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.

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.