Enhancing Individual Choral Practice Through an Interactive Score-Audio App

Practice Alone. Sing Together. A choral practice web app that combines interactive sheet music with synchronized playback, adjustable voice-part mixing, and tools for independent rehearsal.

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Initial situation

Many choir singers struggle with individual rehearsal outside of group sessions. While rehearsals with the full ensemble are essential, singers often find it difficult to prepare their own vocal lines in isolation.

Problem statement / Project goal

Without strong sight-reading or aural training, practicing independently can become frustrating, since it is hard to hear one's own part clearly while also keeping track of the full musical arrangement. Although resources such as MusicXML scores and audio recordings of individual parts are available, these materials are typically fragmented and lack integration into a single, user-friendly practice tool.

Solution developed and its benefits

The developed application brings together everything choir singers need for independent practice into a single, browser-based tool. Conductors can upload a MusicXML score once, and all choir members can immediately access it. The score is rendered as interactive sheet music directly in the browser, with a synchronized cursor that follows playback in real time.

• Display of sheet music rendered from MusicXML directly in the browser
• Synchronized playback cursor that tracks the current position in the score
• Individual volume control for each vocal part
• Ability to mute or isolate a specific voice to focus on one's own part
• Audio recording of the user's own voice during practice
• Upload and manage MusicXML scores for the choir
• Assign scores to specific choir groups or members
• Overview of all uploaded repertoire in a personal dashboard
• Scores are instantly accessible to all assigned singers after upload

The result is a tool that bridges the gap between group rehearsals and individual practice. Singers can work through their parts at their own pace, with both the score and the accompaniment always at hand. Usability tests conducted with choir members and conductors confirmed that the application is intuitive to use and meaningfully supports the rehearsal process.

Testimonial
«You can see the notes and hear the audio tracks of the individual voice parts. This makes it easier to isolate your own voice.»
Conductor, Usability Test

Key terms

• Choral practiceThe process of rehearsing vocal parts individually or collectively in a choir setting
• MusicXMLA standard file format for representing sheet music digitally
• Sheet music renderingThe visual display of a musical score in a browser or application
• Synchronized playbackAudio and visual score elements that advance together in real time
• Vocal part isolationThe ability to adjust or mute individual voice parts within a score

Customer

Professur für Musikpädagogik im Jugendalter, Pädagogische Hochschule FHNW
Prof. Dr. Gabriel Imthurn
Bahnhofstrasse 6
5210 Windisch

Team