Recommended Music Software Books

Music Software Books

Here are some books I recommend. I own all of these books and they are easy to understand and contain excellent ideas for music technology curriculum integration.

Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links to products that will earn me a commission. These are all things that I have had experience with and I am recommending them because they are quality resources, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products. Any commissions earned go back into supporting the upkeep of this site.

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.

Making 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.

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.

Using 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.

Learn Sibelius 6 in 1 Hour by James Humberstone.

If you want to get started with Sibelius quickly, or you need to brush up your skills a little, this is an ideal book. This is a link to the ebook version (for your Mac, PC, iPad or smartphone), but a printed version is also available from selected music retailers.