I have spent the past few days investigating several smartphone applications related to Music Theory. As a composer, I find this process necessary. Music Composition often requires having the capability to explain the theoretical and analytical processes behind writing a new piece of music: not just saying things like, “I wrote the music because it sounded good.” What I found in terms of Music Theory applications for smartphones has presented mixed results and demonstrates good (if, at times, imbalanced) approaches to the materials presented and the target audience. This post will present a short compilation of applications designed to teach concepts in Music Theory. It is not intended as a series of thorough product reviews. My goal here is to briefly address what these apps concentrate on and highlight possible problems. I will focus on apps that are currently available on Google Play via Android phones—apps that I have access to because I use Android. To avoid any future complaints and backlash from Apple users: Yes, I am aware of Music Theory apps on iOS.

Many of the apps that I located and tested tend to discuss Music Theory in basic terms for audiences who mostly have no experience in music, or for musicians who want to strengthen their skills in Music Theory. In this case, this refers to the tonal Music Theory of the “Common Practice Period” (before the rules changed and expanded in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries) through scales, key signatures, intervals, chords, and Ear Training. These concepts can be found in apps like Music Theory Helper, Perfect Ear, and Sonid among others. Perfect Ear and Sonid demonstrate intriguing approaches to Basic Music Theory through gamification: presenting courses and lessons to audiences in a way that feels more like a game instead of academic work. The formatting for Sonid also draw heavy inspiration from the Duolingo language learning app, complete with a mascot (a whale).

These are all fine attempts, but what about the more complex parts of Music Theory? Where are the apps that teach people about Neo-Riemannian Theory, Twelve-Tone Serialism, and other concepts? This is where Google Play could use some more work. While I was unable to find anything related to the chord transformations in Neo-Riemannian Theory, I did manage to find a few resources for post tonal music analyses. There is the DodecMatrix app, which I talked about in previous posts-- and had negatively reviewed the 2018 update. That app underwent another update in early 2021. Despite its flaws, that app allows people to create twelve-tone grids for serial music composition and offers the possibility to switch between the musical alphabet and pitch-class numbers, as well as play back each row in the grid. The Pitch Class Set Calculator and Set Class Calculator apps enable the creation of musical pitch-class sets. They indicate how to properly organize the sets, determine symmetry, and offer lists of lists of all combination of pitch-class sets by chord type, interval vectors, and Forte Number categorization. As many can probably tell from this complex description, those two apps assume that people know how to use the calculators and do not offer visual guides that physically show people what these sets look and sound like.

That last part is, perhaps, the biggest obstacle that I have encountered when looking for Music Theory apps that focus on contemporary analytical techniques. How can app developers present the information to the public in a way that is easy for people (especially, those outside of music) to understand? Granted, I am far from finished with discussing this topic. While the apps that I have seen represent a good start, there is still more that needs to be done. There are more concepts in Music Theory that need exploration in app form: concepts that are necessary to learn in a university or compositional setting. I will, however, discuss that in a later post.

Some may recall back in May when I briefly wrote about El Mes de la Radio (Radio Month) in Puerto Rico. I also noted some dates that could cause some confusion if not clarified, like World Radio Day on February 13 and National Radio Day (today’s date) in the United States. Instead of regurgitating what others say about National Radio Day (that it is a time to remember the creator of the radio Guglielmo Marconi—even though researchers like Allison Marsh find that part of history debatable), I want to take things in a different direction. Over the past few years, radio has gained importance due to the necessity for its historical preservation. The Library of Congress founded the Radio Preservation Task Force (RPTF) in 2014 as an extension of the National Recording Preservation Plan. This task force follows an approach akin to ethnographic field recording preservation through finding, collecting, archiving, and researching radio recordings (specifically rare or endangered ones) for academic purposes.
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Cultural preservation in radio equally deserves attention: both in terms of broadcasting and applying forms of technology through podcasts and Internet accessibility. I discuss this point in my upcoming musicological work on the Gullah/Geechee people in the coastal regions from North Florida to North Carolina. I not only look at how this community of descendants from West Africa have used radio stations (like Gullah/Geechee Riddim Radio and WKWQ 100.7 FM) and podcast interviews (like this episode of The Stoop) to educate audiences about their history, language, music, and social customs. They also preserve their heritage by accurately representing themselves to prevent mainstream radio corporations (like the ubiquitous iHeartRadio) from interfering with and exploiting their identities. 

Music has served as a vital tool for drawing attention to social and historical moments. This is especially true when considering the music featured in sporting events like Baseball, Football, and the World Cup Soccer tournament (otherwise known as “the other Football”). When it comes to the Olympics, which most of the world is currently watching, there have been countless pieces and popular songs written for both the summer and winter variants of the occasion. To clarify, “the Olympics” refers to the modern version since 1896 based on the ancient Greek competitions. Rosie Pentreath notes that the first modern Olympics, which took place in Athens, Greece featured the premiere of the "Olympic Hymn" by Spyridon Samaras (composer) and Kostis Palamas (lyricist). Pieces written for the Olympics are often commissioned by members of the Olympic Committee or for televised broadcasts and are intended to convey the strength, determination, and global unity of the competition.

I would be remiss if I also did not include the "Olympics Theme Song" (Bugler's Dream") by Leo Arnaut (1904-1991) and “Olympic Fanfare” by film score coposer John Williams (b. 1932). According to Griffin Harrison, these pieces have been used for televised broadcasts of the Olympics since the 1960s and 80s: the first theme initially used by ABC and the second used by NBC. It was not until the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia that NBC decided to combine the two themes 
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Notice that I said that popular songs have also been written for the Olympics. This illustrates the inclusivity of multiple musical genres beyond Classical. Over the decades, many performing artists have tried their hand at writing songs that attempt to capture the exhilaration of the sporting events: some songs done well, others poorly executed. The Olympics theme song “Reach” by Gloria Estefan stands out to me: in part, because it was written to commemorate the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. That specific event holds a place in my childhood memory, because I remember physically witnessing part of the “Running of the Torch” throughout the state of Georgia while I was  living in the city of Columbus at the time. “Reach” is also a memorable theme song because the material focuses on more than just sports. It is about perseverance and aiming for success and goals in life.