A very apt Gingerbready tale rounded off our Developing Your Practice course at the end of November, leaving us within touching distance of the Christmas holidays. Our popular 3-week course came to a close with an engaging sound story, bringing together all the elements the group had studied over the duration of the training. This […]
We know that the Christmas build-up requires careful planning, especially for musicians. With this in mind, we want to let you know the last posting dates, office closures, and other festive news from Figurenotes HQ. Last Order Date Please order by noon on Tuesday 17th of December to receive UK orders before Christmas. This only […]
Great news for Clarion users. You can now access Figurenotes colours and patterns within the instrument. “Figurenotes is an incredible resource, and we’re thrilled that it’s now accessible to musicians who play Clarion. We hope this will create new opportunities for many more musicians to make music their way!” Barry Farrimond-Chuong MBECEO, Open Up Music […]
We are thrilled to continue our relationship with BBC Ten Pieces this year. Figurenotes resources have featured in every list since Ten Pieces’ inception. This year is a corker! Not only are there 10 interesting and varied pieces by 10 incredible composers, but accessibility has become more of a focus. Open Ensembles The BBC Ten […]
I have been developing my use of Figurenotes for mainstream children of various ages through 1-1 keyboard tuition.
I’d like to share a DIY transition resource I created after inspiration from the Developing Your Practice course, as well as my takeaways from working with Figurenotes over the last few years.
Wednesday mornings have never felt so good. We were sad to come to the end of the latest Developing Your Practice course. Luckily, all participants get an individual follow-up session, so we will see their lovely, enthusiastic faces again. “Really loved this training and will be recommending it to others. Lovely tutors who really engaged […]
“Inspiring, Engaging, Informative, Fun.” “Wonderful training. Thank you!” “I’m feeling so inspired!” Trainees from the Scottish Borders We had an outrageous amount of fun last week delivering training. It was week 2 of our brilliant online course, Figurenotes: Developing Your Practice, which is always a delight. Alongside this, we whizzed down to the Scottish Borders […]
We have been in contact with some of you recently regarding the Figurenotes plugins for MuseScore 4. There were a few problems arising from changes within the MuseScore programme. We are delighted to announce that these issues have been fixed and an updated version of the plugin is now available. Please download the plugin again […]
Booking is now open for our ever-popular course for music educators and facilitators. Read on for more information, including funding pots and new discount for full-time students. Figurenotes: Developing Your Practice Come and join us for award-winning CPD for music practitioners and educators. Do you want your pupils to learn to play and read music […]
The festive cheer has well and truly taken over at Figurenotes HQ. We’ve been planning some Christmas Figurenotes activities for Drake Music Scotland musicians and thought we’d share the joy with you all. If you’re planning Christmas parties and events at your school or music setting then read on for some festive Figurenotes fun. Bauble […]
The end of November saw the Figurenotes team heading down to Southampton to present at the Music Mark Conference 2023. After the complimentary tea and caramel wafer on the tiny plane, we were set up nicely for a day of inspiring talks. The day started with a key note on Learning to Thrive in a […]
Snow is falling, all around me (we are in Scotland, after all). The children have indeed been playing (mostly Jingle Bells) and having fun. As we get the school Christmas concerts done and before the frostbite from carol singing starts to set in, we thought we’d better let you know the last order dates for […]
Figurenotes partnered with Early Years Music Scotland to deliver a free workshop in accessible notation
Only 3 places remaining on our Figurenotes: Developing Your Practice course. Delivered online in November. CPD for all music educators and practitioners.
Calling all MuseScore users. Are you up-to-date with MuseScore 4? Have you also updated your Figurenotes plugins? There are 2 plugins for Figurenotes. The first creates coloured noteheads in Figurenotes colours with just one click. The second creates shaped noteheads with Figurenotes colours for a slightly easier transition into reading stage 3. Both plugins have […]
Our staff band got a new member last week when MP Tommy Sheppard joined us to workshop some new arrangements for a youth music session we have planned. As the MP representing our local area, we are always keen to connect and share the powerful work that Drake Music Scotland does, as well as the […]
We are partnering with Early Years Music Scotland to deliver free Figurenotes training. This is part of their year-long programme of free, high-quality, creative and inspiring continuous professional development for musicians working with children in the early years across Scotland, supported by Creative Scotland’s Youth Music Initiative. Come and join us for a fun, interactive […]
In today’s guest blog we look at why Figurenotes has been so successful in additional needs settings. Iain Macleod works in Kaimes School, a wonderful specialist school in Edinburgh. They have had projects from Drake Music Scotland for many years, alongside their regular music lessons. Iain explains his reasoning for using Figurenotes in the classroom. […]
In today’s guest blog, Fiona Sharp shares the success of a talented pupil she is working with in Scotland. Fiona is an Associate Musician with Drake Music Scotland, who arranged this project. She is also the founder of F Sharp Music, recently celebrating their 10 year anniversary. Natural Talent From a very young age Arnas […]
Would you like to join our online Figurenotes course, but don’t have the budget? We can help with that. The wonderful YMI CPD fund is open for 2023! This is one of our favourite funding pots, as it applies to so many of our Figurenoters. Funding is available for training and continued professional development. Aimed […]
Did you know you can use your computer keyboard to input notes into your Figurenotes notation programme? We’ve got a lot of different ways to input notes into your Figurenotes score, so you are spoilt for choice. This one may not be as obvious as others, so we thought it needed a blog post. We […]
We have been working closely with our software developer, Tayfusion, and Drake Music Scotland Associate Musician Sorcha Pringle on accessibility within our software. This work has focused on using the Figurenotes notation software with screen readers. Access to music software is extremely limited for people that use screen readers. This isn’t right, so we set […]
After feedback that our current training clashes with the school run (we see you, jugglers) we need your help to refine our options. We want to hear from you. What time of year is best? Which days work with your workload? Which times make life easiest for you? Let us know your thoughts and we […]
The Scottish musicians and teachers among you will likely know the Youth Music Initiative well. This music education initiative, funded by the Scottish Government through Creative Scotland, has made so many projects possible over the last 20 years. It is a vital source of funding for the work that so many of us deliver. Drake […]
We’re feeling particularly festive this year. Everyone is in need of a big bucketful of joy after such a tough period and we’re hoping the Christmas break will deliver! Stock up on your mince pies, get out your fluffiest slippers, and enjoy not listening to Jingle Bells being played 30 times a day. Relax and […]
“Not only was the training great, it was also really fun, which is so important” As always, we had an absolute blast delivering the Figurenotes: Developing Your Practice course. The interactive elements always have everyone smiling and it really brightens our day to work with such enthusiastic music leaders. The inspiration was sparking for our […]
It was a long wait, but our first in-person training since the pandemic started took place last week. It was an absolute joy. We delivered training to new Associate Musicians of Drake Music Scotland who are working with the Sound Explorers projects. They spent two days in the company of Drake Music Scotland staff, with […]
Did you miss out on our online course back in April? Well, we have great news! Figurenotes training is BACK 🎉 for all teachers, tutors, music practitioners, and music therapists. Join us for Figurenotes: Developing Your Practice, running online in September. Live delivery takes place in small groups on Thursdays, September 16th, 23rd, and 30th. […]
Our highly sophisticated random selection tool has chosen a winner for our Figurenotes Champion competition. Congratulations, Lifesize! You have won a bundle of Figurenotes goodies, including a stickers value pack, your choice of tune book, a year’s subscription to the Resource Base, and the new Figurenotes Software (which you’ll receive as soon as it is […]
“Really great to see everyone’s ideas and the range of different minds from all over the world – great for inspiration!” We had a fantastic time delivering our new online course designed to help people explore Figurenotes within their own teaching settings. Running 2 small groups across 3 weeks of training, we’ve really enjoyed getting […]
As a private, neighbourhood piano teacher, my goal is to help all of my students feel successful. FigureNotes has helped my traditional and non traditional learners be successful in learning to play piano. What’s been your biggest success using Figurenotes? I had created a methodology for my non traditional students but learned about FigureNotes and […]
Lifesize is a community interest company based in Hastings and St. Leonards-on-Sea, UK. We provide music and arts engagement with young people and adults. We are focused on delivering a unique and community orientated music and arts provision. We use traditional instruments as well as digital and analogue technology. We are interested in expanding audiences […]
“I thought you’d like to hear this story” is always an intriguing start to an email. We LOVE hearing your anecdotes and this is such a lovely one. Jill Henderson, at Craigmarloch School in Inverclyde, Scotland, sent us this wonderful story from her lessons and kindly let us share it with you all. Both Jill and […]
Offering private violin lessons in the south of Edinburgh. Run by Lauren Clay, also a member of the Figurenotes team at Drake Music Scotland, lessons are always taught with an emphasis on accessibility. Figurenotes is used as both a supporting tool for particular areas of learning, namely rhythm, and as a key learning tool for […]
ELM School of Music was founded in January 2010 by Emma Lines and provides private instrumental tuition, events and workshops in the City of Edinburgh. Emma is a Board Commissioner with the International Society for Music Education’s Commission on Special Music Education and Music Therapy, and an elected member of the Music Education Council (MEC) Forum in the […]
Drake Music Scotland is the nation’s leading arts organisation providing music making opportunities for people with disabilities. Our expertise in inclusive music technology and specialist teaching methods support people of all ages and a wide range of disabilities to play, learn and compose music independently. We are the proud home of Figurenotes training, resources, and […]
I primarily teach adults and children with disabilities to play, rock, folk, Broadway, and jazz using Figurenotes. I teach a Special Music Education graduate course in Connecticut at the University of Bridgeport that includes a teaching component with our bands. Each student is assigned to mentor and arrange a song the musician would like the […]
We are a SEN school located in the north east. We co-run an open orchestra with Musinc and Beverley school. We use a lot of Figurenotes to teach music – mostly keyboard skills. How has Figurenotes helped your organisation achieve their goals? Figurenotes has given the pupils a bridge to gain practical music experiences. What’s […]
ELM Music Therapy provides music therapy sessions in the North East of Scotland. How has Figurenotes helped your organisation achieve their goals? Sometimes within music therapy sessions a client will express a desire to learn to play a musical instrument together. With the use of Figurenotes these clients have very quickly been able to achieve […]
We are thrilled to be part of Drake Music Scotland‘s Challenge Project with Creative Informatics. Could you help us find our Challenge Responder? “Drake Music Scotland’s challenge is to create a new online platform that will transform their Figurenotes resource base into the world’s first and most comprehensive inclusive music hub. They would like to […]
Feature your organisation on this site and across our social media channels – join our Figurenotes Champions Showcase! We know our global Figurenotes users often feel isolated, as many musicians and educators are self-employed or are the only music teacher in their school. There are so many fabulous organisations out there doing amazing work with […]
After a year of lockdowns, school closures, and U-turns, many of you will be total pros at remote, hybrid, synchronous and asynchronous lessons. Here we compile some of the top tips we’ve gathered along the way. Breakout Rooms = Practice Rooms Delivering to a group and need to check up on their individual work? Whether […]
Emily Carr-Martin from Hear My Music has continued to provide high quality music provision during lockdown. Here she gives us an insight into how they moved sessions online, as well as some of the unexpected benefits of working in this way. I’m Emily and I’m the creative director of Hear My Music, a charity enabling […]
Fiona Sharp of F Sharp Music Practice has had great success with her online music sessions during 2020 and into the new year. As many musicians worried about their future work opportunities, Fiona has continued to provide high quality sessions for many organisations including PAMIS and Drake Music Scotland. She has also delivered training sessions […]
We’ve got a special Christmas treat for members of our Resource Base – a new Musescore plugin! Subscribers to our Resource Base have long been able to download a plugin for Musescore that allows you to change the noteheads to Figurenotes colours with one click, giving you stage 3 Figurenotes notation at the touch of […]
The world’s first online Figurenotes training programme has launched! Figurenotes Online: Developing Your Practice This new interactive course is suitable for all music educators and practitioners; enabling you to begin or further your work in an accessible, inclusive way. You will take part in 3 interactive sessions with expert course leaders and small groups of […]
If you’ve ordered Figurenotes Stickers recently, you might have noticed a slight change in their design. The same shapes and colours as before, but without the shadows. We think this makes the shapes clearer and easier to see on the instrument – and you seem to agree! Thank you to everyone that has helped us […]
As a strange summer stretches before us, musician Francis Moore-Colyer looks ahead to the joy of what is to come. “After a long time at home, we can start to get excited about the future. When you feel ill, the very best bit is how good you feel when you’re better again. When you miss […]
Musician Francis Moore-Colyer talks about some of the ways technology has helped us through lockdown. “I find that making music can be light relief from ‘work’ – household chores, schoolwork, shopping for groceries, etc. Taking part in music can be a release from these mundane or stressful things, because it sets off lots of sparks […]
Musician Francis Moore-Colyer shares some ideas for unlocking your creative side during lockdown. “If you have to stay at home, you might have more time to get creative. Everyone has a creative side, so let yours out! Thankfully, most of us have access to the internet or recorded music, which means we can play along […]
Lockdown has brought different challenges to different people. You may have discovered that you’ve got tonnes of time to practise. Maybe you’re juggling multiple responsibilities and need to make your practice time as efficient as possible. Or you might find that having lots on your mind means you can’t concentrate very well at the moment. […]
Figurenotes projects have led to nominations in FOUR categories of the Scottish Awards for New Music 2020. Diversions, written by Ben Lunn, was performed by Drake Music Scotland’s Digital Orchestra and Hebrides Ensemble. The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh was the setting for this accessible concert of new works. Figurenotes was used by some members of […]
Please note that, while our online shop is still open, there is likely to be a delay in processing orders due to the coronavirus. The situation is changing quickly and we will be following governmental advice on how we handle it. We will be available via email on figurenotes@drakemusicscotland.org, but our phone lines will be […]
We are very excited to see that the BBC Young Composer competition is accepting alternative notation. This means you can enter with your Figurenotes scores! This would make a great project for a school class, as the deadline isn’t until 11th June 2020. Plenty of time to learn how to create your own original music, […]
Our ever-popular training for music teachers and practitioners returns on Saturday 21st March, 2020. Come and develop your knowledge of creating a more inclusive music classroom. Whether you work in a mainstream setting, as a private teacher, in a specialist environment, or any other music-making context, you’ll learn how to realise your pupil’s potential. You’ll […]
December is upon us and the festive season seems to be in full swing here in Scotland! You’ve probably been preparing for concerts and end of term performances before a well-earned break. Before you get cracking with the Christmas cheer, we thought we’d better give you a few bits of housekeeping news. In order to […]
“Today’s training has been a fantastic experience. Fantastic course and people! Thank you very much!” “Music Teacher’s Toolbox has given me a new way to approach teaching, making music easier to understand and play. Everything was fantastic! I got a very comprehensive understanding of Figurenotes. I’ll be back for the next one!” “Really brilliant! I […]
Are you our Figurenotes Officer Maternity Cover? We have an exciting opportunity to work with Drake Music Scotland, the nation’s leading organisation providing music education possibilities to disabled musicians of all ages. Based in Edinburgh, we have been working for over 20 years to enable people to learn, play, compose, and perform music. You can […]
This November, Music Teacher’s Toolbox will have a reinvigorated structure. Although we always vary the activities, this training day will look a little different than usual. This Music Teacher’s Toolbox will lead you through building up a rounded musician, focusing on the core skills a musician should have. Get new ideas for each stage of […]
“I feel sorry for those people that couldn’t make the training today, as I think they’ve missed out on something great!” It is always wonderful to get a glowing review from our training sessions. Over two days, this one combined both Figurenotes and demonstrations of the technology that Drake Music Scotland use in their work. If […]
You know it is a good summer when even up in Scotland we get a heatwave! Our staff will be making the most of the weather and getting their holidays in while schools are off. It is generally a quieter time here at Figurenotes HQ, as our school and community projects take a break and […]
If you follow our Facebook page, you may have noticed our new series of video tutorials. Commissioned by The Space, we have launched a series of ‘How To’ videos giving step-by-step guidance through many aspects of learning to play music with Figurenotes. Each video tutorial features a different expert from Drake Music Scotland, showcasing plenty […]
“I loved my day. Thank you very much. You have inspired me and made me very excited to get back to school and get started. Today has even made me want to learn how to play the guitar!” Our last Music Teacher’s Toolbox was another fantastic day spent with an enthusiastic group of teachers and […]
As Drake Music Scotland celebrates 20 years of pioneering work, we hear from Chief Executive, Thursa Sanderson, on the role Figurenotes has played. From its establishment in 1997 Drake Music Scotland’s primary purpose was to create music-making opportunities for disabled people of all ages. For the first 10 years this was primarily achieved through the […]
This wonderful project, which uses Figurenotes to help in the recovery from eating disorders, was brought to our attention recently. The instant accessibility of Figurenotes seemed to work really well in this scenario and allowed the group to compose and express themselves without any prior musical knowledge. My name is Nadine Allan and I am […]
Not a sentence that many people in the UK have uttered in the last week, but we have been extremely lucky with the weather! Why? Emma, Pete, and Lauren just managed to get out of the country before all flights were cancelled. Boston played host to the Massachusetts Music Educators Association (MMEA) Conference 2018. Drake Music Scotland and […]
From banging out some beats on the drum kit, to beautiful marimba solos, Figurenotes works brilliantly with percussion. After all, rhythm is at the heart of the Figurenotes way. Figurenotes is perfectly suited to playing in a band. We pride ourselves on creating a rock band in a very short time, which we nearly always do on […]
Figurenotes is perfectly suited to the piano. By placing stickers on the white notes, we make it much easier to see the repeating pattern of notes that the piano has. Each note has a colour and each octave has a shape. You can see the relationship between notes, while still seeing them as different. Match the note […]
Proceeds from Figurenotes resources go to Drake Music Scotland. This wonderful charity enables people with disabilities to learn, compose, and perform music. “Our vision is to transform people’s lives through the power of music. We play a lead role in making Scotland a place where ground-breaking new music featuring skilled musicians and composers with disabilities comes alive for […]
When did you last invest in yourself? Twice a year, we run a full day of training for music educators and practitioners. At the Music Teacher’s Toolbox, we’ll give you a good grounding in how Figurenotes can support your work and help your pupils flourish. This training is always tailored to the participants, so let us know […]
Well, we are nearly there. You’ve heard your pupils play Jingle Bells approximately a bazillion times and you are ready to park yourself by the fire with a well deserved mince pie. Before you get cracking with the Christmas cheer, we thought we’d better give you some wee housekeeping news. In order to get your […]
We have a new, easy way for people to access stage 3 of Figurenotes. Figurenotes progresses through 3 stages towards reading standard music notation. Stage 3 is coloured note heads. Until now, stage 3 has only been available via plugins (available from the Resource Base) for use with Sibelius or MuseScore. Now, the people at Steinberg have […]
A vibrant group of people attended last week’s Music Teacher’s Toolbox. We had a mix of mainstream teachers, music specialists, music therapists, SEN/ASN teachers, and community musicians. Two teachers travelled all the way from Barcelona, continuing our tradition of attracting an international crowd! “Good to get ideas for using/introducing Figurenotes into classroom teaching. Good to hear […]
“I am so excited about this!” “I’m so glad I came to talk to you. This is great!” “Ooh, this looks fun!” Lauren and Emma were greeted with lots of big smiles and lightbulb moments during the ABRSM Conference. Many teachers are looking for extra tools in areas where their students may struggle; some just want a […]
So you want to be a rock star? Start a Figurenotes band! Beginners can start playing together very quickly. This is shown brilliantly by our instant Figurenotes bands on training days. There are many ways to learn guitar using Figurenotes. The route you choose will depend on the style of music you want to play, whether you […]
This mini-series started with strings, worked with woodwind, and now we are blowing the trumpet for brass! There are Figurenoters doing some brilliant things with brass. Take a look at Favela Brass in Brazil as a prime example of what can be achieved. We are in no way dictatorial about how you use Figurenotes with […]
For the second instalment of our mini-series on how to use Figurenotes with different instruments, we will focus on woodwind. In the last blog, we covered strings and how to get started. This focused on violin, but can be applied to viola, cello, and double bass. If you have any thoughts or questions, please let us know. […]
We have had a few requests for blogs focusing on using Figurenotes with different instruments. I’d like to start, as a violinist, with strings. There was a wonderful pilot project, when Figurenotes first came over to Scotland, at Greenmill Primary School. This research project was a joint venture between Drake Music Scotland, RSAMD (now RCS), […]
Once again, the BBC have asked us to create accessible resources for their Ten Pieces initiative. The BBC are launching their third list of ten pieces, all chosen with the aim of opening up the world of classical music to a new generation. BBC Ten Pieces invites students to develop their own creative responses using a […]
I know you teachers are a committed bunch and spend much of your holiday time thinking about next term and updating your lesson plans. With that in mind, I’d like to give you a little inspiration for your upcoming lessons. If this feels too much like hard work right now, save this blog and come […]
Mark Browne and Jill Reeves have been using Figurenotes to great effect at Craigmarloch School, so we asked them to share their experience. Figurenotes has revolutionised music here at Craigmarloch School. Its visual style and literal colour-matching logic has engaged pupils at all ages, stages and levels, and it has become integral to learning across […]
At Drake Music Scotland, the charity behind Figurenotes, we love using Thumbjam. Obviously, we love using Figurenotes too, so we wanted to find a way to combine the two. Our Associate Musician, Clare Johnston, came up with a brilliant way to use Figurenotes with Thumbjam on the iPad. Clare is a bit of a Thumbjam virtuoso. […]
You can now book your place on our award-winning training: Music Teacher’s Toolbox – Saturday 18th November, 2017, 10:00 – 16:00. Whether you are an experienced Figurenoter or you are just starting out, you will leave with a head full of ideas and inspiration. There is so much to be gained from our expert trainers […]
Our award-winning training is back! Due to a flurry of recent training enquiries, we thought we should open booking for November’s Music Teacher’s Toolbox. This time around, Resource Base members get exclusive access to pre-sale booking. Only a limited amount of places will be released, so make sure you grab yours early. All members of the Resource […]
It’s not every day you get to workshop with a Grammy award winning musician. Michael League from Snarky Puppy kindly gave up his morning in Glasgow to work with members of Drake Music Scotland’s Digital Orchestra. This group uses all kinds of technologies to compose, play, and perform music: Notion and switches, iPads, synths, and more. […]
Creativity needs nurturing. Parents and teachers often put the focus on technique and ‘getting it right’. I admit that I often get bogged down with this when teaching my violin pupils. Lots of older pupils get nervous when asked to compose or improvise, which can be a hangover from the ‘getting it right’ approach, prevalent in schools and […]
“It has been so awesome! Having fun just reminded me to be using Figurenotes more. Loved it all!” “Renewed enthusiasm with new ideas and different ways of working. Excellent day. Great fun. Well done!” “Thank you so much for a brilliant and inspiring day! Loads of questions answered. The presenters were great!” We had an absolute […]
In part 3 of her series of guest blogs, Matilda Brown lets us peek behind the scenes at her work with pupils from Hampden Primary School. You can see tips and ideas of how to get to this step by reading parts 1 and 2 of this series. Part 3 – Composing at Hampden Fun […]
In a new series of guest blogs, Matilda Brown, composer and community musician, gives us an insight into how she uses Figurenotes with pupils. Matilda uses her work in special schools to demonstrate particular ways into using Figurenotes, which work wonders with beginners of all ages. Look out for part 2 and 3 over the […]
You booked it – we made it bigger! Due to a rush of bookings, we have decided to release more places for our Music Teacher’s Toolbox on 25th March. Get in quick before we run out of space again. You’ll get expert guidance on using Figurenotes with different instruments and in different scenarios. You’ll learn how […]
We are delighted to announce an exciting new partnership with Snape Maltings (formerly Aldeburgh Music). Their Friday Afternoons project encourages children and young people to sing. Since 2013, there have been more than 80,000 participants, from all around the world. New songs are commissioned annually, with the most recent compositions from Jonathan Dove, creating a song bank […]
Are you visiting the Music Education Expo this Friday? Make sure you’re at stand M1 at 3pm. We are launching some exciting new resources in partnership with Friday Afternoons. Snape Maltings (formerly Aldeburgh Music) is hosting the launch at the Music Education Expo with a visit from Emma Lines from Drake Music Scotland, the charity behind […]
Sam Dook from ‘Carousel’, a disability led arts organisation in Brighton, tells us of the joys of collaboration and composition, along with some great advice on which resources to use to get you started. For the last two years we have explored implementing Figurenotes in our music projects. It has proven to be very successful; perfect […]
We wanted to start 2017 with some positivity, so when Bern MacLeod emailed to tell us how they’ve been using Figurenotes in a project in Uganda, we thought we should share it with you all. How do I tell the story of Figurenotes in Uganda? In 2015, we conducted workshops where 22 orphan students from […]
Figurenotes HQ will be closed from lunchtime on 15th December until 4th January 2017. I can’t say whether Santa and the elves work here the rest of the year, but that can’t be a coincidence! Please be sure to get your orders in by 10am on 15th December, in order for our elves to work their […]
We asked Santa and he can’t find your names on the naughty list, so you must have been very good this year. We’ve decided to treat you all to a Figurenotes Advent Calendar. Sign up via the mailing list and we’ll send you a gift each Sunday of Advent. From resources to discount codes, those […]
One of my favourite jobs on a weary Monday morning after a weekend of training is reading the feedback forms. It is so rewarding to see how valuable this type of training is to so many people. Some of our most experienced Figurenoters were training alongside those completely new to this way of notating and learning […]
“I just love it. It has worked so well!” “Wow! Figurenotes really transformed my lessons. I love it!” “The way of displaying rhythm is brilliant. It makes total sense.” “I’ve tried to use colour before, but Figurenotes is just perfect.” We were drowning in compliments at the ABRSM conference. With over 500 instrumental teachers attending, […]
“You’re going to need a bigger boat” – Music Teacher’s Toolbox is proving so popular that we’ve booked a bigger space. Looking at a fully-booked CPD course, we thought we’d better make room for some others, so we have released 2 more places. You can see the full programme and book. Please remember to fill […]
Fiona Sharp uses BBC Ten Pieces and Figurenotes in perfect harmony, leading her groups to stage 3 Figurenotes. Learning the coloured note-heads is only one step away from reading standard notation. For three years I have been leading Figurenotes focused projects with pupils in the Support For Learning Department at Arbroath High School. I have been […]
Drake Music Scotland, the charity behind this site, recently won a Curiosity Award. This has allowed us to make a demo Figurenotes app, which we hope will act as preparation before taking up an instrument. The app will develop musical skills in a game-like environment. We don’t know if this app will be made available to the […]
Emily MacQuarrie tells us how she easily overcame the fact that the colours of tuned percussion don’t always match up with Figurenotes. I am a music teacher at Drummond School Inverness, a school for pupils aged 3-19 who have additional support needs. All of our pupils have severe learning difficulties and many have severe and […]
Ok, so your school may not have a Steinway, but I’m sure we have all run into this issue when using Figurenotes in schools. Those beady eyed Figurenoters among you may have seen that we now have Reusable Stickers in our online shop. These went down a storm at the ISME Conference at the end […]
Have you ever wanted to be part of an orchestra? The BBC have launched their Get Playing initiative, which includes a virtual orchestra. You record your part in time with the conductor and they’ll do the rest. You could feature in the Last Night of the Proms! Worried about reading the music? Don’t worry, we’ve […]
We now have a dedicated space on our Resource Base for BBC Ten Pieces. So, if you’ve been wanting to get involved, but weren’t quite sure where to start, or if you’ve been brimming with ideas and want even more, click on over to our Resource Base. We have lesson plans, scores, creative activities, poetic […]
Did you know that Figurenotes is SQA approved? You can use Figurenotes for both performance and composition in SQA exams all the way up to Advanced Highers! This means that accreditation can be opened up to a huge range of people that struggle with traditional notation, whether this is because of additional needs, such as […]
We are super excited about presenting with the Finnish creators of Figurenotes at the ISME pre-conference seminar on Special Music Education and Music Therapy! Figurenotes will have quite a presence at this incredible conference. You’ll also be able to get our event discounts on resources. There will be performances, workshops, presentations, and papers from international stars […]
Adam Featherstone, a teacher from Middlesbrough, tells us how he used music from Harry Potter to inspire a creative project with BBC Philharmonic musicians (pictured above with a musician from Priory Woods). I started to use Figurenotes in March of 2015 starting with whole class electronic keyboards, using single note melodies. I quickly progressed to […]
Most teachers and Figurenoters tell us that tutorial videos are the best thing for them to learn from (apart from our excellent training days). We have been busy updating our old Figurenotes software tutorials on YouTube. Some have already gone up, but we would love to take your suggestions for more! If you have any suggestions […]
This Sunday, we will be setting off bright and early to the EPTA conference in Edinburgh. To those not in the know, EPTA is the European Piano Teachers Association. After chatting with EPTA at the Music Education Expo in February, they got very excited about the potential of Figurenotes for their members, and invited us […]
We love watching the end of this video. People often start off scared, thinking they are ‘unmusical’ or that they can’t do it. That feeling doesn’t last long with Figurenotes. That moment when you think you aren’t musical… …and you discover you can play with Figurenotes!
Our Music Teacher’s Toolbox was a huge success last Saturday! Not only did we explore how to make the most of those minuscule music department budgets, but we rocked out to everything from Prince to the King of Pop. Our participants arrived with limited or no knowledge of the software and left us Figurenotey technical […]
The nicest part of our job here at Figurenotes HQ is when we go out into the big, wide world and share our knowledge of inclusive music education. That magic spark when you see a fire light behind the eyes of a music teacher or practitioner, knowing that what they do with that inspiration will change the […]
Apologies to any customers experiencing problems with Figurenotes software v3. Some issues have been reported, which can’t be fixed immediately, so we are withdrawing it from sale for the time being. We will be in touch with those of you affected directly and if you experience any problems, please let us know, as this information […]
We cannot wait for April 23rd. Why? Because Music Teacher’s Toolbox is back! Come and join us for some seriously inspirational CPD from the experts at Drake Music Scotland. This training day is perfect for all music practitioners, educators, therapists, and community musicians. The full programme can be found here. • Get a tutorial using […]
To stay up to date on v3, please join our mailing list Improvements to the new software will include: Triplets – This opens up a whole new world of pieces to play. A little bit overexcited about finding all the pieces with triplets in. First stop, Mars! Text Boxes – Moveable text boxes allow greater control […]
We recently sent three of our Figurenotes gurus down to London to spread the word at the Music Education Expo 2016. Welcome to all those that we chatted to on our stall. Welcome to our community of Figurenoters and brilliant teachers, musicians, and all-round inspirational people. Join our Facebook group if you want more contact […]
We are off to London for the Music Education Expo, 2016! Figurenotes has been shortlisted for the Best SEND Resource in the Music Teacher Awards for Excellence. We won this award in 2014 and it is very exciting to be shortlisted again. Fingers crossed! Come and see us during the Music Education Expo on Stand […]