M:Tech / IAPS Music Conference - Resources

 Ableton - Learning Music

A fantastic free resource that introduces the fundamentals of music-making in a fun, hands-on way - right in your browser. Learners can explore beats, melodies, chords and song structure, all while creating their own tracks as they go. No experience or software needed, just curiosity and a pair of ears!

Ableton - Learning Synths

A brilliant interactive website that teaches the basics of sound synthesis through fun, hands-on activities - no prior experience needed. Learners can explore how synths work by playing with sound directly in the browser, making it perfect for introducing music tech in a simple, engaging way.
No software required, and it works on most devices.

Scan Score

ScanScore is an intuitive music scanning app that turns printed or digital sheet music into editable scores you can play back, transpose, or export. It works on both PC and Mac, and once scanned, you can easily export MIDI files to use in your DAW - perfect for music tech projects or composition work. With options to scan via PDF, image, or mobile app, and a fair price point, it’s a great addition to any school’s creative toolkit.

Spitfire Audio - Labs

A collection of free, professional-quality virtual instruments from the award-winning team at Spitfire Audio. LABS is perfect for introducing learners to music production and composition, with a wide range of inspiring sounds — from soft piano and strings to ambient textures and experimental tones.

Note: LABS is completely free. You may see references to LABS+, which is a paid subscription offering additional content - but the core LABS library remains free to download and use.

For those wanting to dive further into the Spitfire Audio world, they offer very generous educational discounts!

‘Play a Kadinsky’ Experiment

Bring abstract art to life with this interactive experiment from Google Arts & Culture. Based on the synesthetic theories of artist Wassily Kandinsky, this tool lets learners explore how colours and shapes can be translated into sound. A brilliant resource for cross-curricular lessons in art, music, and digital creativity.

Decent Sampler

A free, cross-platform sample player plugin that opens the door to an incredible world of creative sound libraries. It takes a little more effort to install than browser-based tools - but it’s totally worth it. With a growing collection of free and affordable instruments made by creators across the world, it’s a brilliant way to explore sampling, sound design, and music-making in any classroom or home studio.