Hello everyone,
As always, we want to keep you up to date on all the great things we are working on. In the next few weeks, you will see some considerable enhancements to the Flat for Education platform.
We know that you, music educators, are constantly seeking innovative methods to enhance teaching and learning. Our educational products, Flat for Education and the add-on 'Music Snippet', are designed with this in mind. We want you to continue creating engaging lessons and assignments within our web-based software and your documents and presentations. This is why we are implementing some new features that we want to talk to you about today.
Let’s explore what’s changing 👀
Music Snippet Improvements
For those unfamiliar with Music Snippet, it's an add-on that enables anyone to incorporate music notation and tabs into documents and presentations easily. All Flat for Education users receive complimentary access to it. This allows you to fully insert notations into Word/Docs and Slides/PowerPoints, as well as access your entire score library directly from the add-on.
How can I use Music Snippet with my students?
Teachers have found various uses for Music Snippet. Some notable examples include:
- Creating printable worksheets and exams
- Incorporating musical elements into lesson plans (created on Google Slides or PowerPoint)
- Sharing end-of-the-year projects with parents
Students also have access to Music Snippet and use it to create engaging presentations or portfolios.
Discover how a dedicated teacher built an entire curriculum for her students using Music Snippet.
Music Snippet Case Study: Curriculum Building
Latest Updates
Over the past few months, we've focused on enhancing the stability of Music Snippet to upgrade your experience with this add-on. Moreover, we've introduced several valuable features you might not be aware of. We're highlighting these today to ensure you fully benefit from this powerful tool.
- More export options
Now, you have the power to customize your snippet exports:
- Choose between exporting select measures or the entire score.
- Select your preferred page layout.
- Merge rests as needed to streamline your composition.
- Decide whether to show or hide the time signatures.
💪🏻 These subtle choices empower you to create content that's perfectly tailored to your needs.
- Multi-instrument snippet creation
Now, creating snippets with multiple instruments is very simple. You just need to open the snippet tool and add the instruments to your creation.
If you want to learn more about our latest Music Snippet updates and how to use this tool like a pro, we have the perfect guide for you👇🏼
Music Snippet for Microsoft Word & PowerPoint
Last but certainly not least, we have some exciting news about our Music Snippet add-on—it's now available for Microsoft users! Now, you can use this exceptional tool to craft your musical scores directly within Word and PowerPoint. This integration is designed to streamline your teaching process, making it easier and more efficient to create engaging activities without leaving the Office environment.
How to get Music Snippet
Installing Music Snippet in Microsoft Office is very simple:
- Open Microsoft Word or PowerPoint
- Click on "Add-ins" under the "Home" tab
- Search for Music Snippet and select
- Sign-in using the same email address as your Flat for Education account
- Ready!
Once you have Music Snippet in Word or PowerPoint, it is time to start creating amazing music and resources for your students!
Major upcoming enhancements
The notation editor has been the centerpiece of our journey from the beginning. Even though we've successfully launched interactive assignments, the ability to compose remains a crucial part of Flat for Education. To meet your expectations, we're continually developing innovative features.
New Instrument templates
Setting up a score can take some time, so we have created templates for the most requested instrument combinations to get your ideas written down quickly. Very soon, over 20 Instrument templates will be added to your library.
Need help getting started with your first score? Check our guide below!
Getting Started on Flat for Education's Notation Editor
Resource Library Assignment-Sharing
We are delighted to announce that the Resource Sharing is almost ready! This innovative new feature allows educators who work within the same school or district to conveniently share assignments with each other, thus enhancing collaboration and resource optimization.
Key benefits include:
- The ability to share your own educational resources and to utilize your colleagues' resources as and when needed. This promotes a sense of community and collaboration among educators, allowing you to leverage shared knowledge and teaching materials for the benefit of your students. This feature is also an ideal companion for incorporating your school or district's music curriculum directly into Flat for Education, one assignment at a time.
- Enhanced assignment discovery and filtering. This feature will allow you to easily find and sort assignments, making it easier for you to find the resources you need when you need them. This streamlined process helps save time and ensures that you have quick access to the best and most relevant resources.
- The feature also supports faster product discovery. As you share and use shared assignments, you'll learn more about how to navigate and use the Flat for Education software effectively, further enhancing your user experience.
- Align your assignments with your curriculum. Shift from theory to practice by creating activities using our Sample Resources or leveraging those crafted by fellow educators in your organization. This approach enhances the learning journey, making your educational material relevant and engaging.
With this latest assignment-sharing update, we aim to make the learning process more collaborative and interactive. We believe that by sharing resources, you can deliver a richer, more diverse learning experience to your students by saving time creating the resources.
In the meantime, if you need any support creating assignments, explore our guide below.
Using the Resource Library on Flat for Education
Pricing Adjustment to Support Growth
As we continue our mission to elevate music education, we're thrilled to announce the above suite of enhancements coming to Flat for Education. We're proud to be making it easier and more intuitive than ever for educators and students to collaborate and create beautiful music.To support these advancements and ensure we keep delivering the high-quality experience you expect, we'll be adjusting our price to $4 per user (the price may vary based on the currency), effective June 1st.
This change is pivotal for us to sustain our growth, invest in innovation, and enhance our offerings.We understand the importance of affordable access to quality music education. That’s why we’re excited to point out that, even with this adjustment, a classroom of 50 can get online with Flat for Education for just $200! In recognition of your ongoing support, we’re offering current users the opportunity to renew their licenses on a multi-year basis at the existing rate before the new pricing takes effect. This means you can lock in the current price for 3-6 years! We will also honor renewal quotes created by June 1st for the upcoming school year.
We're here to answer any questions or discuss how these updates can benefit you. This journey is about making music education as impactful and accessible as possible, and we’re excited to move forward with you.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to develop and enhance your Flat for Education experience! We're committed to creating an engaging and effective learning environment, and we're excited to see how this new feature will contribute to that goal.
Feedback?
If you have any questions or suggestions for our product team, please reach out: edu@flat.io.
Have a wonderful day!