Abstract
Photo of Kevin Poole by Melissa Poole
Music Theory Tutor provides an excellent method for studying music theory. It is extremely easy to use and is formatted in a clear manner. Lessons are sequenced well, and there is ample opportunity to practice learned skills. This program provides sufficient guidance to master many theory concepts; however, in a classroom setting, it may be difficult to use effectively.
The program offers more than 230 lessons organized by grade level. Each grade presents lessons on rhythm, melody, and harmony. The lessons contain excellent graphics that illustrate each topic, followed by activities that include some participation (e.g., singing or humming, tapping on a keyboard). After lessons on either rhythm, melody, or harmony is a quiz that checks for understanding. There is a final exam before you can move on and unlock the next grade level. Exercises focus on very specific concepts and build gradually in a logical sequence. There is a wide breadth of material presented, and I was impressed that topics covered very basic information (What is a beat? What is a staff?), all the way to advanced music theory (diminished seventh chords, median chord function, and hearing seventh chords—all included in Volume 2). From a teaching standpoint, I appreciate that the program forces the user to take quizzes and exams before unlocking the next section (although there is a feature in the software’s Settings where you have the option to unlock the next section or unlock all content).
Music Theory Tutor provides an Intelligent Practice feature that creates exercises designed to improve a user’s weaknesses. I found the Intelligent Practice feature helpful, although not as individualized as I had hoped. When I tried practicing with it, twice I was given the exact same two questions on an exam even though I had answered the questions correctly the first time. I would like to see more targeted questions based on previous responses. One extremely helpful feature of the program is the Statistics area, which provides data on progress, skills, quizzes, and exams. The data is presented clearly with graphs and allow the user to easily track his or her progress.
While this program works well for a single user, I can imagine some problems using it with an entire class. You could easily unlock all the sections and present a specific lesson to the class. However, it would be very hard to have the whole class participate with the interactive activities. There is no option to assign individual log-ins, so each student would need a copy. As of now, there is no app version of Music Theory Tutor, so my students using Chromebooks would not be able to use this software.
Music Theory Tutor provides excellent information in a clear manner and is a great resource for students interested in learning music theory. As a resource for classroom instruction, it has a few drawbacks but could be used to supplement instruction.