Should I Use An iPad For Music
iPads and tablets are great tools for musicians, especially gigging musicians! As a flutist, flute teacher, and performer that plays in multiple ensembles, I find that my iPad is essential to my success. Let’s talk about the what, when, where, how, and why of using an iPad to drive your musical career forward, organize your flute essentials, and build your practice and performance routine to be fast, efficient, and ultimately make your life so much easier.
What iPad or tablet should I use for music?
Personally, I’m partial to the iPad Pro 12.9. I picked up this iPad a few years ago, and to be perfectly honest, for the longest time, it seemed too big. However, once I realized that I could use it to digitize and organize all of my music, I was re-sold on it. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro is capable of holding all of your music and it’s large enough that you can read your music (the ENTIRE PAGE) easily. You won’t need to do half page at a time with this one. It’s a great size for an entire page of music. Make sure to get one with adequate storage, as you’ll use a lot of it with music and apps. Here’s my pick: https://amzn.to/46huuDW
Other popular tablets are the Surface Pro and the Samsung Galaxy Tablets, although by far the iPad is the most popular. I would recommend staying away from the Fire Tablets and anything Chrome because they often don’t have the capabilities necessary to operate well for musicians.
What apps should I use for music?
ForScore is an industry favorite for live musicians. Not only do I use ForScore to perform with, but I also have loaded most of my practice material on it, this way I know exactly what I need to practice, and in what order, and I don’t get distracted by other exercises, etudes, or repertoire pieces in the books I’m using. It’s great at keeping me on task, plus there’s a built-in tuner AND metronome to boot.
MuseScore is another extremely popular music notation app for iPad. Personally, I use Dorico on my laptop, but Musescore does get high reviews, specifically for those that use tablets to do the majority of their composing and arranging.
TomPlay is another popular app if you’re looking to play along with accompaniment (AI). It’s loaded with tons of standard repertoire as well as easier pieces for younger players. It’s a little pricer than some of the other music-related apps, but well worth it.
You’ll also want a high-quality scanner app so that you can digitize your music. I really like Adobe Scan. It’s easy to use and allows me to have several backups of my music all in one place. Plus, the scans are high quality and I can easily crop them, recolor, and edit them to perfection.
What accessories do I need for my iPad?
The most important accessories are those that protect your investment, so make sure you have a good case and a screen protector. I really like the “paper feel” screen protectors because they reduce glare and make notes on music much easier.
Speaking of notes, I would highly recommend the Apple Pencil for note-taking. With ForScore, you can actually take notes on multiple layers, meaning you can have a layer for score study, a layer for play notes, and a layer for stylistic interpretation notes and performance reminders. It’s nice because you can choose what layers are showing and eventually remove all notes for a clean copy if you wish.
Next on the list would be a good stand. Some people will place their tablets directly onto their music stands, which is fine, but I don’t love the idea of it potentially sliding around or being less secure in the case of the stand getting bumped. I’m a big fan of the AirTurn Manos/TechAssist. It’s sturdy and folds up really nicely for travel. I’m able to tether it right to the outside of my bag and bring it anywhere with ease.
Of course, you’ll absolutely want a foot controller. Especially as a flutist, it’s almost impossible to reach out and turn pages, and you won’t have the opportunity to make copies and tape them together, so you’ll need a good foot controller. My favorite is the AirTurn Duo500. It has TONS of uses. It can be taken apart to use as a clicker for a slideshow, it can be used with hundreds of apps to help create content and even to use for streaming. Remember, though, that if you’re not used to using a foot controller, you’ll need to practice turning pages with your feet because it will feel odd to start with.
When and where can you use an iPad or tablet for music?
All the time! Do you gig? Use your iPad. Do you play in an orchestra or flute choir? Use your iPad. Do you teach? Use your iPad! I use my iPad when I practice, teach, perform, etc. I’m able to load PDF copies of my music or my students’ music along with my notes so that I can easily pick up where I left off with my students. It’s a great way to teach! It also makes for less to carry around when I perform or rehearse outside of my home and of course, no papers flying around during those windy outdoor gigs.
How do I use my iPad for music?
First and foremost, install all of your apps, your screen protector, and your case. Scan in your first piece of music using your scanner app (like Adobe Scan) and import it into ForScore. Now, keep in mind that you’ll want to be organized off the bat. Make sure you correctly label all of your music with the title, composer, and tags, at the very least. I like to also label mine by difficulty and categorize them.
From there, you can add them to playlists, for instance, if I have a wedding coming up, I will create a playlist with the couples’ names and add all the primary pieces I will be playing for their ceremony. I have a separate playlist for prelude and postlude music that I typically randomize depending on the couples’ needs. I also have a playlist dedicated to my current practice regimen and any other ensemble practices.
As long as you’re importing your music in an organized fashion, you can search by keyword, tag, composer, and sort by all of those things. You can share, annotate, etc. It’s a great tool and is useable in almost any situation.
Why should I use my iPad for music?
Digitizing your music saves paper, saves you from writing all over your music (in case you’d like to make copies of it for your students later), and saves your music from getting damaged. Using an iPad for practice, teaching, and gigs keeps everything in one place. It keeps you from having to lug around tons of music from place to place, saving your back (and possibly your sanity). It can also save you from having to dig through music time and time again while you’re teaching. Digitizing your music is a lifesaver for many of us and highly recommended by lots of professionals in the industry, including myself.
Key Takeaways
iPads are the most popular tablets for music professionals.
They’re used for teaching, performing, and practicing with ease.
You’ll need a few apps, including Adobe Scan and ForScore to operate efficiently.
Make sure your iPad has adequate space to run these apps and save music.
You’ll need some accessories such as a case, screen protector, stand, pencil, and foot pedal.
It’s a fantastic tool that most professionals recommend and will save you as a professional or collegiate-level musician.
Looking for a flute teacher? I teach private, group, online, and asynchronous flute lessons to ages 8+. I’m accepting students! Contact me to book your first lesson or click the link to the right of this page to book automatically.
Disclaimer: This page includes affiliate links. Click here to read my full privacy policy.
