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This free sample pack can be used with Ableton Live to create 8-bit compositions from over 10,000 free samples.

A list of free chiptune vsts that can be used in a DAW to create 8-bit sounds from MIDI data.

This website has free guides and tools (for purchase) that assist with repairing a variety of technology. If your hardware breaks, check this and other websites to see if there's a cheap fix.

Looper is a free, four track looper that is quantized to the metronome BPM and counts that I am developing. This program can be used to create a chamber ensemble with just yourself playing each part. Please let me know about any features you would like me to add .

Joy Tunes is a music video game for recorder or for piano; however, any instrument can be used with a microphone and a computer to control the characters and play the various levels created. There is a free portion of the game with the option to buy more levels. Some of the levels can develop ear training while others levels develop reading notation.

Noteflight allows you to write music online and embed the music as play along files on your website/blog. The service is free to use and does not require software to create the files (unlike Scorch and SmartMusic).

"This session will explore applications of video games inside and outside of the music classroom. We will explore various games, apps, and websites that allow students to engage with music through video games. Experience with video games is not required as the focus is on the unique musical affordances students can experience when engaging with music video games. Please feel free to bring an instrument, laptop, and/or tablet as we will be exploring a wide variety of uses of video games inside and outside of the music classroom."

"This session will explore potential projects that involve composing and performing music in the 8-bit aesthetic. We will also explore how the 8-bit aesthetic can be used to explore technology, music theory, and music history through composing and performing with 8-bit video games. Experience with video games is not required as the focus is on the unique musical affordances students can experience when composing and performing music to old school video games. Please feel free to bring a laptop with a way to write music notation as we will create and perform music to a live video game in the session. "

"This session will explore potential projects that involve creating music to modern video games. We will also explore how video games can be used to explore technology, music theory, music history, composing, and performing with modern video games. Experience with video games is not required as the focus is on the unique musical affordances students can experience when creating music to video games. Please feel free to bring an instrument as we will experience a mini project that requires everyone to musically contribute to a live video game in the session."

"This session will explore how to find and share resources with other music educators using a variety of social media services and tools. The focal points of this session will involve exploring where to go to find resources, how to bring the resources to you, how to save the resources for future use, and how to share the resources with other music educators. Please feel free to bring a laptop, tablet, and/or smart phone as this session will focus on hands on experience with the various services and tools."

This free software allows you to batch process a music folder's tempi; this means you can analyze the tempo of a lot of files really quickly. Once you have analyzed the files, it then adds the bpm to the files so you can sort by BPM in an audio player like iTunes.

Students can use DAWs to create music using MIDI, samples, live audio processing, etc.. Teachers can use DAWs to create practice tracks, accompany student performances, etc.

You can use the share function on EverNote to create a note that can be shared with parents or students. This can be used with private students by giving them a private link where you jot down what they are supposed to prepare for next time, how much money is on their balance, or what was discussed during the lesson. It can also be used with larger audiences to communicate homework, upcoming performances etc.. This allows you to update the notes using your phone rather than having to send out an e-mail or posting on a website.

Scorch is a free software that students can use to play along with music created in Sibelius. It works in your browser and doesn't require students to have Sibelius. I used this as a practice tool for my elementary students and even for my high school students as it allowed them to play along with MIDI at a speed of their choice.