COMPUTER-ASSISTED MUSIC LEARNING

Leon Stefanija (leon.stefanija @ ff.uni-lj.si) http://www2.arnes.si/~lstefa

The ungratefulness of searching for a suitable beginning for a subject that does not have an end is probably one of the weaknesses to which any music teacher is always, willy-nilly, exposed. What to offer to (not only) a young person to begin with? This is not only a question of curricula and syllabi, but in the first place a question of a complex set of circumstances that are constantly changing as mutually complementary or exclusive. However, we should begin with consciousness that one can hardly see a reasonable end in the field of computer-assisted music learning. If the music as a category could be institutionally circumscribed, at least hypothetically, in IAMIC — International Association of Music Information Centres (http://www.iamic.net), are the »drawers« in which we keep the contents of music teaching much more elusive.

To begin with, a short survey of the main internet addresses for computer-assisted music learning and teaching seems necessary. The URL links were checked on 28^th February 2006.

It is hardly a surprise (even to the somewhat older teachers) that today one can hardly think of music without at least mentioning computers. They have become indispensable in composition as well as in education. The International Computer Music Association (http://www.computermusic.org) is one of the main addresses to find out more about one of the central topoi of contemporary compositional practice. And the www also enables us to gain more information about computer-assisted music education of different aspects of music, of course not only of computer music, but of all music there is on this planet. For instance: Music Education Resource Directory (http://www.musiceducationresourcedirectory.com/inclusion.shtml), Educational Software Cooperative (http://www.edu-soft.org/ - closed in 2013), AcademicMusic.com (http://www.academicmusic.com), K-12 Resources for Music Educators (http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/staffpages/shirk/k1 2.music.html), Educational Music Software (http://www.educational-softwaredirectory.net/m usic), EcsMedia – Music Software Specialists (http://www.ecsmedia.com), The Computer Music project at Carnegie Mellon University (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/ ~music), Know Play Music Theory Software (http://www.knowplay.com /music/music-theory.html), KBA software Ear Training and Music Theory (http://www.musicstu dy.com), Musicmoz (http://musicmoz.org), musica.at (http://www.musica.at), AABACA (http://www.aabaca.com), Lentine's Music (http://www.lentine.com), Academic Superstore (http://www.academicsup erstore.com), Kelly's Music & Computer (http://kellysmusic.ca), SoundTree (http://www.so undtree.com/welcome.asp), Imutus (http://www.exodus.gr/im utus/index.htm), The Sonic Spot (http://www.sonicspot.com), Acredited Online Schools & Colleges (www.AccreditedOnlineColleges.org), etc.

The software we can reach through the mentioned sites is but a sample of what can be usefully adopted for the process of learning about music. The computer facilities are a huge field of today's education, as the following sites testify: Technological Directions in Music Learning (http://music.utsa.edu:16 080/tdml), Music Education Technology (http://www.metmagazine.com), TI:ME - The Technology Institute for Music Educators (http://www.ti-me.org), The National Association for Music Education (http://www.menc.org), The Synthesis M.I.D.I workshop com (http://www.midiworks hop.com). To gain somewhat more rounded-off picture of the computer-assisted music learning one should add to the sites above also a number of articles in the specialized journals, such is Music Education Research (Routledge), and at least, but not last, the associations such as NAMM - National Association of Music Merchants (http://www.namm.com) or MIDEM (http://www.midem.com).

That all of the mentioned sites are American should not be a surprise. However, a glimpse to some non-American addresses seems welcome. The European context reveals a rather stiff posture if one tries to grasp the computer-assisted music learning and teaching from a point of view as presented in I-Maestro (http://www.i-maestro.net). Despite the fact that there is in Europe no comparable »know-how« market for computer-assisted music learning to that one in the USA, the following addresses show a number of similar activities also in this part of the globe: L'AFIM - l'Association Française d'Informatique Musicale (http://www.afim-asso.org), IRCAM - l'Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique (http://www.ircam.fr), Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie (http://www.zkm.de), Musikinformatik (http://www.musikwissenschaft.uni-mainz.de/Musikinformatik), Institut für Musik und Akustik (http://www.zkm.de), Centro di sonologia Computazionale (http://www.dei.unipd.it/e nglish/csc/index.html), InfoMus Lab (Laboratorio di informatica musicale; http://musart.dist.unige.it), IPEM - Instituut voor Psychoacustica en Elektronische Muziek (http://www.ipem.ugent.be), Institute of Sonology (http://www.koncon.nlindex.ht mlIUA), IXI net (http://www.ixi-software.net), IUA - Institut universitaru de l'audiovisual (http://www.iua.upf.es), Akustiikan ja äänenkäsittelytekniikan laboratorio (http://www.acoustics.hut.fi), Audio Research Group (http://www.cs.tut.fi/s gn/arg), NOTAM (http://www.notam02.no), Music, Mind Machine Group (http://www.nici.kun.nl/mmm). Especially some English Universities (for instance, Leeds, Durham , Bath , York , Birmingham , Edinburg , Lancaster , Salford, Bristol , Stanford, among others) have highly developed activities in the field of computer-assisted music learning.

I shall allow myself another geographical detour. If the The Australasian Computer Music Association (http://www.acma.asn.au) has a nice list of links for computer-assisted music activities for Australia and New Zealand, here, in New Zealand, there is one of the most thoughtfully conceived sites I have found on the www about music in elementary schools: The Online Learning Centre (http://www.tki.org.nz/e/community/arts/music/music_home.php). This site is nicely complemented by MusicEd Consultants Ltd (http://www.musiced.co.nz), The National Centre for Research in Music Education and Sound Arts that seems to have found its place at he University of Canterbury   (http://www.menza.org.nz/index.php) as well as the Centre for New Zealand Music (http://sounz.org.nz/index.php).

If trying to explore similar links in Asia (to skip the African context, which is unique in this respect, although recent sites, such as http://www.singingwells.org are promising), it is noticeable that the computer-assisted music learning is USA-oriented — as it is more or less similar in both previously mentioned continents. As exceptions should be only mentioned Japan , China , and Russia , where some activities might be found in this respect, but for the lack of knowledge about them all I can do is to mention them as places worth further exploration.

Of course there are many more specialized views on the www activities with regard to music learning. To find answers to some specific questions, alongside many general and pedagogically very useful links, the sites of the larger, especially American universities should be consulted, further also the professional associations' sites, journals and individual researchers' homepages, as for instance: Association for Technology in Music Instruction (http://atmionline.org), Online Research Resources at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (http://www.library.uiuc.edu/orr), Worldwide Internet Music Resources of Indiana University Bloomington (http://www.law.indiana.edu/library/onlineresources), Computers and Composition (http://www.bgsu.edu/cconline/home.htm), Children's Music Workshop (http://www.childrensmusicworkshop.com), Education Online (http://www.educationonlinetoday.com), Music Education Online (http://www.musiceducationonline.org), International Society for Music Education (http://www.isme.org), Resources in Music Technology (http://bauer.cwru.edu/technology.html), David B. Williams's and Peter R. Webster's homepage Experiencing Music Technology (http://www.emtbook.net).

In any case, while choosing appropriate musical software or other educational computer facilities, our choice depends on more variables. Among them, two are of special interest: on the one hand, the choice depends on the object we would like to achieve, whilst on the other hand the choice varies between somewhat more banal conditions of the financial nature and often hard-to-achieve ideals of the wider educational purpose.

Between ideals and possibilities 

The public music education system in Slovenia is rather generous — as far as the conditions of financing the children is concerned. Perhaps the question of technology is poorly addressed and could be hardly called »contemporary«. Of course, this does not mean that it is worse, or better, than a many music education programs around the world. Excellent, as well as poor, examples can be found. However, the technology issue remains underdeveloped at the moment.  

            Some music institutions aspire to make good use of computer technology in the basic music theory training, as for instance The Virtual Conservatory (http://www.virtualconservatory.com). Their goal is clearly stated on their www site:

The primary mission of the Virtual Conservatory is to exploit the grand potential of this technology by creating cutting-edge multimedia textbooks for music theory and aural skills, thereby advancing the cause of music education as elementally as did the pioneers of classroom instruction in music two centuries ago.

On the contrary, a potentially much more influential capacity »lurks« in some powerful music software companies, such as Sibelius, under the heading Education (http://www.sibelius.com/education) we find much broader offer that is not confined, as with The Virtual Conservatory, only to music theory. The differences between the two music education software providers can be clearly seen from the following juxtaposition:

The main difference is rather conspicuous: the software is conceived with different range of the aims involved in music learning and teaching.

A fact could be defined out of this swift comparison that seems worth remembering — a fact familiar to everyone who has ever surfed for music software more than half an hour: advertising rhetorics on internet hinders the search as much as the parsimonious, or too specialized, information of some non-profit products. It is a fact that www sites do not always reveal realistically the content of the product we may want to buy or use.

            Below the elemental information is given about the contents and products that may be useful for any music teacher. Between the two possibilities for discussing the contents that are offering by themselves as the best ones — according to the product's function and according to its quality — a »third way« has been chosen. Although it is necessary to take account of the quality of both, function and quality, the following survey of the computer-assisted possibilities in music pedagogy is oriented primarily toward these inexpensive and free »gifts of the technical age« that are more or less accessible to the majority of music teachers. Thus the next pages are bringing a rough compass to help individual teachers in Slovenia in their further navigation through and around the topic discussed.

What to search for?

Sound editing tools

Having in mind the invention of the phonograph at the end of the 19th century, its wide usage in several stages, beginning with the records, growing with audio tapes, and reaching a peak in the modern equipment of CD and Mp3 formats, nowadays it seems that the function of sound recording, preserving and distributing does not meet the needs of a modern music teacher. Every pub has at least a small sound mixing device, making format conversion tools, such as Switch Plus Sound File Conversion Software (http://www.nch.com.au/switch/plus.html) more than welcome …

            For music history classes, acoustics, composition, especially for the profession of a studio technician, sound editing tool have became indispensable almost half century ago: nicely arranged musical works, manipulation with sound parameters and combinations are a kind of acoustical landscape of every man. How many differences there are in the intention and quality of the sound editing software should stay an unanswered question on this occasion, if one only rummaging through a few lists that offer information (http://www.hitsquad.com or http://www.lentine.com), »lessons« for some programs (http://www.digitalmusicdoctor.com) or professional forums (http://www.music-and-technology.com) for sound editing tools.

            The list is copious and the following selection enables to develop a dissent notion about the differences — qualitative as well as financial — between the products:

Ace of WAV (http://www.polyhedric.com/software/ace).
Acoustic Labs Audio Editor 1.4 (http://www.acoustic-labs.com).
Acoustica v3.3 (http://www.aconas.com).
Adobe Audition v2.0 (http://www.adobe.com/products/audition/main.html).
All Editor v2.4.3 (http://www.alleditor.com).
All Sound Recorder XP v2.26 (http://www.mp3do.com/soundrecorder.html).
Antechius Audio Editor v2.3 (http://www.c-point.com/index.html).
(*)Anvil Studio (http://www.anvilstudio.com).
Arboretum products (http://www.arboretum.com).
*Audacity v1.3b (http://audacity.sourceforge.net).
Audio Center v1.9 (http://www.alosoft.com).
Audio Edit Magic v7.5.9 (http://www.mp3editmagic.com).
Audio Editor/Recorder 3.4 (http://www.e-soft.co.uk/AudioEdit.htm).
Audio Editor Gold v7.5.6 (http://www.audio-editor.net).
Audio Editor Plus v2.7 (http://www.awlmedia.com).
Audio Editor Pro 1.52 (http://www.audioeditorpro.com).
Audio Editor XP Professional (http://www.audio-ware.com/utilities-plug-ins/audio-editor-pro.htm).
Audio i Audio Editor v0.1.0 (http://www.audioi.com).
Audio Suite 4.20.4 (http://www.glowingcoast.co.uk/glowingcoast/audio/index.htm).
Audio Terminator (http://www.audio2x.com).
*Audioblast (http://www.moor-software.com).
AudioBlock Edit (http://www.yogen.com).
AudioEdit Deluxe 4.10 (http://audioedit.mystikmedia.com).
AudioRoom CD (http://www.almightybutton.com/wp/products.aspx?product=AudioRoom).
Audio Surgeon 6.20.400 (http://www.voyetra.com/site).
*Aviari ONLINE (http://www.aviary.com/).
Awave Studio v9.4 (http://www.fmjsoft.com).
Blaze Media Pro v6.1 (http://www.blazemp.com).
Cakewalk products (http://www.cakewalk.com).
CDH Media Wizard 11.0 (http://www.cdhnow.com).
(*)CD Wave (http://www.milosoftware.com).
Colorful Music Editor Lite v2.0 (http://www.colorfulsoft.com).
CoolEdit (E Adobe Audition)
Dart Pro 24 / XP Pro (http://www.dartpro.com).
DB Audio Mixer & Editor v1.10 (http://www.audio-mixer-editor.net).
DDClip Pro 3.5.1 (http://www.softlab-nsk.com).
Digidesign products (http://www.digidesign.com).
Digital Audio Editor v2.9.1 (http://www.audioeditor.us).
Digital Orchestra Pro (http://www.voyetra-turtle-beach.com/site).
Easy Audio Editor 7.3 (http://www.dandans.com/EasyAudioEditor).
* Eisenkraut v0.63 (http://sourceforge.net/projects/eisenkraut).
*Encounter 2000 (ftp://winsite.teleglobe.net/winsite/pc/win95/misc/enc2000.exe)
EXPStudio Audio Editor v3.93 (http://www.expstudio.com).
FastEdDit v4.0.21 (http://minnetonkaaudio.com).
FlexiMusic Wave Editor (http://www.fleximusic.com).
Fx Audio Editor 4.4.7 (http://fxaudioeditor.com).
GoldWave v5.1.2 (http://www.goldwave.com).
IK Multimedia products (http://www.ikmultimedia.com).
*In Tune (http://www.physics.usyd.edu.au/~marek/intune/index.html).
intelliScore Ensemble WAV to MIDI Converter (http://www.intelliscore.net).
JukeBox Tools 4.1 (http://www.birdcagesoft.com).
KISS Wave Editor (http://www.code-it.com).
MACKIE Tracktion 2.0.1.2 (http://www.mackie.com).
Magic Audio Editor pro v9.0.4 (http://www.xwaver.com).
MAGIX Samplitude Professional 7.11 (http://www.xvisionaudio.com or http://www.samplitude.com).
Marshall Electronics products (http://www.mxlmics.com).
Med Sounstudio 1.7 (http://www.medsoundstudio.com/index2.htm). 
Melodyne (http://www.celemony.com/cms).
Mesa Park Audio Editor (http://www.mesa-park-audio.com).
MightSoft Audio Editor Pro v1.60 (http://www.audioeditorpro.com).
*Mp3DirectCut (http://www.mpesch3.de)
Music Editing Master 4.2 (http://www.dandans.com).
Native Instruments Software Synthesis GmBH) products (http://www.nativeinstruments.de).
NCH Swift Sound suite (http://www.nch.com.au).
NGWave v3.1 (http://www.ngwave.com).
NI Komplete 3 (E Native Instruments Software Synthesis GmBH).
Power Tracks Pro Audio (http://www.pgmusic.com).
*ProWave (http://www.amberror.lt/prowave/setup.zip)
Purity (http://www.luxonix.com/home/en).
*QuickAudio v1.0 (http://www.sionsoft.com).
*Raven Lite (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/brp/raven/Raven.html).
Reason products (www.propellerheads.se).
Sample Wrench (http://www.dissidents.com).
SAW Studio (http://www.sawstudio.com).
Screwlab Pro (http://www.screwlab.com).
SID Sound InDepth (http://www.soundindepth.com).
*Solition II (http://home.bip.net/baxtrom/soliton.zip).
Sonar 5 (E Cakewalk).
*Sound Engine (http://www.cycleof5th.com/en/download/index.htm).
Sound Forge (http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/showproduct.asp?pid=975 in http://www.sonymediasoftware.com/products/showproduct.asp?pid=961)
SoundEdit Pro 2.1 (http://www.rmbsoft.com/sep.asp).
Steinberg products (http://www.steinberg.de/Steinberg/defaultb0e4.html).
Streaming Audio Studio v5.0 (http://www.streaming-audio.net).
Super Mp3 Editor (http://www.mp3editor.net).
SYNTRILLIUM COOL EDIT PRO 2.O (E Adobe)
The Wave Editor (http://www.thewaveeditor.com).
Transcribe (http://www.seventhstring.com).
Voyetra products (http://www.voyetra.com/site/default.asp).
WAV MP 3 Editor v7.3 (http://www.code-it.com).
Wave Eitor v7.3 (http://www.code-it.com).
Wave Flow v5.4 (http://www.waveflow.com).
WaveLab 5 (http://www.steinberg.de).
*WavePad (http://www.nch.com.au).
Wave Repair (http://www.delback.co.uk).
*Wave Surfer (http://www.speech.kth.se).

After browsing through the list (see also, for instance, TASCAM (http://www.tascam.com), it is worth mentioning that among the good number of professional tools there are two sound editing programs that are especially popular among non-professionals: Audacity and WavePad. They should remain popular, because of the support they have. But this is not the only reason of their popularity. The other one is — and because of that they are marked, as a dozen other programs in this list as well as in the further ones below, with an asterisk (*) — that they are free. They are all useful for music teacher's purpose.

If WavePad can be reckoned as a marketing lure that convinces the user with its quality for buying the other programs that can be obtained from the same company for better sound editing work — WavePad is a part of the professional sound editing equipment by NCH Swift Sound suite  —, Audacity is a source software. It is a tool that has been developed as a public welfare: a result of the movement in the computer business which is since 1985 organized under the auspices of FSF - The Free Software Foundation (http://www.fsf.org; see also http://www.dwheeler.com/oss_fs_why.html).

Apart from the links marked with * in the list above, there are some other tools from different fields of interest. For example, at least partly the following programs from phonetics could be of interest to music teachers as well — to remain only to the free software : *Praat (http://www.fon.hum.uva.nl/praat), *spwave (http://www.sp.m.is.nagoya-u.ac.jp/people/banno/spLibs/spwave), *SIL Speach Analysis (http://www.sil.org/computing/speechtools), *Wavesurfer (http://www.speech.kth.se/wavesur fer/index.html), *Voce Vista (http://www.vocevista.com), or *Speech Filing System (http://www.phon.ucl.ac.uk/resource/sfs), *Transcriber (http://trans.sourceforge.net/en/presentation.php); or sound analysers, such as: *CLAM (http://clam.iua.upf.edu/index.html), *WaveSurfer (http://www.speech.kth.se/wavesurfer), *Sonic Visualiser (http://www.sonicvisualiser.org) etc.

Similarly rich to the sound editing tools, though not as copious, the market with music notation software has a lot to offer:

Allegro (E Finale).
(vecina*) ABC products za Win (http://staffweb.cms.gre.ac.uk/~c.walshaw/abc/#software in koristna povezava: http://www.abc-notation.com/abcapp/index.html).
Berlioz (http://www.berlioz.tm.fr).
Bladmuziek (http://www.barsukoff.nl).
Cakewalk Music Creator (http://www.cakewalk.com).
Capella (http://www.capella-software.com/capella.htm).
Copyist 6.0 (http://www.sionsoft.com/cpylit.html).
Coda Music Technology (E Finale).
*Common music notation (http://ccrma.stanford.edu/software/cmn/cmn/cmn.html).
Cubasis (http://www.steinberg.de/Steinberg/defaultb0e4.html).
Digital Music Notebook Yamaha v2.0.1E (http://www.digitalmusicnotebook.com).
Django (http://webpages.charter.net/django).
Encore v4.5.5. (http://www.gvox.com).
Finale (https://www.finalemusic.com/finale).
*Finale Notepad (https://www.finalemusic.com).
GNU LilyPond (E LilyPond)
Graphire (http://www.graphire.com).
*Guido (http://www.noteserver.org).
*Harmony Assistant v9.1.9 (http://www.myriad-online.com/en/index.htm).
Harmony v.3.3.1 (http://www.greenhedges.com/download.htm).
Igor Engraver 1.7 (http://www.noteheads.com).
*Kern notation (http://dactyl.som.ohio-state.edu/Humdrum/guide02.html).
*Klavar (http://www.vdkolk.nl/klavar).
*LilyPond v2.7.23-1 (http://lilypond.org/web).
Lime Music Notation Software 8.07 (http://www.cerlsoundgroup.org/cgi-bin/Lime/Windows.html).
MagicScore products (http://www.musicaleditor.com).
Melody Assistant v7.1.9 (http://www.myriad-online.com/en/index.htm).
MidiIllustrator v1.01 (http://www.midiillustrator.com).
MidiNotate Composer 1.1 (http://www.notation.com).
Mozart music software (http://www.mozart.co.uk).
Mus2 (http://www.mus2.com.tr/en/).
Muse (http://web.ukonline.co.uk/members/laurie.griffiths). 2010
MusEdit (http://www.musedit.com).
*MuseScore (http://musescore.org/en/project/microtune).
MusicEdit 2.220 (http://www.musicedit.de).
Musette v2.6.3 (http://www.canzona.com/music/musette).
Music Master products (http://www.datasonics.com.au).
Music Publisher products (http://www.braeburn.co.uk/mp.htm).
Music Works Personal (http://www.tierramedia.com/home.asp).
Music Write products (http://www.voyetra.com/site).
Musicator (http://www.musicator.com).
MusicEase 8.1 (http://www.musicease.com).
Music Prototyping Studio (http://www.cognitone.com/generic/products/mps/intro/a1b2c0p0o0l1.stml)
Music Time (http://www.musica.at/software/sequenz/mtime.htm).
MusicWrite (http://www.voyetra.com/site/default.asp).
Musitec products (http://www.musitek.com/musitek.html).
Music Writer (E Voyetra Music Software)
*Noteflight - ONLINE (http://www.noteflight.com).
Noteworthy products (E Music Publisher)
Notion (http://www.notionmusic.com).
Obtiv (http://www.obtiv.de).
Octava (http://www.obtiv.de).
Ouverture v4.01 (http://www.geniesoft.com/index.html).
Personal Composer (http://www.pcomposer.com).
Percussion Studio v3.0 (http://www.henrykellner.com/PercussionStudio).
Pizzicato v3 (http://www.arpegemusic.com/index.htm).
Recordare (E MusicXML)
Olay Music (http://www.notationtechnologies.com).
QuickScore Elite products (http://www.sionsoft.com).
Salieri (E Guido).
Scorch (E Sibelius).
Score products (http://www.geniesoft.com/index.html).
Sibelius products (http://www.sibelius.com).
TaBazar II (http://www.tabazar.de/frame_e.htm).
TablEdit Tablature Editor (http://www.tabledit.com).
Tocatta (http://members.optusnet.com.au/~terryk/toccata.htm) ZA SLEPE.
Turandot (http://www.turandot.hu).
VirtuosoWorks ()
Vivaldi Studio products (http://www.vivaldistudio.com).
Voyetra Music Software (http://www.voyetra.com/site).
*Wedelmusic Editor v8.7 (http://www.wedelmusic.org).
Wolfgang (http://www.winwg.com/accueil/index.shtml)

Contrary to the sound editing software, there is not a single free tool (*) that could be put in a line with the professional music notation products, such as Finale, Sibelius, also QuickScore, Capella, Encore and few others. Nonetheless, it is necessary to emphasize that *LilyPond and especially *Wedelmusic are software tools — although somewhat less user-friendly — that can cope also with more demanding tasks if compared to the smooth interface of *Finale NotePad.

Open source projects seem to be in the category of music notation software more in their early stage than sound editing tools. The series of programs for computer notation ABC (http://abc.sourceforge.net), for instance, is more complex to work with and therefore not really attractive for a music teacher with its notorious bias contra »technical« reasoning and lack of time (the score should be written down in a computer code and not via notational interface). But there is a prospect for similar tools. MusicXML (http://www.recordare.com/xml.html), for example, tries »to learn from the mistakes of past music notation interchange efforts«, basing their further work on the two »strongest academic formats available«, MuseData (http://www.musedata.org/formats/musedata) and Humdrum (http://dactyl.som.ohio-state.edu/Humdrum). The main goal could be an easier transfer among different notational tools, which can lead to more user-friendly interfaces of the programs that, at the moment, are not a music teacher's ideal of writing musical scores.

The choice of music notation software depends on the purpose, consequently: where do we need it in the educational process?

The question is somewhat misleading, but by no means superfluous. Music notation software is in the first place useful for showing excerpts of musical pieces and not much more, if we think of it only as of a substitute for a pencil and music paper. Since it is not only a substitute for the old-fashioned media of writing down music, but — more and more — handy educational tool only if the producer of the tool enables downloading of music scores that can be reproduced in the class, literally from a view-point of a performer (with notes and sound unfolding in real time before our eyes and ears …). Some notation tools namely have even wider capacity, enabling to:

- write and edit scores,
- transform digital sound into musical notation (and vice versa under certain conditions),
- play the score and instructively present the musical flow in real time,
- analyse different aspects of the score,
- easier acces to musical scores.

A professional music notation tool is thus not only a substitute for a piece of music paper and a pen, but also a substitute for a xerox copy machine and hi-fi music reproducing equipment that can be helpful not only for historical subjects but — potentially — also in music theory and aural learning. Of course, it is only a tool that has not been developed with any particularly focused teaching method in mind: this remains in the domain of the teacher's goal as well as her / his wider beliefs and pedagogical persuasions. The music notation software is thus but a handy music teacher's tool indicating, with its technical capacities, the first two of the following three end-goals of a music teacher whose vocation is to teach the student about:

 1) music theory,
 2) aural and instrumental reproduction and  
3) music appreciation and historical as well as contemporary musical styles and practices.

The next lines are trying to give as succinct as possible compass for computer-assisted achievement of these three music-teachers’ end-goals: music theory, aural, music history.

Support for music theory and aural

The Computer-Assisted Instruction (CAI) in music — especially music theory and aural —has been developing in some American universities since the end of 1960s. The universities who nurtured that (to mention only the University of Illinois , Stanford University , The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Delaware , Florida State University , among others) grew the ideas gradually, so to speak, into a variegated field of theoretical issues and practical achievements. Don Bower, for example, in a short introduction to CAI nicely surveys the five generations of computer software and offers an instructive view of the contents involved (http://www.uah.edu/music/technology/cai/index.html).

Among the largest offers of music software is music theory, devized with different goals in mind. If for lower levels of music education suffices for students to learn basics of the tonal system, the higher-level music education demands to orientate the study toward music analysis in a wider sense of the historical embeddedness of the musical structure. In this respect, a number of links for computer-assisted music analysis can be found on the homepages of rather rare experts from this field, such is, for instance, Nico Schüler (http://uweb.txstate.edu/~ns13). This survey is confined to the computer-assisted teaching and learning of the basics of music theory since the academic computer-assisted music analysis demands much more technological culture than any of the music education institution can provide at the moment. 

Although the cross-section of music theory and aural training is the main focal point of elemental music education, the difference between the two — comprehending versus reproducing — can be kept in mind during navigation through the following list of useful software. (It should be noted that the list does not include some useful tools for rhythm, tuning and metronome, as well as karaoke.) But first:

some links to amusing software for kids:

Adventures in Musicland (E ECS Media).
Children's Software Online (http://www.childrenssoftwareonline.com).
Elements of Music (E ECS Media)
ECS Media products (http://www.ecsmedia.com).
FlexyMusic Kids Composer (http://www.fleximusic.com).
Happy Note (http://www.happynote.com).
K.I.D.S (E ECS MEdia).
Metronimo (http://www.metronimo.com/uk).
Midisaurus products (E Town4kids).
Music Ace products (E Harmonic Vision).
Musical Notes Preschool (E Pianosoft).
Musicianship Basics (http://www.nh.com.au).
PBJ Music Publications products (http://www.pbjmusic.com).
Pianosoft products (http://www.pianosoft-europe.com).
Piano is Fun (http://www.pianoisfun.com/a).
Piano Mouse products (E Children's Software Online).
Pianomouse Music Theory FUN-damentals (http://www.mccormicksnet.com).
SFS (http://www.sfskids.org/templates/splash.asp).
Smack-A-Note (E ECS Media).
Step-By-Step-Note (E Pianosoft).
Town4kids products (http://www.town4kids.com).

Attractive compositional tools for stimulating "creative intuitions while having fun with music" are:
*HyperScore (http://www.media.mit.edu/hyperins/projects/hyperscore.html).
*Impromptu (http://www.tuneblocks.com).

Aural

Basic music theory software is rather rich with different approaches and styles. Some of them are more amusing games, the other again render the usual music theory and aural contents with more monotonous pace.

It is important to notice that some companies and authors of the computer software try to accomplish a full-scale music theory program from the basics to the more advanced levels. The systems that some of the tools have for evaluating student's progress are differently conceived. Furthermore, some are intended for education whilst the others are more or less explicitly programmed for a more noble entertainment.

Along with some of the professionally developed music theory and aural software, such as Town4kids, EBC Media, Voyetra, Rising Ton, Harmonic Music, Alfred Publishing etc., a larger portion of the free software is at least partially useful for pedagogical purposes and from the different addresses given above one can gather useful collection exercises for students.

Talking about what something is or has been is a process that can be neatly described with a parable of sailing a ship: we are constantly looking for a sufficient sum of navigational data to maintain the sailing course, while at the same time it should be taken care of the weather circumstances as well as the efficiency (or insufficiency) of the boat (and, of course, of ourselves). Talking about histories (Gr. Historia means »a story«, »a teaching«, »telling«) of music, we are dealing with a large amount of data and its »transfer« from a world of »facts« into a world of differently interpretable notions, circumstances and needs … However, what can be expected from a computer for historical topoi on music? One should check Tim Smith's and David Korevaara's work to find out an answer that can still be reckoned as one of the fines at the moment: Well-Tempered Clavier — Johann Sebastian Bach: Thirty-Seven Fugues and Selected Preludes (http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~tas3/wtc.html).

It remains a fact that for a historical lecture we need facts that are elaborated by further contextualizing. Even the selection, or omission, of facts is certain interpretation of the »historical truth«. And the music history teacher has three sets of facts at her / his disposal. More specifically, there are two sets of factual data and a field of epistemological scale:

1) »musical facts«: especially musical scores and instruments, and

2) music recordings, which has always to be »nested« in certain

3) frames of thought, inevitable for music history as a subject.

That is why this chapter has three subchapters: computer-assisted fields of with »musical facts«, in this case with musical scores and instruments and recordings, and historical resources (* stands for free software/materials).

Musical facts«: Scores, Music instruments, Recordings

Instruments

Recordings

It is a somewhat different thing with the recordings as it is with the music scores and the musical instruments. There are not many people reading scores, but there are more people playing an instrument. However, both groups give in sum a negligible number of people when compared to the number of people who listen to music. Every human being listens to music. Probably this was the main reason that the music recording industry commenced an avalanche of low-cases, dealing with copyright issues with regard to the products and services on the accessible on the www. [!!! See the text in red below!] The ball began to bounce with the question of musicians' royalties when the vendors emerged with »peer-to-peer« software platforms for exchange of audio and video files among all people that were prepared to share their digital treasures with other people.

            The ensuing global question, whether »administrative« interventions posed by the www authorities and music recording industry have been successful in damming the growing number of all kinds of archival activities, is gaining answers with the results of some huge ongoing projects of digitalization of different libraries, databases and archives.

In Slovenia , for instance, the older recordings (up to the end of World War II) are freely accessible online on the site of the National and University Library Ljubljana (http://www.nuk.uni-lj.si). The same institution enables its members, among other online services, also access to the Naxos Music Library, a useful archive for music teachers.

Among useful links to musical recordings - a valuable information on recorded collections can be obtained from the Associations for Recorded Sound Collections (http://www.arsc-audio.org/) - one should mention at least the superb *Internet Archive – Audio (http://www.archive.org/details/audio), *Global musical Archive (http://www.globalmusicarchive.org), Public Domain Music (http://www.pdinfo.com/link.htm), *European Archive (http://www.europarchive.org/),

*AHRC Research Centre for the History and Analysis of Recorded Music (http://www.charm.rhul.ac.uk),
* Alan Lomax archive (http://www.lomaxarchive.com/index.html),
* Archival Sound Recordings (http://sounds.bl.uk/),
* Cltural Equity (http://research.culturalequity.org/audio-guide.jsp) (see also * Alan )
* Damian's 78s (http://www.damians78s.co.uk),
* Global Musical Archive - Digital Collection of East African Recordings (http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/ama-browse.pl),
*European Archive (http://www.europarchive.org/), nekatere zasebne, zelo zanimive spletne arhive kot je
*Global musical Archive (http://www.globalmusicarchive.org),
*Internet Archive – Audio (http://www.archive.org/details/audio),
* ITMA, The Irish Traditional Music Archive (http://www.itma.ie/),
* Magyar nédaltipusok példatára (http://nepzeneipeldatar.hu/), 
* Norvegian Institute for Recorded Music (http://www.recordedsound.no/index.htm),
* Public Domain Music (http://www.pdinfo.com/link.htm),
* Smithsonian Folkways (http://www.folkways.si.edu/),
* Taiwan Music Center (http://music.ncfta.gov.tw/gs32/mzmu/intro.html),
* World Music Archives at WesScholar (http://wesscholar.wesleyan.edu/wma),

collections of links to performers and recordings such are those by Youngrok Lee (http://my.dreamwiz.com/fischer/Ring/disco-virtuosos.htm) or Tyrone Settlemier (http://www.proaxis.com/~settlet/record/links.html), the possibilities of sound reproducing software, such as  iTunes (http://www.apple.com/support/itunes/index.html), a number of smaller or larger collections, such as Mp3 (http://www.musicmp3hq.com or http://www.schools.ash.org.au/ea lthelp/midi.htm, or http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/sta ffpages/shirk/midi.html) and beside the music archives of some larger, especially American universities and commercial databases as MP3 Music Instant Download (http://www.mp3advance.com/index.html.htm), to search also the archives of the radio broadcasting stations since some of them offer nice collections of recorded programs available »on-click«.

Music history & internet

History includes — everything: all the spheres of knowledge on music. Since such amount of knowledge can be hardly expected in reality, the widespread musicological claim does not surprise, namely that today it is almost impossible to write a history of music — the only possibility, we are told, is to render only »stories« in smaller-scale terms, such as: history of national musics, popular music history, jazz history, history of the European and American classical music etc. Nonetheless, the ideas in the domain of world music movement since the late 1980s are preserving (with new clothing) humanistic ideals of music research with a holistic view on the »musics of the world«. But even world music's enterprise remains — when sticking to the demands of scholarly excellence — fragmented, bounded to singular — local, regional, national, political or in many other ways confined individual music phenomena.

            Musicians have beside a number of splendid sources two largest music encyclopaedias: The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart. The first one is also indispensable online since 2001 as Grove Music Online (http://www.grovemusic.com) and includes also The New Grove Dictionary of Opera and The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, etc. and a huge amount of score examples (on Sibelius music notation tool).

            The computer-assisted facilities for teaching and learning music history can be found at:

Academic Charts Online. International Popular Music (http://www.academiccharts.com/).
ASCAP – American Association of  Composers, Authors and Publishers (http://www.ascap.com).
Bach Chorales, The (E PG Music )
*Biographies, Kunst der Fuge (http://www.kunstderfuge.com/bio.htm).
Classical Music Navigator (http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/music).
*Classics for Kids (http://www.classicsforkids.com/index.asp) ONLINE.
*Compumedia in Music Education (http://www.quadrant.net/compumedia).
*Digital Library, New Zealand (http://www.sadl.uleth.ca/nz/cgi-bin/library).
ECS Media (http://www.ecsmedia.com).
*ESL Through Music (http://caslt.org/research/music.htm).
*EVIA Digital Archive Project (EthnogrphicVideo for Instruction & Analysis) (http://www.eviada.org).
*Èthnomusicology Resources on the Web (http://echarry.web.wesleyan.edu/ethno.html).
*Golden pages CONFERENCE LISTINGS IN MUSICOLOGY AND OTHER LINKS FOR MUSICOLOGISTS (http://goldenpages.jpehs.co.uk/).
*Gordon Institute for Music Learning, The (http://www.giml.org) ONLINE.
*Grote Smurfs (http://grotesmurf.madscience.nl/music/index.html) ONLINE.
*Gutemberg, Project (http://www.gutenberg.org). 
History of Music (E Voyetra Music Software).
History of Music (http://www.citruscollege.com/spring/Langford/mus111/index.htm) ONLINE.
(*)History Software (http://www.educational-software-directory.net/social-studies/history.html).
*Hofmeister XIX (http://www.hofmeister.rhul.ac.uk/).
iLearnMusic.com (http://www.ilearnmusic.com).
Jazz.com (http://www.jazz.com).
Kodály Educators, The Organization of American (http://www.oake.org).
*Lesson Tutor – Music (http://www.lessontutor.com/musicgenhome.html).
MIDI in the Classroom (http://www.schools.ash.org.au/ealthelp/midi.htm).
MIDI & Music Technology Resources for Teachers (http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/staffpages/shirk/midi.html).
*MTO – Music Theory Online (http://mto.societymusictheory.org).
*M.U.S.I.C. (http://www.wpe.com/~musici).
Music Composer Quiz (E ECS Media).
*Music Education Madness (http://www.musiceducationmadness.com).
Music Education Resource Directory (http://www.musiceducationresourcedirectory.com/inclusion.shtml).
Music History Review: Composers (E ECS Media).
*MusicianBio.com http://musicianbio.com/index.php
*MusicMod (http://www.musicmod.com).
*Music Videos, Free http://www.paulsolutions.com/articles/topics/music-downloads/musicvideos.html
MusiKinesis (http://www.musikinesis.com).
Music Terminology (E ECS Media).
Music Terminology for Bands, Orchestras and Choirs (E ECS Media).
*Music Theory & History Online (http://www.dolmetsch.com/theoryintro.htm).
Online Resources, Indiana Jacobs University (http://theory.music.indiana.edu/resources/index.html).
*Opera for Everyone (http://www.operaforeveryone.com).
Oxford Bbliographies Online (http://www.oxfordbibliographiesonline.com).
* Paidéia Musical (http://paideiamusical.blogspot.com).
PG Music (http://www.pgmusic.com).
*Pianopedia (http://www.pianopedia.com).
Piano Mouse Meets the Great Composers (E ECS Media).
*Richards Institute of Education and Research (http://www.educationthroughmusic.com).
Rock+Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (http://www.rockhall.com/programs/plans.asp).
Sor Studies (E PG Music)
Switched On Sound: Movements in 20th century Music, CD rom (http://kellysmusic.ca).
Spell & Define (E ECS Media).
Symbol Simon (E ECS Media).
Time Sketch Editor (E ECS Media).
Voyetra Music Software (http://www.voyetra.com/site).
*WebMuseum Paris (http://www.ibiblio.org/wm).
(*)The Wire: Adventures In Modern Music (http://www.thewire.co.uk).
*World Music Central (http://www.worldmusiccentral.org/).

*Callaway Centre ( School of Music, University of Western Australia (http://www.callaway.uwa.edu.au)
*Center for The History of Music Theory and Literature (Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University, Bloomington (http://www.music.indiana.edu/chmtl).
*Classical Music Pages (http://w3.rz-berlin.mpg.de/cmp/classmus.html).
International Association for Jazz Education (http://www.iaje.org).
*Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org/div/mushist).
*K-12 Resources for Music Educators (http://www.isd77.k12.mn.us/resources/staffpages/shirk/k12.music.html#classroom).
*Lebrecht Music and Arts Photo Library (http://www.lebrecht.co.uk).
*Library Index, The (http://www.libdex.com).
Music Education Resource Base (http://www.merb.org).
Music Library Association (http://www.musiclibraryassoc.org).
*Music Selection Resources on the WWW http://www.halcyon.com/aseaberg/index.html).
*Virginia Tech Multimedia Music Dictionary http://www.music.vt.edu/musicdictionary).
*Worldwide Internet Music Resources http://library.music.indiana.edu/music_resources/outline.htm).

Journals

The links listed below are pointing toward huge databases. They should be, of course, regularly updated (which is by a rule of thumb not the case with the academic lists). And the best way to do that is to check the current lists within the main libraries around and, of course, to read different journals discussing specific topoi.

In Slovenia , the main addresses to find out more about specific music journals are the Department of Musicology, Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana (http://www.ff.uni-lj.si), and the mentioned National and University Library Ljubljana (http://www.nuk.uni-lj.si).

The following links give an idea about the wideness and contents to be expected from music journals:

1/1 Journal of the Just Intonation Network (http://www.justintonation.net).
19th-Century Music (http://www.ucpress.edu/journals/ncm).
Absolute Sound, The (http://www.theabsolutesound.com).
Acoustic Guitar Magazine (http://www.acguitar.com).
Acta Musicologica
*Action, Criticism, and Theory for Music Education (also MayDay Group; http://www.maydaygroup.org/ACT).
Addicted to Noise (http://www.addict.com).
Allmusic (http://www.allmusic.com).
Alternate Music Press (http://www.alternatemusicpress.com/amp.html).
Amazing Sounds (http://www.amazings.com/ingles.html).
American Lutherie (http://www.luth.org).
American Songwriter (http://www.americansongwriter.com).
*Analytical Approaches to World Music (http://aawmjournal.com).
Archiv für Musikwissenschaft (http://www.steiner-verlag.de/AfM).
*The Art of Recording (http://www.artofrecordproduction.com).
Banjo Newsletter (http://www.banjonews.com).
*BBC Music Magazine (http://www.bbcmusicmagazine.com).
*Beethoven Journal, The (http://www2.sjsu.edu/depts/beethoven/journal/bjournal.html).
*Billboard Online (http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/index.jsp).
Black music research journal (http://www.cbmr.org/pubs/bmrj.htm).
Bluegrass Unlimited Online (http://www.bluegrassmusic.com).
Blues Acces (http://www.bluesaccess.com/ba_home.html).
BMI Music World (http://www.bmi.com/musicworld/index.asp).
British Journal of Ethnomusicology (http://www.shef.ac.uk/music/staff/js/BJE.html).
British Journal of Music Education (http://www.cambridge.org/uk/journals/journal_catalogue.asp?mnemonic=bme).
Buzz Magazine, The (http://www.ozonline.com.au/buzz/index.html).
*Cahiers d'ethnomusicologie (http://ethnomusicologie.revues.org/).
Canadian Music Periodical Index (http://www.collectionscanada.ca/wapp/cmpi).
Cambridge University Press Online Journals (http://www.worc.ac.uk/services/library/Ejournals/CUP.html).
Celebrare Cantando (http://minerva2.netribe.it/sanlorenzo/celebrare_cantando.asp).
Centre de documentation de la musique contemporaine (http://www.cdmc.asso.fr).
Chamber Music (http://www.chamber-music.org).
Christian Music Newsletter (http://christianmusic.miningco.com/gi/pages/mmail.htm).
Circuit Musiques Contemporaines (http://www.revuecircuit.ca/).
Classica [ Japan ] (http://www.classicajapan.com).
Computers and Composition (http://www.bgsu.edu/cconline/home.htm).
Computer Music Journal (http://mitpress2.mit.edu/e-journals/Computer-Music-Journal).
Contemporary Music Review (http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/07494467.html).
*Country Standard Time (http://www.countrystandardtime.com).
*Creative Keyboard (http://www.creativekeyboard.com).
*Critical Musicology Journal (http://www.leeds.ac.uk/music/info/critmus).
Current Musicology (http://www.music.columbia.edu/~curmus).
DallasMusic.Com (http://www.dallasmusic.com).
Dance Magazine (http://www.dancemagazine.com).
*Dirty Linen Folk & World Music (http://www.dirtylinen.com).
Dutch Journal of Music Theory (http://www.cva.ahk.nl/tvm).
E-Discographer (http://www.hensteeth.com/e_discog).
Early Keyboard Journal (http://www.ekjournal.org).
Early Music (http://em.oxfordjournals.org).
*Early Music America (http://www.earlymusic.org).
Early Music Journal (http://em.oxfordjournals.org).
ECHO, a music-centered journal (http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/echo).
*eContact (http://cec.concordia.ca/econtact/index.htm). 
Eighteenth-Century Music (http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=ECM).
*Empirical Musicology Review (http://emusicology.org).
*Electronic Musician (http://www.emusician.com).
EST Magazine (http://media.hyperreal.org/zines/est).
*Ethnomusicology OnLine (EOL) (http://research.umbc.edu/eol).
Europäischen Music Journals (http://www.music-journal.com).
Exposé (http://www.expose.org).
*FanFaire (http://www.ffaire.com).
Film Music Magazine (http://www.filmmusicmag.com).
(*)Film Score (http://www.filmscoremonthly.com).
Flamenco-world (http://flamenco-world.com).
FolkWorld (http://www.folkworld.de).
* Gamut (http://newfoundpress.utk.edu/gamut).
Gulpin Society Journal (http://www.music.ed.ac.uk/euchmi/galpin/index.html#gw).
(*)Gramophone (http://www.gramophone.co.uk).
*Guitar and Lute Issues (http://www.orphee.com/pluck.HTML).
*Guitar Session, Mel Bay's (http://www.guitarsessions.com).
*Harp Therapy Journal, The (http://www.harptherapy.com).
Hip Rhythm Digest, The (http://www.cactusjack.com).
Historical Brass Society Journal (http://www.historicbrass.org).
Iberian Discoveries (http://www.sun.rhbnc.ac.uk/%7Evhwm002/ILM/index.html).
Intégral (http://theory.esm.rochester.edu/integral/).
*International Journal of Contemporary Composition (IJCC) (http://www.ijournalcc.com/).
*Jazz Guitar Online (http://www.jazzguitar.com).
*Jazz Online (http://www.jazzonline.com).
*Jazz Review.com (http://www.jazzreview.com).
*Le Journal du Conservatoire de Paris (http://mediatheque.ircam.fr/HOTES/CNSMDP).
*JJG Online (http://www.justjazzguitar.com). 
* Journal of folklore research (http://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/jfr/index).
*Journal of Music and Meaning, The (JMM) (http://www.musicandmeaning.net/index.php).
*Journal of Music History Pedagogy (http://www.ams-net.org/ojs/index.php/jmhp/).
Journal of Music, Technology And Education (http://www.atypon-link.com/INT/loi/jmte).
Journal of Music Theory (http://www.yale.edu/jmt).
Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy (http://music.ou.edu/publications/jmtp/index.html).
Journal of Musicology (http://www.ucpress.edu/journals/jm).
*Journal of Seventeenth-Century Music (http://sscm-jscm.press.uiuc.edu/jscm).
Journal of the Acoustical Society of America (http://asa.aip.org/jasa.html).
Journal of the American Musical Instrument Society (http://www.amis.org/pubs/journal/jindex.htm).
Journal of the Arnold Schoenberg Institute (http://www.usc.edu/isd/archives/schoenberg/jasiindx.htm).
Journals - Cambridge University Press (http://www.worc.ac.uk/services/library/Ejournals/CUP.html).
*JIMS Journal of interdisciplinary music studies (http://www.musicstudies.org).
*Kritikos (http://intertheory.org/kritikos).
La Factoria del Ritmo (http://www.justjazzguitar.com).
LaMusica.com (http://www.lamusica.com).
La'Ritmo.com (http://www.laritmo.com).
Latin American Rhythm & Sound Magazine (http://www.laritmo.com).
Leonardo Music Journal (http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/leonardo_music_journal).
Living Blues (http://www.livingblues.com).
*MandoZine (http://www.mandozine.com).
*MayDay Group (http://www.maydaygroup.org/ACT).
* Mediamusic (http://www.es.rae.ru/mediamusic/).
*MEMI (http://www.memi.com).
*Muse Magazine (http://www.musemagazine.com).
Music Analysis (http://www.lancs.ac.uk/sma).
Music & Anthropology (http://www.provincia.venezia.it/levi/ma).
*Music and Art in Action (http://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/index).
Musicology and Cultural Science (http://gesj.internet-academy.org.ge/en/title_en.p hp?b_sec=&section_l=muz)
Music and Computers (http://eamusic.dartmouth.edu/~book).
* Music and Politics (http://www.music.ucsb.edu/projects/musicandpolitics).
Music and Letters http://ml.oxfordjournals.org).
*Music Connection (http://www.musicconnection.com).
*Music from the Movies (http://www.musicfromthemovies.com).
Music Perception (http://www.ucpress.edu/journals/mp/)
Music, Sound and the Moving Image (www.msmi.org.uk) (http://msmi.lupjournals.org/).
Music Theory Online (MTO) (http://mto.societymusictheory.org).
*Music Theory Pedagogy Online (http://jmtp.ou.edu/).
Music Theory Spectrum (http://www.societymusictheory.org).
Music Therapy (http://www.musictherapytoday.com).
Music Therapy, Nordic Journal of (http://www.hisf.no/njmt).
Music Therapy Today (http://www.musictherapytoday.com)
Musicheria (http://www.musicheria.net/home).
*Musicus (http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_musicus.html).
Musica Scientiae (http://musicweb.hmt-hannover.de/escom/english/MusicScE/MSstart.htm).
Musical Act, The (http://www.act.co.il).
*Music Performance (http://www.musicpf.org).
*MusicDish (http://www.musicdish.com).
MusiciansNet (http://www.musicians.net).
*MusiTech (http://www.musitech.co.nz).
Musurgia (http://musurgia.free.fr).
*Muzikus (http://www.muzikus.cz/homepage).
Muzikološki zbornik (http://www.ff.uni-lj.si).
*Music Vision (http://www.mvdaily.com).
*NewMus MusicNet (http://www.newmus.net/nmmn.htm).
Nigerian Music Review (http://72.41.110.51/journal_index.php?jid=256&ab=nmr&OJSSID=20 0987338ff4c5fede4aba6f1963ba42)
*Odzven (http://www.sigic.si/odzven).
*Online Music Magazin (http://www.omm.de/index.htm).
*Online Trombone Journal (http://www.trombone.org).
(*)Opera Magazine (http://www.opera.co.uk).
Opera, Culturekiosque (http://www.culturekiosque.com/opera).
Paris Transatlantic Magazine (http://www.paristransatlantic.com).
Perfect Beat (http://www.dcms.mq.edu.au/perfectbeat).
Perfect Sound Forever (http://www.furious.com/perfect).
Perspectives of New Music (http://www.perspectivesofnewmusic.org).
Philosophy of Music Education Review
(http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/philosophy_of_music_education_review).
*Piano Life (http://www.pianolife.com).
Pianola (http://www.pianola.org/pages/journal/index.html).
Plainsong and Medieval Music (http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=PMM)
Podoba glasbe (http://www.podoba-glasba.si).
Polish Music Journal (http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/PMJ/).
Popular Music Studies, Journal of (http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1524-2226&site=1).
Project Muse (http://muse.jhu.edu).
*Professional Sound Magazine (http://www.prosoundnews.com).
Psychology of Music (http://pom.sagepub.com).
*ReggaeSource (http://www.reggaesource.com).
Revue of Popular Music (RPM) (http://www.iaspm.net/rpm).
Revista electronica de musicologia (http://www.humanas.ufpr.br/rem/numeros.html).
Revista Musical de Venezuela (http://www.funves.org.ve).
Revue de Musicologie (http://www.sfm.culture.fr/index.php). 
*Rock&Pop (http://www.fmrockandpop.com/v2/index.aspx).
*Rock Around The World (http://www.ratw.com).
*ROCKGRL (http://www.rockrgrl.com).
*RocjJazzRoots (http://www.rojaro.com).
*RootsWorld (http://www.rootsworld.com/rw).
School Band and Orchestra (http://www.sbomagazine.com).
*Síneris (www.sineris.es).
Sociedad de Etnomusicologia (http://www.sibetrans.com).
Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music (SPICMACAY) (http://www.spicmacay.org/library.htm).
Sonances: Studies in Music (http://www.aesthetics-online.org/events/sonances.html).
South African Journal of Musicology (SAMUS) (http://www.und.ac.za/und/samus).
STM Online (http://www.musik.uu.se/ssm/stmonline).
Tacet, experimental music review(www.tacet.eu).
*Tango Reporter (http://www.tangoreporter.com).
*Techno & Rave (http://music.hyperreal.org).
*Themusic (http://www.themusic.com.au).
*Transposition Musique et sciences sociales (http://transposition-revue.org).
* Die Tonkunst (http://www.die-tonkunst.de/index.html).
*Ultimate Band List (http://www.ubl.com).
The Wire: Adventures In Modern Music (http://www.thewire.co.uk).

Seveda je naveden le del glasbene periodike, ki zgolj nakazuje sodobno »glasbeno ekonomijo« vsakdana. Med strokovno usmerjenimi revijami so v zgoraj navedenem tudi take, kjer so članki uvrščeni brez določenega vrednostnega merila. Tudi revije včasih prinesejo to, kar je uredništvu prišlo pod roke brez tehtnejše utemeljitve. Pri tem je bralec nemalokrat v zadregi, kako ločiti zrnje od plev. Torej: kako?

What makes decision easier?

In choosing computer software for music teaching and learning, the main guidelines of the best examples from the field should be considered as, for instance, promoted by MERLOT — Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (http://taste.merlot.org).

Pragmatic decision can be reached with help by the associations for distance learning, such as: EADTU — The European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (http://www.eadtu.nl), CADE — Canadian Association for Distance Education (http://www.cade-aced.ca), USDLA — United States Distance Learning Associations (http://www.usdla.org), ODLAA — The Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (http://www.odlaa.org), ADLA — African Distance Learning Association (http://www.physics.ncat.edu/~michael/adla), COL — The Commonwealth of Learning (http://www.col.org/about), The British Learning Association (http://www.britishlearning.org.uk) etc. as well as similar sites to eLearners.com (http://www.elearners.com).

Yet one should not forget that computer-assisted learning (and teaching) is but a technical improvement of, and complement to, »the ordinary« schooling practice. The extent to which computers should be incorporated (»blended«) into the pedagogical process, and the goals that teachers, or students, have before their eyes are crucial issues that have to be defined — in the reverse order than given here! — before venturing forth into a computer-assisted enterprise in the music classroom. Both issues are more complex than they may seem at first.

One of the observers of the www traffic has noted that we often tend to overestimate the short-term effects and underestimate the ones on a long run. This thought could count also for computer-assisted music learning and teaching. And the usual complaint about the »computer space« as of a more useless than useful platform with information and services perhaps exaggerates the negative side. There are also many positive, among which one feature has a leading position: improvement of the learning process. A computer is excellent, for instance, for the student's self-regulation and real-time support in music theory and aural practice; it also enables access to the previously unmanageable amount of information about music (in addition: at anytime). Of course the negative side to this is the enhanced possibility of relativization of the semantic values that any information should have: while reducing the role of the teacher, the main experience emerges out of the relation between a student and the virtual, not real, world of information. This, of course, might be seen also in a positive way. But at the same time one may not forget that in this respect — in its socializing function — the learning process undergoes a transformation specific to the mass media growth in the first half of the 20th century: a transformation that gradually changes the function of music learning rendering personal likes and dislikes, an important prime mover of the Western musical culture, into a set of more technocratic logic in which sight reading (a prima vista) of the score equals to, say, *tetris game (http://www.happynote.com/free-tetris-game.html).

In other words: the path we are standing on should be distinguished from the purpose that has brought us there. Computer-assisted music learning helps a teacher in this respect nothing more — and nothing less — as the »old-fashioned« learning. With the widening up of the enhanced possibilities of growing data available for almost any field of music, only the teacher's responsibility increases since the dead-ends are more enticing.

P.S.

Despite some theoretical as well as practical problems brought about by the computer market novelties, the music pedagogue usually rather quickly notices the benefits of working with computers. Every effort is compensated by a lively relationship between the teacher and the computer, which is, after all, one of the central ideals also in music.

The following “research” on computers clearly describes that liveliness:

As you are aware, ships have long been characterized as being female (e.g., "Steady as she goes" or "She's listing to starboard, Captain!")

Recently, a group of computer scientists (all males) announced that computers should also be referred to as being female.Their reasons for drawing this conclusion follow:

Five reasons to believe computers are female:

1) No one but the Creator understands their internal logic.

2) The native language they use to communicate with other computers is incomprehensible to everyone else.

3) The message "Bad command or file name" is about as informative as, "If you don't know why I'm mad at you, then I'm certainly not going to tell you."

4) Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval.

5) As soon as you make a commitment to one, you find yourself spending half your paycheck on accessories for it.

However, another group of computer scientists, (all female) think that computers should be referred to as if they were male. Their reasons follow:

Five reasons to believe computers are male:

1)  They have a lot of data, but are still clueless.

2)  They are supposed to help you solve problems, but half the time they ARE the problem.

3)  As soon as you commit to one you realize that, if you had waited a little longer, you could have obtained a better model.

4)  In order to get their attention, you have to turn them on.

5)  Big power surges knock them out for the rest of the night.