00 am - Reply

      Oh thank you Sinead!!

  3. lvsazf August 16, 2017 at 6:53 pm - Reply

    Thank you for sharing.

  4. Patricia Brown June 28, 2018 at 5:37 pm - Reply

    Wow! What a wonderful list! Thanks for making this available. I know it took a lot of time to research and study.

    Your fan!

    • Katie July 16, 2018 at 12:06 pm - Reply

      Thanks Patricia – yes, these lists do take a long time!

Leave A Comment

You might also like...

Introducing

The Midnight Music Community

An online community where music tech professional development, lesson ideas, and accountability come together.
Ultimate Free Music Tech Resource Guide Guide 2023/24

Download Now for FREE...

The Ultimate Music Tech Resources Guide for 2023-2024

Claim your copy of our annual guide to free music technology resources, designed especially for music teachers. Discover interactive music websites, software, productivity tools, and assessment resources you can use in your music classroom for free.

Follow Me on Social Media

PRIVACY POLICY

This is the Privacy Policy for the Midnight Music website located at www.midnightmusic.com (“Site”).

The Site is operated by Midnight Music Pty Ltd ABN 87 619 652 603 (“Midnight Music” or “Company” or “we” or “us”).

Midnight Music understands the importance of protecting your personal information and undertakes to adhere to this privacy policy at all times to ensure your personal information is effectively safeguarded.

Information you provide to us

The Site provides various places for users to provide information. We collect information that users provide by filling out forms on the Site, communicating with us via contact forms, responding to surveys, search queries on our search feature, providing comments or other feedback, providing information when ordering a product or service via the Site, and other circumstances where collecting personal information is reasonable and permitted by the Laws of the State of Victoria, Australia.

We use information you provide to us to deliver the requested product and/or service, to improve our overall performance, and to provide you with offers, promotions, and information.

Information we collect through automatic data collection technology

As you navigate through the Site, we may use automatic data collection technologies including Google Analytics to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. This will generally include information about your location, your traffic pattern through our Site, and any communications between your computer and our Site. Among other things, we will collect data about the type of computer you use, your Internet connection, your IP address, your operating system, and your browser type.

The information we collect automatically is used for statistical data and will not include personal information. We use this data to improve our Site and our service offerings. To the extent that you voluntarily provide personal information to us, our systems will associate the automatically collected information with your personal information.

Use of cookies and pixels

Similar to other commercial websites, our Site utilises a standard technology called “cookies” and server logs to collect information about how our site is used. Information gathered through cookies and server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our site, and the websites visited just before and just after our own, as well as your IP address.

A cookie is a very small text document, which often includes an anonymous unique identifier. When you visit a website, that site’s computer asks your computer for permission to store this file in a part of your hard drive specifically designated for cookies. Each website can send its own cookie to your browser if your browser’s preferences allow it, but (to protect your privacy) your browser only permits a website to access the cookies it has already sent to you, not the cookies sent to you by other sites.

The Company reserves the right to use technological equivalents of cookies, including social media pixels. These pixels allow social media sites to track visitors to outside websites so as to tailor advertising messages users see while visiting that social media website. The Company reserves the right to use these pixels in compliance with the policies of the various social media sites.​

How we manage personal information

Midnight Music undertakes to take all commercially reasonable steps to ensure that all personal information collected by us is accurate, up-to-date, complete and stored securely. When your personal information is no longer required for the purposes which Midnight Music uses personal information, all commercially reasonable steps will be undertaken to securely destroy that information.

How your personal information will be used

We use personal information for purposes of presenting our Site and its contents to you, providing you with information, providing you with offers for products and services, providing you with information about your subscriptions and products, carrying out any contract between you and the Company, administering our business activities, providing customer service, and making available other items and services to our customers and prospective customers.
From time-to-time, we may use the information you provide to us to make you offers to purchase products and services provided by third parties in exchange for a commission to be paid to us by such third parties. Should you opt to take part in such promotions, the third parties will receive your information.

Disclosure of your information

Midnight Music considers personal information we collect about you to be confidential and will not disclose such information to third parties except in the following circumstances:

  • Where you have consented to your personal information being provided to a third party;
  • Where Midnight Music is required by law to disclose your information; and
  • Gaining access to your personal information held by Midnight Music

Except in circumstances where access to your personal information may be denied by the Privacy Act or other Law of the State of Victoria, Australia, your personal information will be provided to you upon request.

Visitors’ General Data Protection Regulation rights

If you are within the European Union, you are entitled to certain information and have certain rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). These include the following:

  • We will retain the any information you choose to provide to us until: (a) you ask us to delete the information; (b) we decide to cease using our existing data providers; or (c) the Company decides that the value in retaining the data is outweighed by the costs of retaining it.
  • You have the right to request access to your data that the Company stores and the rights to either rectify or erase your personal data.
  • You have the right to seek restrictions on the processing of your data.
  • You have the right to object to the processing of your data and the right to the portability of your data.
  • To the extent that you provided consent to the Company’s processing of your personal data, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based upon consent that occurred prior to your withdrawal of consent.
  • You have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority that has jurisdiction over issues related to the General Data Protection Regulation.
  • We require only the information that is reasonably required to enter into a contract with you. We will not require you to provide consent for any unnecessary processing as a condition of entering into a contract with us.

Contact us

Should you have any queries in relation to the above or require further information regarding the Privacy Policy please contact us:

Midnight Music Pty Ltd
PO Box 219
Glen Waverley
Victoria 3150
AUSTRALIA

Email address: support@midnightmusic.com