Sight Read MTA - App Review

Sight Read MTA is an app I came across recently that has been getting a lot of use in my lessons the past few months.  And since it is something I have found incredibly helpful, I'm reviewing my experience so far.


This is a sight-reading app that utilizes your iPad's internal microphone to listen to what is played on the piano, and evaluates it. If its played correctly, you get a fireworks display or some other on-screen celebration AND a star added to your home page. You may be thinking this sounds similar to MyNoteGames which I've discussed before, and you'd be right. However, there are some key differences that have made this my go-to for sight reading practice:

Built in Metronome. The app gives one measure, and then the user plays along staying with the given tempo. Great practice sight reading at a consistent tempo!

Multiple Users. I already have upwards of 30 student accounts in this app, this means each student's progress is tracked. This helps me keep consistency without having to record everyone's progress by hand. It also means that students see their own page fill up with stars as they work through, and are excited to earn more.

Specialized Practice. When a student is not successful playing a line, the app zeroes in on the problem area, and gives a line of specialized practice before attempting the level again. This is perfect for taking time to differentiate line & space notes, different intervals, reading rhythms etc.

Tons of Exercises. This app includes a pretty comprehensive set of exercises in different key signatures, hand positions, time signatures etc etc. And this is where it is really set apart from MyNoteGames, which relies on a Middle C reading approach, and only covers one octave from Middle C in either direction.

So why am I sharing all of this with you? Well, adding just 5 minutes of sight reading a day to practice time will make a huge difference to any piano student, because it is such an integral part of any music education. Musicians with this skill can play music they have never heard before, and so they literally have infinite possibilities at their fingertips. My goal is to provide a strong sight reading approach, paired with positive aural training to produce skillful musicians who will be able to play by both by sight and by ear.