My name is Marc Sabatella, and I am the founder of Outside Shore Music - a pioneer of online music education since the dawn of the web. As the creator of Mastering MuseScore, A Jazz Improvisation Primer, and other resources, I have dedicated most of my life to helping as many musicians as I can. Subscribe to my free newsletter for MuseScore tips, theory insights, and more information on how to create your best music!
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Hello! We're approaching the end of the school year. I'm basically done with my university teaching, but my wife is teaches elementary school music and is reaching the culmination of her year: the class musicals. I'll be there Thursday to catch the action, and I will be broadcasting the Music Master Class from the music "classroom" (actually the auditorium stage). So don't be surprised if some school-related themes come up!
Also, see the last section "In Theory" below for information on a challenge that comes with a prize for the winners - a free All-Access Membership subscription to the Mastering MuseScore school and community!
MuseScore Café
This week in the MuseScore Café with Marc Sabatella, we continue our first-Wednesday "Ask Me Anything" series! Come with your best questions and I'll do my best to answer. If you need to share a score in order for me to help, please post it to the Conversation space.
The free MuseScore Café is live on Wednesday at 12:30 PM Eastern (16:30 GMT, or 17:30 during the winter months), and you can access past episodes in the archive.
Tip of the Week
If you've ever wished to quickly select all lyrics, or all dynamic markings, or all notes, MuseScore makes this simple. Just right-click (or use the equivalent touch gesture, like two-finger tap) one such element then click Select / Select All Elements:
If you need to get pickier about your selection, try the More option. Here for example, I am selecting all quarter notes on beat four of any measure:
Music Master Class
This week I will discuss some recent music shared in the Mastering MuseScore Community, including some thoughts on the harmonies in the challenge by Abraham Ben-Ze'ev and the latest on the Composition Round Robin started by William Halsted . I'll also show you what my students at Regis University managed to do with my composition Pie Jesu, and we'll hear the school song my wife Kari wrote for the elementary school where she teaches and where I'll be broadcasting from this week!
The free Music Master Class is live on Thursday at 12:30 PM Eastern (16:30 GMT, or 17:30 during the winter months), and you can access past episodes in the archive.
In Theory
For those who missed last week's Music Master Class, we launched a the challenge that involves creating your own composition based on a chord progression that is itself a reharmonization of a Handel melody. Three winners will receive All-Access Membership subscriptions to the Mastering MuseScore school and community. We'd love to have you participate! For more information, see the post in the Mastering MuseScore Community, and be sure to join the community while you're at it if you haven't already - it's free!
Outside Shore Music / Mastering MuseScore
by Marc Sabatella
My name is Marc Sabatella, and I am the founder of Outside Shore Music - a pioneer of online music education since the dawn of the web. As the creator of Mastering MuseScore, A Jazz Improvisation Primer, and other resources, I have dedicated most of my life to helping as many musicians as I can. Subscribe to my free newsletter for MuseScore tips, theory insights, and more information on how to create your best music!
Hello! Thanks for bearing with me over the past week as I was setting up my new studio. While I still have work to do, we should be back to business as usual with respect to my live events.Meanwhile, this week in Practical Counterpoint, we're wrapping up our initial exploration of writing for three or more voices, and in Music Master Class we'll be looking at your projects on this topic. Mastering MuseScore If you are interested in getting the most out of the world's most popular music...
Hello! I wanted to give you a heads up that I am in the process of setting up a new studio, so bear with me if there are any glitches in my live events this week.Meanwhile, this week in the Practical Counterpoint course, we're continuing to expand to three parts and beyond. I'll be posting some new things for us to work on shortly. Mastering MuseScore If you are interested in getting the most out of the world's most popular music notation software, join our community with a Mastering...
Hello! In the Practical Counterpoint course, we're moving on to working with three or more parts, which has implications both for the types of textures and harmonies you can create. One of the most interesting things that should come from this is a realization of just how much of what there is to know about harmony can be learned - and indeed, was originally developed - through the study of counterpoint. Those of you in the course will be experiencing this first-hand, but as always, everyone...