Got Questions? We've Got Answers!

Dynabuddy is a music education streaming service designed to help beginner and intermediate band students learn music.

There are 12 types of videos, each with a different activity to help students learn and practice music. All videos include:

• Simple instructions
• Original music
• High-quality recordings that students either play along with or echo
• Music notation (sheet music)
• Self-assessments
• Encouragement to continue learning

• Instrumental technique
• Rhythm studies
• Music vocabulary
• Sight-reading
• Music theory
• Focused listening
• Ensemble and solo performance
• Rhythmic improvisation
• Pitch/tonal improvisation
• Sing/vocalize
• Count rhythms
• Assess their progress

1. Go to www.Dynabuddy.com
2. Click “Start Free Trial”
3. Enter your email and credit card information

*Click here to see exactly what to do

1. Go to www.Dynabuddy.com and log into your account
2. Click “Account Settings” in the upper right corner of the screen
3. Click “Purchases”
4. Select “Cancel Subscription”

• $6.99/month for individuals
• $59.99/year for individuals (30% discount)
• Group rate discounts for band programs and school districts. Get in touch for more information about bulk subscriptions.

Woodwinds:

• Flute
• Oboe
• Clarinet
• Bass Clarinet
• Bassoon
• Alto Saxophone
• Tenor Saxophone
• Baritone Saxophone

Brass:

• Trumpet/Cornet
• French Horn
• Trombone
• Baritone/Euphonium (bass clef and treble clef)
• Tuba

Percussion:

• Snare Drum
• Mallet Instruments

-Xylophone

-Vibraphone

-Marimba

-Bells

-Glockenspiel

1. Set up your instrument and get ready to play
2. Find the playlist for your instrument at www.Dynabuddy.com
3. If you are a beginner, start with Video 1. If you are not a beginner, find the video number your teacher has assigned to you
4. Press play. Follow the instructions in the video. Have fun!

*Click here for more information about finding the right video to play

To get the most out of Dynabuddy, we recommend:

1. A quiet space to practice
2. A stand for your phone or tablet to ensure good posture
3. Wired speakers, open back/open ear wired headphones, or open back/open ear wired earbuds*

*These kinds of audio setups work the best because they allow students to hear both Dynabuddy audio and their own instrument clearly while practicing. 

There are currently 100 videos available for each instrument, and 82 videos available for classroom ensemble use.

We are in the process of uploading the full Dynabuddy video series. Check back for updates about when new videos become available. The full series includes:

• About 8,500 videos total
• Over 8,000 videos for students’ home practice
• About 500 for each instrument
• Over 400 videos for classroom use

Videos range from 2-10 minutes in length. Most videos are 3-5 minutes long.

The videos are designed for beginning to intermediate students. We created the videos with students aged 8-20 in mind, but they can help students of any age.

For kids who are learning to read, the videos will be most useful if parents or teachers can help read the on-screen directions.

Videos are labeled using three pieces of information: instrument, video number, and category.

1. Find your instrument:

Each instrument has its own playlist
The instrument name is also included in the title of each video
Classroom videos do not include instrument names. They are intended for full ensembles

2. Video number:

In general, video numbers reflect the difficulty level
For instance, Video 100 is more advanced than Video 1
Classroom videos have a “C” after the video number, like Video 1C

3. Category:

Videos are designed to engage students in different ways by rotating through a series of 12 different musical activities. Click here for a detailed explanation of these activities and their labels.

• Videos with a "C," like Video 1C, are intended for teachers to use in the classroom
• Videos without a "C" are intended for students to use at home

Any of the videos can be used by a teacher or a student, in the classroom or at home. These labels are just our suggestions.

Teachers can use Dynabuddy videos to support any musical activity they have planned. Here are some examples:

1.  Warmups
   • Get Ready videos: Long tones, scales, arpeggios, articulation, etc. (Learn more here )
2.  Rhythm exercises 
   • Sync Up videos: Listening, clapping, counting, and vocalizing rhythms without instruments (Learn more here)
   • Inside Info videos: Music theory and fundamentals concepts, including rhythm and meter topics (Learn more here)
   • Catch The Groove videos: Listening and echoing rhythms on a single pitch, then playing along with notation (Learn more here)
   • Make A Beat videos: Rhythm improvisation (Learn more here)
3.  Pitch or intonation activities
   • Get Ready videos: Long tones, scales, arpeggios (Learn more here)
   • Inside Info videos: Music theory and fundamentals concepts, including scales, key signatures, and harmonic concepts (Learn more here)
   • Catch The Groove videos: Learning a new note; Listening and echoing rhythms on a single pitch, then playing along with notation (Learn more here)
   • Your Choice videos: Pitch/tonal improvisation
   • Play By Ear videos: Pitch discrimination, listening and echoing (Learn more here)
4.  Sight-reading
   • Mix It Up videos: Sight-reading; Extra challenge: sing the melody after playing on an instrument (Learn more here)
   • All Together Now videos: Sight-reading, ensemble performing; Listen and play different parts of duets, trios, quartets (Learn more here)
   • Bonus Level videos: Cumulative sight-reading; Combines material from prior videos (Learn more here)
5.  Instrumental Technique
   • Power Up videos: Exercises to address technical challenges that are unique to each instrument (Learn more here)
   • Get Ready videos: Long tones to practice breath control; Articulation to practice tonguing; Scales and arpeggios to practice fingerings (Learn more here)
   • Mix It Up, All Together Now, Bonus Level videos: Sight-reading; Putting instrumental technique into performance context
6.  Music Theory
   • Inside Info videos: Explanations of music theory and fundamentals concepts (Learn more here)

We also recommend using Dynabuddy videos for assessments, homework assignments, sectionals, and especially to create quick and easy substitute lesson plans.

Yes! Use Dynabuddy videos to create complete lesson plans or supplement your existing plans to make it easy for your sub and productive for your students. These videos can be a life-saver, especially when you need a substitute at the last minute or your sub has no music experience. 

• Videos can be used for lessons on a specific topic such as dotted quarter notes, teaching a new note, or learning a crescendo
• They can be used to teach general topics such as dynamics, intonation, rhythmic accuracy, or sight reading
• Supplement your existing lesson plans by using Dynabuddy videos to guide warm-ups, introduce a specific rhythm, or review a music theory concept before rehearsing your ensemble's repertoire

Yes! We created the video sequence and content with National and State Standards in mind, using NYSSMA Standards as a guide. Dynabuddy videos meet all of the 2014 National Standards and most of the 1994 National Standards, including:

1994 National Standards for Music Education

• Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
• Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
• Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments
• Reading and notating music
• Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
• Evaluating music and music performances

2014 National Standards for Music Education

• Performing
• Creating
• Responding

There are several ways to use Dynabuddy videos to assess students' progress:

1. Rhythm quizzes

     -Sync Up, Catch The Groove, Make A Beat videos

2. Vocabulary quizzes

     -Recap videos

3. Individual playing tests

     -Get Ready, Catch The Groove, Mix It Up, Power Up, All Together Now, Your Choice, Bonus Level videos

4. Chair placements and challenges

     -Get Ready, Catch The Groove, Mix It Up, Power Up, All Together Now, Your Choice, Bonus Level videos

5. Aural skills quizzes

     -Sync Up, Catch The Groove, Play By Ear, Your Choice videos

6. Ensemble assessments

     -Get Ready, Catch The Groove, Mix It Up, Power Up, All Together Now, Your Choice, Bonus Level videos

7. Self assessments

     -Get Ready, Sync Up, Catch The Groove, Play By Ear, Mix It Up, Make A Beat, Power Up, All Together Now, Your Choice, Bonus Level, Recap videos

Yes! We designed Dynabuddy to support existing curricula. Dynabuddy reinforces broad, applicable skills and concepts that all band students learn. Specifically, Dynabuddy's content is compatible with the following band methods, among others:

• Standard of Excellence
• Essential Elements
• Yamaha Advantage
• Accent on Achievement

Every Dynabuddy video ends with a simple self-assessment rubric. Here are the rubrics for each musical activity:

Performance Activities
Get Ready, Sync Up, Catch The Groove, Mix It Up, All Together Now, Power Up, Bonus Level Videos

     1. I didn't sound like the video at all
     2. I kind-of sounded like the video
     3. I sounded exactly like the video

Music Theory/Fundamentals
Inside Info Videos

     1. It doesn't make any sense
     2. I think I understand but I can't explain it
     3. I can tell someone about this in my own words

Rhythm Improvisation
Make A Beat Videos

     1. I only echoed the rhythms
     2. I echoed, then sometimes played something different using the rhythms I saw
     3. I echoed, then always played something different using the rhythms I saw

Pitch/Tonal Improvisation
Your Choice Videos

     1. I played the same notes every time
     2. I played different notes sometimes using the choices from the warm-up
     3. I played different notes every time using the choices from the warm-up

Vocabulary
Recap Videos

     1. I don't remember any of this
     2. I've seen most of this but I can't explain it
     3. I knew all the answers

If students identify with the first answer in these rubrics, we encourage them to repeat the video and try again.

Yes! Improvisation is an important skill for learning any type of music. Our Make A Beat and Your Choice videos include different types of improvisation activities. Here's why:

Musical improvisation...

• Is a fun and engaging way to learn any musical concept
• Is included in the 1994 National Standards for Music Education
• Improves sight-reading
• Helps students process and synthesize new information, including instrumental technique
• Encourages creativity while helping students understand musical concepts more deeply

• Does your child have an interest in music?
• Can they focus for at least 15 minutes?
• Does their body fit the instrument they want to play?

If you answered YES to all of these questions, we recommend starting your child's musical journey.

You do not need any musical experience to support your child's music learning. The best thing you can do, after supplying them with an instrument and an instructor, is to ensure that your child is practicing their instrument regularly. Encourage your child to practice every day using Dynabuddy videos. This will help them grow as a musician and foster their love of music.

We encourage daily practice for the best results. The amount of time students should practice depends on several factors like schedule, age, and attention span. In general, here's what we recommend:

• Beginning students should practice about 15-30 mins a day
• Intermediate students should practice about 30-45 mins a day
• More advanced students should practice about 45-60 mins a day

There are several products* available to help reduce an instrument's sound.

Brass

Silent Brass products by Yamaha

• Available for all brass instruments: trumpet, cornet, French horn, baritone, euphonium, trombone, tuba
• Check out their products here

Percussion

Snare Drum: "Silent" drum heads can be put on any size drum. They feel almost the same as regular drum heads but only produce 20% of the sound. Here are two kinds we like:

1. Remo Silentstroke Drumheads
2. Evans SoundOff Mesh Drumheads

Alternatively, students can practice on drum pads instead of regular drums. They are smaller and quieter than real drums, but they feel similar. There are many kinds of drum pads that work great. Here is one we recommend:

Evans RealFeel Practice Pad

Xylophone, vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, bells: Use soft mallets to dampen the sound. Here are some soft practice mallets we recommend:

1. Dragonfly Percussion Apartment Practice Xylophone Mallets
2. Dragonfly Percussion Apartment Practice Marimba Mallets

There are also electronic mallet instruments, but we don't typically recommend these. They can be expensive and they feel different than acoustic instruments, which can cause students to develop bad playing habits.

Woodwinds

Most sound-reducing products are not ideal for student players because they can alter the sound of the instrument, restrict air flow, and/or create bad playing habits

Woodwind players can practice their fingerings while following along with Dynabuddy videos

Mental practice is a powerful tool! Here's how to get started:

• Imagine every aspect of playing your instrument while following along with Dynabuddy videos
• How does it sound? How does it feel in your fingers, your embouchure, your posture? 
• When you are able to practice your instrument normally, your progress will be much quicker after using mental practice strategies.
   

*We have no affiliation with any of the companies or products listed here. We recommend these products because we have found them to be helpful for our students and for our own practice.

In general, students are playing accurately if the sounds they make match the sounds they hear in the videos. With the exception of Inside Info, Make A Beat, Your Choice, and Recap videos, each video is intended to be a "play-along." This means that students get instant feedback. They will hear how the music should sound while they are playing. If their instrument sounds like the videos, they are doing it correctly.

We recommend students repeat videos as many times as they need in order to successfully complete the activity. Students can use the self-reflection rubric at the end of each video to gauge their progress, and move on to the next video when they feel ready.

Yes! There are many ways that Dynabuddy videos can support homeschool students and teachers. Some homeschool students participate in community band programs, take private lessons, or learn on their own. Dynabuddy is designed to support all of these types of instruction by helping to guide students' practice so they can progress and meet their personal musical goals.

Yes! We created the video sequences and content with National and State Standards in mind, using NYSSMA Standards as a guide. Dynabuddy videos meet all of the 2014 National Standards and most of the 1994 National Standards, including:

1994 National Standards for Music Education

• Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
• Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music
• Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments
• Reading and notating music
• Listening to, analyzing, and describing music
• Evaluating music and music performances

2014 National Standards for Music Education

• Performing
• Creating
• Responding

Yes! Contact us for more information.

Yes! Get in touch to learn more about pricing for your school or district's band program.

Yes! Federal funding can be used to support both existing and emerging music programs. Here are two pieces of legislation that can help fund your music program:

Elementary and Secondary Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER)

• Almost $200 billion for K-12 funding
• See more information via National Association for Music Education (NAfME)

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

• Allows districts to use Title I funds, and part of Title IV-A funds, for music education
• See more information via National Association for Music Education (NAfME)

Additional Resources

• Yamaha Educator Site: Access Title IV-A Funds and Build a Stronger Music Program
• Save the Music: Grants for Music Education
• Youth.gov: Funding After-school Programs