The Multimedia Technologies Applications indd

Bibliography
• CRHA, B. - JURČÍKOVÁ, T. - PRUDÍKOVÁ, M. (2010). Výzkum využití multimediál-
ních technologií v hudební výchově. Zpráva z grantového specifi ckého výzkumu MUNI/
A/1025/2009. (Research into the Use of Multimedia Technologies in Music Education. 
Report from the Specifi c Research Project MUNI/A/1025/2009). Teoretické refl exe hudeb-
ní výchovy (Theoretical Refl exions of Music Education), Brno, Masarykova univerzita. 
ISSN 1803-1331, 2010, vol. 6, no. 1, 288 p., [on-line] (studium/doktor/vyzkumna_zprava/obsah.htm>).

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Music Software Used by Teachers in Music 
Education at Elementary Schools of Czech 
Republic
Marek Sedláček
The research report Research into the Use of Multimedia Technologies in Music 
Education (C
RHA
- J
URČÍKOVÁ
- P
RUDÍKOVÁ
2010: 80) presents the fact that music 
education teacher, if he has a computer at his disposition and can work with it, uses 
computers especially as a searching tool for information and musical recordings on 
Internet, and for preparing teaching materials for music lessons, which are more tex-
tual (worksheets, tests). Only 120 respondents (19,5%) of all 614 surveyed teachers 
have direct experience with music software (Ibid: 90).
From the perspective of music education teachers the most widely used music 
software is Sibelius (by fi rm of the same name), a professional notation software that 
allows creation and complete editing of a whole music score or its individual parts 
with audio playback options. The software offers use of various styles of musical 
notation, including a special notation with additional modules (plugins) AudioScore 
and PhotoScore which can even create the sheet music directly from singing or musi-
cal playing through a microphone or ready-made audio recording or can convert the 
printed or handwritten score to electronic musical forms with using a scanner. Now 
this software, which is continuously improving, is not only the perfect notation tool 
but versatile multimedia one. The current version 6 is also able to create a music 
composition and notation for the video track, to work with “live tempo”, to per-
form a more realistic audio playback of scores with selected instruments, to design 
various arrangements or to check overcrossing the range of instruments and other 
bugs (the presence of parallel fi fths and octaves, etc.). The popularity of Sibelius in 
Czech Republic has ensured that its latest version fi nally has the Czech localization, 
allowing users with a language barrier to work with this software more comfortably 
and so to expand the group of satisfi ed clients. Since version 4 Sibelius also contains 
the Worksheet Creator feature, designed especially for teachers of music education 
(providing about 1700 designs, templates, examples, teaching materials and many 
other practical tools), which includes a special Internet address where teachers (or 
other users) can place their own material, worksheets, etc. even under a well arranged 
category selection whom the material staff is focused on. For these and other purpo-
ses was established the SibeliusEducation.com portal, where you can share notation, 
teaching materials throughout the world. If Sibelius was an ideal teacher’s tool for 
preparing of notation materials for music lessons a few years ago, today it seems to 
be able to work well as an interactive teaching tool in the school network version that 

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34
M
AREK
S
EDLÁČEK
can variegate the music education in interesting way. For more active and creative 
work it is a prerequisite to have a powerful computer (network) equipment, which is 
still an economic, hence a technical problem at most schools in the Czech Republic.
The stand alone educational music program of this software company is then 
Sibelius Instruments, that is an interactive encyclopedia of classical and modern 
musical instruments (50 musical instruments, 20 types of musical orchestras, ensem-
bles or groups). It includes a description of the instruments, information on their his-
tory, tuning, notation, sound samples of positions or characteristic fragments (solos) 
from concrete musical works. This interesting program would be more befi tting if 
instead of colored drawings of instruments there were included a photo or short video 
clip demonstrating how to play these instruments, how to properly hold and so on. 
The program unfortunately have no the Czech localization, which is pitty due to the 
degree of purveyed information: all information is currently only in English, which 
of course can be utilizable in cooperation with language teaching.
On the second place of project results there appeared the software product Capella 
of German company Hartmut Ring, which in its basic version enables the work with 
MIDI with a relatively simple but suffi cient notation tool. The advantage is the fact 
that since year 2000 it is completely in Czech language, including the help support. 
The software Capella like Sibelius includes a tutorial (online course) that quickly 
learn users to work with it. Another advantage was multi-license version of 2002 to 
an unlimited number of computers. For these and other reasons, it is popular and wi-
despread in Czech schools. The asset of this software is its simple and clear control, 
the negative is for example that the audio playback does not respond to a dynamic 
brand written in score. Expansion modules Scan Capella and Capella playAlong can, 
like Sibelius, convert printed sheet music into the electronic musical notation and 
its transfer into the audio fi le or making CD. Indisputable positive of Capella, but 
Sibelius too, is enhanced support for the blind people.
According to research results Finale by company MakeMusic Minnesota, inc. is 
the third most popular notation software. It competes with Sibelius in many ways. 
In current version it also exceeds common requirements for teacher preparation for 
music education lessons. Its popularity is certainly coming from the fact that in the 
fi rst half of the 90 years of 20th century it was one of the fi rst notation software 
available in the Czech Republic (along with a much simpler software, Encore, which 
fi gured in 6th place in the research results). The current version of Finale 2011 can 
similarly like Sibelius recognize the scanned score, play MIDI fi les with Smart-
Music Sound Font. For the needs of music teacher it can create various note exer-
cises in combination with 56,000 preset patterns, transform musical accompaniments 
and arrangements into audio CD or MP3. Of course, like Sibelius it can work with 
transpositions, symbols, tablature, percussion maps in advanced score editing, – all 
with built-in error checking. Finale and Sibelius are comparable programs, whose 
popularity depends more on the custom and range of usage.

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35
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SED
BY
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EACHERS
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The fourth place was taken by Cubase of the German music software company 
Steinberg (currently with Yamaha Corporation). It is professional software that inte-
grates work with MIDI, audio sequencer and notation tool. It is ideal for composing, 
creating and editing musical accompaniments, working with sound system for video-
making and creation and editing the score. Although the notation does not reach the 
quality of sub-set of specialized software above mentioned, it is nicely suffi cient for 
the needs of music teachers. It can be said Cubase (in current version 5) is a powerful 
computer recording studio.
The fi fth position was logically placed by Cakewalk of the music software com-
pany of the same name from USA, from the beginning a competitor for Cubase. Com-
pared with it, for example in terms of additional support for the so called “plugins” 
and editing options, however, Cubase prevails. However, if enough users work with 
standard MIDI/audio sequencer and do not have the high-level demands for the cre-
ation of fi nely detailed score, Cakewalk could work well for a common work of 
a music education teacher. The advantage of this program have been less require-
ments for PC hardware performance than similar software. Today, Cakewalk was 
replaced with Sonar X1, which functionally is very improved and strongly competes 
again Cubase 5.
Another software is represented by Sequel music software, of Steinberg company 
again, which is designed for composing the simple music collages by selecting from 
the prepared set of MIDI and audio melodical-rhythmical loops. This program can be 
used if necessary to quickly create a musical accompaniment, with no requirement of 
originality and novelty. In other words, it is intended for laymen, who are not able to 
create their own music. In terms of musical creativity it rather supports music passi-
vity, but under certain circumstances it may be at least inspiring.
It is evident that all this category of software mentioned above is primarily useful 
for preparing the worksheets, score and other materials or as a help tool for teacher 
himself than for direct teaching process in lessons.
Next software was known to the respondents rarely. The ‘other’ category was 
represented as follows: Noteworthy Composer (4%), Logic (2) Pro Tools (2), Notoe-
ditor (2), Mozart (2) Guitar Pro 5 (2), Nuendo, Samplitude, Reason, Reaper, FLstu-
dio, MuseScore, Ableton, Plogue-Bidule, Opus, Sonar, Wavelab, Sonic Foundry. 
Mostly they present other alternatives to the above analyzed widespread programs. 
In any case, there is no direct educational software.
On the issue of direct use of computers in music education lessons, most of tho-
se teachers who work with computers, agreed on the fact that it is a good means of 
diversifi cation or more effectiveness in education. The most common reason for not 
using computers is primarily a lack of technical equipment in terms of computers, 
lack of knowledge of work with specifi c music software, or even ignorance of those 
PC applications. Generally higher age of the teachers played a decisive infl uence role, 
though not widely (difference only 20%) – teachers of younger age (under 40 years) 

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36
M
AREK
S
EDLÁČEK
has the technical work with multimedia computers closer than older teachers accor-
ding to research results (also by hypothesis).
In any case, according to research results the majority of teachers, regardless of 
whether they work in music education with a computer or not, would welcomed the 
course to the possibilities of use with practical examples and instructions. Many fi rms 
are offering such courses that intermediate the required know-how with the possibili-
ty of help to install the PC and other technical equipment into specialized classrooms. 
One of the reputable companies in the Czech Republic with long-standing tradition 
is the studio DISK Multimedia from Boskovice, which provides the available service 
and training program “Disk for Schools” for educational institutions and establis-
hments. DISK offers them great discounts and advantages, for the employees of the 
fi rm and producers of such software (Sibelius, Steinberg, etc.) providing discounts 
very well know that investment in education in terms of education potential custo-
mers is economically worthwhile.
In 1998 on the basis of the hardware-software cooperation with DISK Multimedia 
there was installed the fi rst subject focused on work with the music software on Music 
Department of Faculty of Education at Masaryk University. Shortly afterwards, the 
initially experimental subject called Multimedia Computer Applications assigned the 
students of the fi fth year of Music Education for Elementary and Secondary Schools 
had fully proved itself and has become an obligatory part of teaching fi eld. The main 
objective was to introduce information about the existence of various types of music 
software to future teachers and by form of lectures and practical exercises to learn 
them how to use it through the example of work with Cubase as a versatile music 
software. It is gratifying that Cubase software was just one of the most frequented 
ones in the research results.
At the same time there was launched a practical subject Playing the Keyboards 
for students of the Music Education fi eld and students of Studies of Primary School 
Teaching. Since year 2010 the students of the 3rd year of bachelor’s degree of Music 
Education can attend the subject Music Software focused on introducing the educati-
onal possibilities of using music educational software.
The subject Computer Notography is offered for doctoral students (Ph.D.) by 
form of block theoretical and practical courses, where are demonstrated the elemental 
and advanced things of working with the notation software Sibelius.