music composition software for high school student

[Pistachio mom]

Hi. I am looking at various online choices for music notation software that will work with a MIDI connection to a keyboard. Does anyone have experience using Finale or Sibelius or one of the european software options? This is for a high school student who is constantly arranging music and needs help getting it down on paper. Thanks! I would like to use this as part of a Music theory or Music composition elective.

[Laura Corin]

Hobbes' school uses Sibelius. It works fine.

 

If you are using an overseas option, check for vocabulary differences: minims, crotchets, quavers instead of half, quarter, eighth notes.

Edited April 22, 2016 by Laura Corin

[Guest]

Ds has used Finale.  If you have an iPad, Note (or Notation?) works great too - I think it is only 6.99.

[catz]

My son has used Sibeleus and it's great, but it's also super expensive. 

 

He's also played around with MuseScore a bit and for a free tool it was pretty useful and did work with our keyboard and a midi connection.  I would try that first before buying Sibeleus.  Although now you can get monthly memberships.  When we were first looking, you had to buy it for hundreds of dollars in one swoop. 

[Pistachio mom]

Thanks for the suggestions. My daughter has an ipad so we could try out the finale app. We still have to learn how to get the printer and ipad working together.... I have heard great things about Sibeleus, too. The student Finale versions I looked at were in the $300 price range. I am hoping to find something similar maybe with a basic version that is cheaper - for beginners.  I will have to look in up again.  I did not know about MuseScore.  That  would also be worth checking into.  We need a program that will allow her to print out a hard copy with the printer. A Midi connection will help her with getting the chords on a staff, then she can edit.

[JanetC]

My kids use MuseScore which is free and open source.

 

musescore.org

 

[Paula in MS]

I really don't know anything about midi connections, but........I have been using noteflight for my piano students to compose with.  It is free, online, and user-friendly.   I'm not sure if you can connect with midi or not, though.  If you are going to do it as a class, it would be nice if he could manually notate some of his pieces at least.  It is a completely different skill to be able to analyze what you are doing and get it on paper.  www.noteflight.com

[Dicentra]

Another vote for MuseScore.  My dd has been using it for awhile and it's been great for what she wants right now.  As she gets deeper into composing, we may need to look at one of the more expensive options that has more tools and doo-dads. :)

[klmama]

http://www.finalemusic.com/products/finale-notepad/  Free download. 

[Pistachio mom]

I am in the process of comparing these options.Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. We will probably try out one of the free options first. But I like the student options for Finale (Printmusic) and Sibelius (Sibelius l first) The purchase prices are about the same - $119.95. By the time we pay the monthly fee for a year or so, we may as well buy the more basic edition. I am also exploring Musescore and Noteflight. I need to see if any of these will work both on an ipad and laptop; have midi input options via a music keyboard, editing options for the paper and mouse work, a real time keyboard midi input option, save as a variety of file types, and printable... To start, those are a few features she needs. Since she has a goal of publishing or possibly entering into music composition competition, we need to find her something that looks semi-professional printed. I also have to see if a person must be connected to the web to use the program, as our connection is not always working well.....

 I also just noticed Finale support is unlimited; while Sibelius has a limit. If it applies this way to the Printmusic/Finale and to Sibelius' Sibelius l First I still have to learn.