Music 252
Music 252: Introduction to Music Notation Software
Music 252 is an introduction to music notation editing on computers, with a focus on the Finale and Sibelius programs. Students interested in learning only one of these two programs may take the class for one credit. No prior experience with these programs is required or expected, although being able to read music is. In addition, free alternatives to these two commercial music editors will be surveyed.
Contents
Schedule
The class meets from 10:00 to 11:50 a.m. on Fridays in Braun Music Building, room 128, during the Fall 2010 quarter.
| 1 | Sep 24 | Finale 1: Simple Note Entry |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Oct 1 | Finale 2: Midi Entry |
| 3 | Oct 8 | Finale 3: Editing |
| 4 | Oct 15 | Finale 4: Scanning/MusicXML |
| 5 | Oct 22 | Noteflight/MuseScore |
| 6 | Oct 29 | Sibelius 1: Computer Keyboard Entry |
| 7 | Nov 5 | Sibelius 2: Midi Entry |
| 8 | Nov 12 | Sibelius 3: Editing |
| 9 | Nov 19 | Sibelius 4: Editing 2 |
| 10 | Dec 3 | Non-interactive: Lilypond/ABC/Guido |
Textbook
- Essential Dictionary of Music Notation by Tom Gerou and Linda Lusk. ISBN 0-88284-730-9
- Sibelius: A Comprehensive Guide to Sibelius Music Notation Software by Thomas Rudolph and Vincent Leonard. ISBN 1-4234-1200-1
- Finale and Sibelius online documentation and printed manuals found in lab.
Grading
- 1 or 2 credits, Letter or Pass/Fail
- 1 credit: come to 5 classes & do final project (Typically Finale section or Sibelius section).
- 2 credits: come to 10 classes & do final project.
- Grading:
- 50% class participation
- 25% homework
- 25% final project
- Final project:
- Typeset 10 pages of music, your choice, my approval
- Preliminary project submission 12 noon, 2 December
- Final project submission due by 12 noon 10 December
Links
- Software:
- Finale homepage: commercial music notation editor.
- Sibelius homepage: commercial music notation editor.
- MuseScore homepage: free open-source music notation editor.
- Noteflight homepage: online free/subscription music notation editor.
- Lilypond homepage: free open-source music notation renderer.
- ABC plus project: musical data format designed for folksongs, with basic polyphonic capabilities that can be graphically rendered with abcm2ps.
- Guido homepage: musical data format with an online graphical renderer (Noteserver).
- SharpEye homepage: Music scanning program.
- MusicXML homepage: Music data format for transferring music notation information between programs.
- Other notation software not covered in the class: