IPad and Electronic Applications

The iPad has a wide array of applications that are increasingly being incorporated into therapy as well as increasing professional productivity. Even our phones are becoming essentials during and outside therapy sessions. By the way, don't forget to add an MTA.W shortcut to your phone! See the iPhone/iPad/Android App page for directions and visual guides

iPad/iPhone AppsEdit

Answers HD: Is an easy to use and inexpensive simple communication board that is meant to be used with children with autism. The program has the simple YES and NO buttons with sound when pressed, but the user can customize their own buttons with words or pictures. The user can also record the answers that will sound when buttons are pushed. You can use any language with the app and 30 different answer pairs can be saved in the app. You can also program up to 6 lessons plans with up to 6 pages of button pairs in each. ($3.99)

Anytune – Slow down music BPM: This application allows you to slow down a song, yet keep the same key of the song. Each song can also be transposed into a different key. Clients are able to play along to the actual recording! (FREE)

Art of Glow: Perfect for multisensory stimulation, Art of Glow allows you create sparkling, moving and glowing patterns on a black screen. Using a song about stars at night? Use the screen to create the image of glowing, sparkling stars! You can set a pattern to repeat, or allow a client to constantly be creating shapes and points of light! (FREE)

Baptist Hymnal Free: This app has over 200 free baptist hymns with four part harmony and piano sheet music, just like the hymnals in the pews at church! For an additional $9.95 you can have the entire 674 collection of baptist hymns. You can search hymns by their number, title, writer, lyric, topic, and more. And once teh app is installed, all the songs are avaible without internet connection. (FREE)

ChoiceBoard-Creator: Turn your iPad into a communication device with this free, simple app that enables you to create interactive choice boards, with "customized auditory rewards." (FREE)

Drum Kit: Choose between several different drum set ups to play on and create your own beats using only your fingertips.You can play along with songs in your iTunes library and record the beats that you create.(FREE)

FreeGuitarVideos: Offers over 70 free instructional videos with descriptions and accompanying tabs, organized by beginner and by music genre.(FREE)

Freestyle: An app that allows a person to type out their raps, pick out back beats (free ones and paid ones available, also can use songs from iTunes), and record them. It also has a search device for rhyms if you get stuck on finding the right word. Recorded raps with beats can be shared and emailed to other devices.($1.99)

GarageBand: A simpler version of the well-loved Garage Band for Mac computers. Use smart instruments with pre-recorded patterns and sounds or play your own bassline or violin part! Multiple layers can be recorded including your own voice recording. This would be fantastic for song writing or improvisation, since you can create literally hundreds of high quality, realistic sounds! From a string quartet playing a harmonic progression to a country music sounding backing track, your possibilities are endless! ($4.99)

Gutarist's Reference: A great guitar app that shows you not only the fingerings for chords (with several options) but the specific notes on the frets when playing a chord or the finger numbers for the chord. Gives you guitar triads, arppegios, a reverse chord finder tool, alternate guitar tunings, chords scale relationships, and even a guitar chord quiz. Great for all guitar level players and for learning more theory aspects of the guitar. ($4.99)

I Am T-Pain: Autotune your singing to motivate expression. Adolescents might even write and read their work if they know they can rap it back when they're done. ($2.99)

LDS Hymns: This application features PDF versions of Latter-day Saints hymns. You can search hymns by name, number or full text, access hymns by category, and select your favorite hymns for quick access later on. Some of the hymns have teh four part vocal part and the piano music, while some only have the words. Hymns can also be translated into Spanish and Portuguese at the touch of a button. (FREE)

Magic Piano: A really fun app that allows you to play the piano without knowing how to play the piano. Play the famous classics or play popular tunes that are on the radio. The app works by tapping the glowing lights when they reach the bottom of the screen and it sounds the corresponding note on the piano. There are free and paid songs, but everyday there is a new free song that can be downloaded. The app can be switched to where you have to hit the right spot (or the note will sound out of tune if not) or just tap the screen with the rhythm. The app has the option of having a competitive game mode turned on or off where a person can just free play all the songs. It has 4 different difficulty settings: easy, medium, hard, and an auto mode that senses the person's ability after a few songs. (FREE)

Mandolin Companion: Made by the same makers of Ukulele companion and incorporates all the aspects from that app for mandolin. (FREE)

Monkey Drum: It's easy for little ones to play the drum now! Play a rhythm to the monkey on the screen, and he'll play it back for you! You can create repeating rhythms using the Song Maker, or just improvise with the Monkey in the free play section to get him to play his drum too! You can save favorite songs, and also "earn" new instruments just by playing. (FREE)

Music Sparkles: An app that allows a person to play many different types of instruments with their fingertips. The app has 14 different instruments: xylophone, classical guitar, electric guitar, harp, saxophone, recorder flute, piano, accordian, harmonica, pan flute, violins, pipe organ, and synthesizer (only 2 instruments, the xylophone and drumset are available in the free version). The instruments have a variety of octaves that can be easily changed. There are also vocal notes (available in the free version) that play the C scale and sing the solfege when pressed. It has 5 different music loops that can be played in the background as an accompaniment (guitar, drums, banjo, piano, and african beat). (FREE and $2.99)

Paint Sparkles: From the makers of Music Sparkles, this is a coloring app that allows free drawing or provides pictures to be colored that is paired with music. With each stroke of your finger a classical motif plays (harp, flute, xylophone, etc.). There are many color options (and when you pick a color it says the color name outloud), paint brush options, and pictures can be saved in the iPad's photo album. (FREE)

Pianist Pro: An excellent application that can be used as a regular keyboard or changed into other sound effects, such as guitar and organ. It can be set up to any key, mode or scale, and it has the capability to record and playback. This application allows a client with limited motor skills to play along with a music therapist on an accompaniment instrument. ($4.99)

OnSong: Enter your repertoire and trade song sheets wirelessly. Spares you huge notebooks to carry and enables you to organize by genre, make books, or combine sequences to quickly flip through a single set. You can transpose with the click of a button. ($7.99)

Rhythm Pad: A drumming application which allows you to choose your drum "kit" (Hip-Hop, Rock, Dance/Club, etc.) and lay down a beat! There is also an autoplay option which provides pre-recorded percussion backgrounds! (FREE)

Six Strings: This electronic guitar application has a rich tone just like an actual guitar. However, it can be changed to different kinds of guitars and even steel drums. It has all different kinds of chord combinations, and chords can be added, if it is not included within the combination. This application is great for a client to play along with a music therapist, who may be unable to physically play a guitar. ($6.99)

Soundprism: An easy to use app for individuals that have no instrumental background to create music. Gives visualization of pitches and precise controls to create melodies, tones and chord patterns. The background colors can be changed and the music created can be recorded, saved, and emailed as a sound file. There is also the option of having background music on and using the app to create an additional track on top of it. (FREE)

Square Register: Accept credit card payment through your iPhone or iPad. The company will only charge you 2.75% per swipe, and signing up is... (FREE)

Talk Board: This application is a communication board on your iPad. Any size grid can be made depending on the client or activity. Pictures can be used from the internet, and you may add your voice to the picture for each grid square! ($16.99)

ThumbJam: This application has the capability to change into any instrument, including cello, djembe, grand piano, synth pad and trombone, and any scale, such as blues pentatonic, minor 7^th, and whole tone. The key for each scale can also be changed with just one click. It also has recording and playback capabilities. ($8.99)

Ukulele Companion: This app is very similar to Gutarist's reference, but for ukulele. This app has a tuner, chord chart, alternate tunings, metronome, drum packs (with beats to play along with), and scales guide. Like Gutarist's reference, it shows the notes being played by each finger on the fret board or the fingering (can switch back and forth). (FREE)

VidRhythm: An app that allows you to make your own music videos with different beats and video themes. You record the beat sounds with video and afterwards they are incorporated into the themed video. Afterwards the music video can be shared and emailed to other devices. When recording the beats, anything can be recorded, so instead of recording a "BOOM" sound a short phrase can be recorded and put into the music video. The app also has a auto pitch tuner that can be turned on and off and used in the music video. (FREE)

Music Therapy BlogsEdit

Music Therapy Blogs: This page provides hyperlinks to many great music therapy blogs. Please add your own blog if it belongs on this list!

http://mtequalslove.com/category/ipad-apps/: A blog put together by Ashley Lundquist, MT-BC about iPad apps in the music therapy sessions.

Other Electronic ApplicationsEdit

Professional ProductivityEdit

HassleMe This website may be silly, but it could be helpful if you need it. You set up a a reminder which will be e-mailed to you however frequently you select.

Hours Keeper lets you clock in and and out to keep track of multiple clients at once, with many options for customization including rates, overtime, timesheets, invoices, reports, etc. When off the clock, you may enjoy other similar apps such as RunKeeper or Insight Timer for documenting and analyzing perosonal leisure pusuits.