The Best Music Practise Apps For Students in 2025

Gary Cunningham
4 min readJan 17, 2025

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As a student, one of the most important things you need to master is having a solid practise routine. The phrase “practise makes perfect” exists for a reason. As a teacher, I am almost always met with various excuses as to why a student didn’t practise and I spend the next hour repeating the same lesson I taught the week before because they couldn’t remember what they’d been taught.

Thankfully, in today’s world of ever-evolving technology, much like most things in life, there’s an app for that! In fact, there are LOTS of apps centered around music practise.

The benefits of an app

Although I am more of a traditionalist and am of the beleif that apps should not and probably won’t ever replace your in-person lessons, having an app on your phone that is readily accessible for practise is a sure fire way of batting away those typical excuses. Not only that, with the ever growing use and development of AI, these apps can provide detailed, personalised feedback. Finally, practise is not always fun, the easiest way to combat this is through the use of gamification, which is what practise apps provide, along with the ability to track progress and unlock “achievements”, a brilliant way to keep motivation to a high.

The key features to look for in a practise app

Like most things, the practise app market is over-saturated and all of the apps claim to be the best one. It is important that you read up on costumer reviews and know what to look out for when finding the perfect app for you. Here’s what a music practise app should have:

  1. Interactive learning tools: The app needs to be able to enhance and support your practise experience with real-time feedback and guided lessons, as if an actual teacher was in the room with you.
  2. Comprehensive instrument support: The app you choose needs to be able to support you in practise your specific instrument. There are apps designed for specific instruments, more on that later.
  3. User-friendly design: There’s no point in using an app that is slow, riddled with bugs and too complicated to understand. Make sure the app you choose is suitable for your age group and easy to understand.
  4. Progress tracking and analytics: One of the easiest ways to retain practise motivation is to be able to visually see you are improving over time, make sure the app you choose has detailed ways of tracking progress as you go.
  5. Social and community features: Humans are social creatures, as a society we have become addicted to social media and sharing our lives online, why shouldn’t a practise app have that capability too? Having a community of like-minded musicians around you will inspire you to keep going and show off your skills.

The Top Apps

As promised, here is list of various music practise apps and their benefits.

Apps for General Practice

Apps for Specific Instruments

Apps for Ear Training and Theory

  • Tenuto: Music theory and ear training exercises.
  • EarMaster: Comprehensive training for all skill levels.

Apps for Collaboration and Composition

  • Flat: Online sheet music editor for collaborative composition.
  • BandLab: Combining practice with music production tools.

Choosing the right app for you

As with everything in life, everyone’s preferences and requirements are different. It is important that you choose the right app to suit your needs. When doing this, consider variables like: compatibility with devices and hardware such as MIDI keyboards, subscription costs, free trials and most importantly, whether the app aligns with your goals.

How to maximise the use of your chosen app

You’ve done your research and found the right app for you and your musical goals, now, you need to make sure you do everything you can to get the most out of it. Here are some ways to do just that:

Set clear goals for each session

When you sit down to practise, make sure you have a clear aim in mind. This could be something as simple as mastering a given scale or something as complicated as learning a Grade 8 piece of music. The important thing is that you know exactly what you are looking to achieve in order to maintain focus.

Use built-in progress tracking to stay motivated

As stated earlier, we love to see that we are improving by being able to track progress. Use your chosen apps progress tracking to keep an eye on your improvements and stay motivated to carry on.

Balance app-based learning with offline practise

As great as apps are, you can’t always rely on them. This is why there needs to be a balance between working with an app and working independently.

Integrate apps with lessons from teachers or peers

For me, nothing beats an in-person lesson with an expert when it comes to improving your skills rapidly. This is why having offline lessons with a teacher alongside your work with your app is essential.

As you can see, the world of music education is being enhanced by these apps and making the ability to practise and make progress much more accessible than it used to be. However, ensuring that you find the correct app for your needs and combining app-based learning with offline learning is the most advantageous way when it comes to mastering your instrument and musical skills.

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Gary Cunningham
Gary Cunningham

Written by Gary Cunningham

Musician | Music Educator | Brand Founder | Music Education Advocate

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