I'm at a payphone trying to call home

♫ All of my change I spent on you. Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong. Where are the plans we made for two? ♫

Well, Adam Levine, your first mistake was not having a cell phone...who uses payphones these days? 😏 Speaking of cell phones...

Today I would like to share my list of FREE phone apps that are #musicteachermusthaves! Before teaching in an elementary school, I was a Music Together instructor for 6 years. Every day I had to bring my equipment and set up my space, teach for a few hours, then pack it all up and take it home. I quickly learned that the more my phone can do and the less I have to carry, the better! 

Disclaimer: This list includes general apps and some named apps. I am not getting any kind of payment/service/endorsement/etc. for posting these. I am just sharing what has worked for me!

1. tuner: I have been using gStrings for a couple of years now. You can choose manual or automatic tuning, and it gives you a variety of stringed instruments to choose from. So, I can easily switch back and forth between my guitar and ukulele.


2. piano: I usually carry a pitch pipe with me, but this is still helpful to have if I need to get my starting note, or I want to play a short melody. I have used different piano apps, and I'm not sold on any specific one. What's important to me is that it doesn't take up a lot of storage on my phone and there's limited ads. I don't need it to have musical games or special features- just give me a piano that plays.

3. Ultimate Guitar Tab & Chords: I use this website a lot. They have a very extensive library of chord charts and tabs. I downloaded the app to make mobile viewing easier. That being said, this app asks you to upgrade ALL THE TIME. It's annoying. Maybe one day they will wear me down, but for now I will stick to the free version.

4. YouTube: There are so many great video resources on YouTube! I love checking out videos during my free time. If I find something I want to show in class, I can easily pull it up later on my computer to show my students. (Or if you have a wifi projector, you can play it right from your phone!) Some of my favorite videos are: Rhythm Lesson, The Music Show, and I Knew You Were Treble.

5. Pandora: You Pandora to set the mood during transitions or independent work time. You can also create genre specific stations to teach musical genres. 

6. Pinterest: My most used app! There are so many great resources out there. As a new & #nontraditionalmusicteacher, I wanted to make sure my students were engaged and having fun! I spent hours pinning music games, activities, worksheets, etc. Follow me on Pinterest!
I also came across some great music teacher blogs. These are some of my favorites: Organized Chaos, Make Moments Matter, and Mrs. Miracle's Music Room

7. camera: I have used my phone's camera to take pictures of where students are in line for concerts. Instead of writing it down while they are all standing there, I can go back during my free time to write it down. I can capture fun moments in class and add them to my monthly newsletter. It's also great for showing my students how they look when they are slouching during a concert rehearsal in contrast to using proper singing position. 😉

That's my #musicteachermusthaves app list. If you have any apps to add, comment below and I will check them out!

♫ ♥ Ashley