Appmuse

I click to turn on the metronome and .. nothing, total silence (the intro video played just fine). That kind of blows the whole thing… This is on an iPad.

The basic idea of Read Ahead is pedagogically good, forcing you to read ahead & develop confidence in hands & keys. But the app could well include feedback on playing accuracy to be more helpful. I have a MIDI keyboard connected and it is entirely feasible for the app to at least tell wrong notes (other apps do) and perhaps even timing. I don’t think meaningful enhancements like this are being done on it any more. EDIT: (to developer response) Thanks for the response. “Learn to hear your own wrong notes” sounds good. But the app (a) won’t record and playback MIDI which is what my piano feeds my iPad, and (b) won’t play the original correct score either. Or did I miss these functions? Hoping to be constructive & that you find some ideas for improvement! Show more

This app helps develop one of the most important aspects of sight reading, and does so through engaging and well-selected repertoire. I have used the app in group piano settings and student response has been very positive. I will certainly continue to include it in my teaching, and highly recommend it to anyone trying to develop or improve sight reading skills efficiently. Show more

I had been looking for a long time a way to prevent myself from going back to double check notes while attempting to sight read. This app does the trick for me. I love it! Show more

After updating as required at the end of the open access period, I find the that timing and navigation are off. For example, it seems that there is a fixed time to finish a song and then the app goes to the next page. Sometimes an activities (songs) cannot be finished unless the fastest metronome setting is used so that it can be completed in the time given. Hopefully this can be fixed in a quick bug fix release. I’m sure this is not the intended behavior. Show more

It’s ok, but full of bugs.

This app might not look as fancy as many of the other ones on the app store right now, but after downloading ten different sight reading apps and trying them all over the past week, this one is easily my favorite. You can tell this app was made by people actually trying to help others learn music. It's extrmely methodical, and its main "gimmick," erasing the measure you're currently supposed to be playing, is genius, and *forces* you to sight read ahead of where you're playing, whether you want to or not! Fantastic learning tool. My sight reading is improving significantly already. My thanks to the authors. The whole app is currently free until June because of Covid-19, but I'll still be purchasing to support such a helpful learning tool. Being able to sight read is a priceless gift to me! Show more

Love the concept and design of this and would definitely like to use it with my students, but have noticed some issues that will make it difficult, like lag or inconsistency in the way the disappearing measures advance, particularly across page turns and repeats. Occasionally have had whole pages of music disappear then reappear as the counter advances. Also had the metronome get stuck on the tempo setting page, then when I advanced to the sight reading page, there was a second metronome for that, causing two unsynchronized clicks. If these bugs can be sorted, this would be a really awesome teaching tool! Show more

This is a great app but currently on the 10.5” iPads (current air and past pro models) the buttons on most “read ahead” exercises are cut off at the bottom of the screen. In this way you can’t actually get to the most important parts of this app. I reached out to the developers and was told that they are working on an update to address this issue. Fingers crossed this can be resolved soon. I had used this app on an iPad Mini before and think it is a fantastic use of the iPad for sight reading. Show more

The app in not working anymore☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️ I paid for it.. it just hangs and not playable.. I used newer and older iPad with same result...

Great app for developing sightreading skills. It's so well-sequenced and pedagogical sound. I am a piano teacher and I have tried many sightreading app and books. This is by far the best. What I like most is the "disappearing effect of the music" to encourage students read ahead. Show more

Each in-app purchase unlocks the full 10 day section, not just the single locked day.

The app looks like it would be great, but it keeps crashing and getting hung up and is very slow to load pages. Is the app "buggy" or is it just not particularly functional on an old iPad2? I'd buy a new iPad if I were convinced the app would work. Show more

Doesn't work as splash screen stays on for over 2 minutes. Please fix.

I've been a fan of the Read Head concept since the earlier versions of the app. Unfortunately, the app is virtually worthless due to crashing and the resulting inability to progress through the program due to subsequent levels and exercises being completely locked down. In the current version, I'm unable to get past level one because the app always crashes in the middle of the final read ahead activity. Apart from the bugs itself, this is the major issue I have with the app: everything past level 1 being locked (I assume until you complete level 1 in its entirety, but seeing as I haven't been able to I can't say for sure...). This makes no sense, for several reasons. While not a real fix, making all levels and exercises available would have left a work-around for any bugs - if a particular exercise crashes repeatedly, you can just move on to the next one. Also, this would allow you to choose the level to start your training based on your personal skill and experience. For example, I have a master's degree in piano so level one is not challenging enough; however, while I am very technically proficient, I was never actually taught sight reading and struggle immensely with reading accompaniments and standard repertoire pieces at sight (especially fast ones), so would probably slot in around level 3 or 4. I'd say perhaps there should even be some sort of initial "placement exam" you're given, but at this point I'd much rather the app actually work than see new features or more unnecessary tinkering with the interface/graphics. Show more

I bought the iPad just to get this app. I make all my students get the app too

I am a classically trained pianist who has been teaching piano for 40 years and have a very active studio of 35 students. Sight reading is the first thing we do at every lesson, and I am always looking for fresh ideas to bring to my students. One thing I have done for years is to "force the eyes ahead" by covering up the music with an index card as the student reads/plays the music. This Read Ahead app does that by having the music disappear as the student reads. Excellent! There are several reading components to each lesson, and each day is a little different but the disappearing music is the core of the reading program. Some parts of the lesson can be recorded but not assessed by the system. The student has the opportunity to assess his or her own performance at the end of each lesson. Because the system does not have the capacity to "grade" the students' reading I find that it is most useful at lessons with a teacher present for younger students, but can be a marvelous tool for older students and self-starters as an at-home reading skill builder. If/when the developers create an assessment feature to this system I will insist that my younger students have it for at-home sight reading every day. In the mean time, I highly recommend the principles and methods used in this sight reading program. Show more

After a lifetime of pianism - I am now 73 - I am so inspired by this program. I could always play by ear, which helped me avoid the work of sight reading. I also sang, and 'got by' by reading intervalically, and probably also by internalized knowledge of key signatures and their translation pianistically. I wish I had known this program when studying. My "talent" made it easy, as a young person, to avoid the hard work of learning to sight read. This is a great tool, and I highly recommend it. Show more

I hope they add some more exercises. I would pay for an app like this, that had more exercises, I sure hope they expand the program.

As a piano teacher, I downloaded this to try out for students. I found it helpful as you get to work your sigh treading ability in different ways, from small sections to reading ahead to looking to patterns in the music. I would recommend this to my students at about an early intermediate level and higher. This is not for beginners. Show more