If you haven’t heard of Tonara, it’s an interactive sheet music app that keeps score as a song is performed through its acoustic polyphonic score following, and automatically turns the page when the player reaches the end of a page.
Earlier this year, the Israeli startup got a financial boost from a major investment from the makers of China’s biggest search engine.
Tonara, the Israeli startup behind the eponymous interactive sheet music app, has raised new funding to the tune of $5 million from Chinese Internet giant Baidu and returning investor Carmel Ventures. Lool Ventures also participated.
Baidu is the maker of China’s largest search engine and Peter Fang, its senior director of corporate development, will join Tonara’s board. The startup says Baidu’s help will allow it to speed up its expansion in China. Via TechCrunch
The main difference between Tonara and other digital sheet music apps is that it “listens” to players and automatically flips pages during performances or rehearsals. The app is able to track a player’s position in the score regardless of background noise, tempo changes and even mistakes. This is in addition to allowing users to store all their sheet music digitally in one place.
The app can be used with pianos as well as other classical instruments, and when a mistake is made by the player, such as misinterpreting the rhythms or changing the temp, Tonara continues to follow and display where on the score the player is using a “smart cursor”.
The app was launched in 2011 as an iPad application during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. There was a live string quartet and piano on stage, as well as vocal performance – all using Tonara. It has been described as “sheet music for the iPad generation” and is expected to have the same effect on sheet music that Kindle had on hardback books.
“Tonara’s mission is to redefine the way music is taught, learned and practiced around the world by bringing music education into the digital age. We are excited by Baidu’s endorsement of Tonara’s vision and potential,” said Guy Bauman, CEO of Tonara, in a statement. “We’re thrilled to cooperate with Baidu in reaching out to the Chinese audience.” Via GeekTime
In addition to the app, Tonara (the company) has also developed Wolfie, a teaching and evaluation tool targeting music instructors.
“Wolfie is designed to help teachers focus on teaching and inspiring their students as opposed to correcting practicing mistakes, and we’re excited to be bringing that kind of optimized experience to such a massive audience as China,” Bauman adds.
In addition to launching Wolfie in Chinese, Tonara also plans to unveil new products and services designed specifically for music students and teachers in China. Via TechCrunch
As opposed to simply targeting the digital sheet music market, Tonara is focusing on the music education market in China, which is growing exponentially. This is in stark contrast to the Western world, where both classical music and music education seems to be on the decline.
Chinese boy playing piano. Photo Credit: Hung Chung Chih / Shutterstock
In places like Europe and the United States, classical music is on the decline. In 1937, the median age at classical music concerts was 28. By 2008 it was 49. Similarly, the number of American adults who said they had practiced or performed classical music in the last year dropped from 4.2 percent in 1992 to 2 percent in 2012.
But the story is completely different in China, where performing classical music is seen as a status symbol for the rising middle class. An estimated 40 million children there are learning to play piano…
“Tonara has consistently pushed the envelope when it comes to developing innovative and revolutionary technology,” said Peter Fang of Baidu. “Not only is there a huge global market for Tonara’s music education platform, a large piece of which is China, but we see many other possible applications for Tonara’s technology. We are certain that Tonara’s future will be extraordinary, and we’re proud to be a part of it.” Via GeekTime
Richie Hawtin Brings Music, Technology, & Education to Colleges on CNTRL Tour
Richie Hawtin’s CNTRL: Individuality & Creativity In Technology-Based Music tour has returned for 2015, bringing an immersive day and night of education, technology, and music to eight college campuses across North America.
The CNTRL tour launched last week and made its way to New York City this past Friday. The festivities began in the early afternoon on New York University’s campus, with a series of panels and workshops offered to students in addition to a technology marketplace. Via DJ Times
Intricate Blueprint Maps the History of Electronic Music
THE ORIGINS OF electronic music—by which we mean not just dubstep and house, but anything produced with electronic music technology—are often traced back to Robert Moog. In 1964, Moog’s eponymous synthesizers made it simple for musicians to incorporate synthetic sounds into their recordings. The Monkees, The Doors, and The Byrds were early adopters of the Moog synthesizer; it was only a few years later that dance and disco were born.
Moog can be credited with kickstarting our modern understanding of electronic music, but his synthesizer was actually based on technology from the 1800s. Via Wired
Write Music in Google Documents
VexTab Music Notation is a Google Documents Add-on that lets you write music notation in Google Documents. With the Add-on installed you can write standard music notation, drum notation, and guitar tablature in a Google Document. To do this simply open the Add-on from your Add-on’s menu, select “insert VexTab,” then start writing. When you have finished writing a segment click “insert notation” to add it to your document. The inserted notation appears as an image in your document. Via Free Technology for Teachers
Tonara, the Israeli startup behind the eponymous interactive sheet music app, has raised new funding to the tune of $5 million from Chinese Internet giant Baidu and returning investor Carmel Ventures. Lool Ventures also participated.
Richie Hawtin’s CNTRL: Individuality & Creativity In Technology-Based Music tour has returned for 2015, bringing an immersive day and night of education, technology, and music to eight college campuses across North America.
THE ORIGINS OF electronic music—by which we mean not just dubstep and house, but anything produced with electronic music technology—are often traced back to Robert Moog. In 1964, Moog’s eponymous synthesizers made it simple for musicians to incorporate synthetic sounds into their recordings. The Monkees, The Doors, and The Byrds were early adopters of the Moog synthesizer; it was only a few years later that dance and disco were born.
VexTab Music Notation is a Google Documents Add-on that lets you write music notation in Google Documents. With the Add-on installed you can write standard music notation, drum notation, and guitar tablature in a Google Document. To do this simply open the Add-on from your Add-on’s menu, select “insert VexTab,” then start writing. When you have finished writing a segment click “insert notation” to add it to your document. The inserted notation appears as an image in your document. Via Free Technology for Teachers
