Top 5 Free Music Apps to Supplement Your Lessons

Dec 28

You just had a fantastic lesson at Farnoosh Music Academy. Your instructor at our Aurora studio showed you a new technique, assigned a challenging new piece, and gave you precise, expert feedback. You feel motivated and inspired. You go home... now what?

The time between your lessons is where the real magic happens. It’s where progress is forged. But "practice" can feel like a vague, lonely, and sometimes frustrating task. How do you know you're doing it right? How do you stay focused?

This is where technology, used intelligently, can be your ultimate practice partner.

We’ve compiled a list of our top 5 free music learning apps that are perfect supplements to your one-on-one instruction. These are not "learn-music-in-10-days" gimmicks. They are powerful, professional-grade tools designed to help you practice music more efficiently, stay motivated, and get the absolute most out of the expert guidance you receive in your lessons.

Why Apps are ‘Supplements,’ Not ‘Teachers’

First, an important note. At Farnoosh Music Academy, our philosophy is built on the irreplaceable value of human mentorship. A great instructor does what no app ever can.

An app can’t:

Correct your posture to prevent injury.
Watch your hand position and refine your fingering.
Listen to your tone and explain why it sounds "thin" and how to fix it.
Create a custom lesson plan that balances your personal goals (like learning a pop song) with your long-term development (like RCM exams).
Inspire you, empathize with your frustrations, and celebrate your breakthroughs.

Think of it this time: Your Farnoosh Music Academy instructor is the architect and the head contractor building your musical "house." They have the blueprint, the expertise, and the master plan.

The apps below? These are the high-quality, pro-grade tools in your toolbelt. A hammer can’t build a house, but it’s essential for the person who can.

Our Top 5 Free Apps to Boost Your Practice

Here are our top 5 free tools that we recommend to our students, from our youngest pianists in Aurora to our adult guitar students in Newmarket.

1. Pro Metronome

What It Is: A powerful, simple, and professional-grade digital metronome.
How to Use It for Your Lessons:
This is the #1 tool for building a rock-solid rhythmic foundation. A steady beat is the heartbeat of all music, and every musician, from beginner to pro, must practice with a metronome.

For Piano Students: Use it to practice your scales. Start slowly. The goal isn't speed; it's precision. Set the metronome to 60 BPM (beats per minute) and play one note per click. Then two notes per click. Then four. This builds finger independence and perfect, even timing.
For Guitar Students: Tired of your chord changes sounding sloppy? Set the metronome to a slow tempo and practice switching chords right on the beat. It will be hard at first, but it’s the only way to build the "in the pocket" groove that all great guitarists have.
For All Students: Your instructor will tell you to practice "that one tricky part" of your piece. Don't just play it over and over. Isolate it (just those 2-4 measures), set the metronome to a painfully slow speed, and play it perfectly 5 times. Only then should you increase the speed by 5 BPM. This is how pros practice.

2. GuitarTuna

What It Is: An incredibly accurate and easy-to-use chromatic tuner.
How to Use It for Your Lessons:
Don't let the name fool you. While it's a must-have for our guitar students, it's a powerful tool for almost everyone. Playing an instrument that isn't in tune is one of the fastest ways to build bad habits.

For String Players: (Guitar, Violin, Ukulele, Bass). You must tune your instrument every single time you pick it up. No excuses. This app makes it fast and simple. Use it before every practice session and before your lesson.
For Violin Students: This is your new best friend for practicing intonation. Since the violin has no frets, your ear is everything. Play a long, slow "A" note and watch the tuner. Is it perfectly in the middle? Now try your "B" note. This visual feedback trains your fingers to land in the exact right spot.
For Voice Students: Yes, singers! This is a secret weapon. Are you having trouble "hearing" a specific note in your warm-up? Sing the note (e.g., a "G") into the tuner. The app will give you instant, non-judgmental feedback on whether you are "flat" (too low) or "sharp" (too high). It’s an amazing tool for connecting what you feel with what you’re hearing.

3. Perfect Ear

What It Is: A "gamified" ear-training and music theory app. It turns exercises into fun, bite-sized games.
How to Use It for Your Lessons:
What’s the "superpower" all great musicians have? A great ear. Ear training is the process of connecting the sounds you hear in your head to the instrument. This app is the "gym" for your musical ears.

For Theory Students: This is the perfect homework tool to supplement your music theory classes. Use the interval-training games for 10 minutes a day. Soon, you won't just know what a "Perfect 5th" is; you'll be able to hear it instantly. This is a skill that separates the amateurs from the masters.
For RCM Students: The app has rhythm-dictation exercises where you listen to a rhythm and tap it back. This is a core component of all Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) exams. Practicing this for 5-10 minutes a day will take all the stress out of the ear-training portion of your exam.
For Songwriters: The chord-identification games are invaluable. They teach you to "hear" the difference between a major and a minor chord, which is the key to learning how to play songs by ear.

4. Musescore

What It Is: A massive, free library of digital sheet music with a built-in player.
How to Use It for Your Lessons:
Your instructor will provide your core repertoire—your RCM pieces, your etudes, your technical exercises. But what about that song from your favorite movie or video game? Musescore is the answer.

Explore Your Passion: We believe in a "Bach to Rock" philosophy. Your lessons will give you the technique (Bach), and this app can help you apply it to the music you love (Rock). Find a "simple" version of a pop song you love and bring it to your instructor. They can help you use it as a "fun" way to practice the serious techniques you’re learning.
Practice Sight-Reading: Instead of playing the same piece over and over, challenge yourself: Open a new, simple piece of music in the app every day and try to play it. This is called sight-reading, and it's a skill that will make you an invaluable and versatile musician.
Listen and Learn: The app can play the piece for you. Listen to the playback while looking at the music. This builds the crucial brain connection between what you see on the page and what you hear.

5. Your Phone’s Built-in Voice Recorder

What It Is: The "Voice Memos" (iPhone) or "Recorder" (Android) app that came with your phone.
How to Use It for Your Lessons:
This is the most overlooked, yet most powerful, practice tool you own. It is the ultimate mirror for your musicianship.

The Ultimate Truth-Teller: You practice a piece and think it sounds great. Now, record it and listen back. You will instantly hear everything your instructor has been telling you. "Oh, I am speeding up in that section." "Wow, my rhythm is sloppy there." "My voice does sound strained on that high note."
Create Your Own "Before and After": At the beginning of the week, record yourself playing your new piece. It will sound rough. At the end of the week, after diligent practice, record it again. Compare the two recordings. The feeling of hearing your own, tangible progress is the single greatest motivator you will ever find.
Track Your Lesson: Ask your instructor, "Is it okay if I record the last 5 minutes of our lesson?" Then, you can capture their summary, their key instructions, or them demonstrating a difficult passage. Replaying this during the week is like having a "mini-lesson" every day.

Your Tools are Ready. Now Get the Blueprint.

These five free music learning apps are powerful tools. They will make your practice time more focused, more efficient, and more fun.

But a tool, no matter how good, needs an expert to wield it.

These apps are the "what." Your lessons at Farnoosh Music Academy are the "why" and the "how." Our expert instructors provide the personalized, goal-oriented plan that these apps can help you achieve.

Ready to combine expert instruction with the best modern practice tools?

Call Farnoosh Music Academy today at ‪+1 (289) 879-5199 or Book A Trial Lesson online to start your musical journey in Aurora and Newmarket.

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