Teacher Manual Index
What Sight Reader Does
Sight Reader is a browser-based sight-reading practice tool. It builds short musical phrases from the settings a teacher chooses, displays them in real notation, plays them back with a count-in and metronome, and can score a student's MIDI performance for note accuracy, rhythm accuracy, and overall phrase score.
It is different from a note-naming drill. Notes Per Minute measures automatic note-name recognition. Sight Reader asks students to read connected musical phrases, keep time, respond to rhythm, and perform the notation as music.
Generate fresh phrases, hear the playback, replay as needed, and practice reading notation in short, focused chunks.
Set the exact reading conditions, target weak notes, project phrases, and create assignment-ready single-line practice.
Arm capture, play along on a MIDI keyboard, and review pitch, rhythm, missed notes, wrong octaves, extras, and weak-note patterns.
Quick Start
- Open Sight Reader.
- Choose the reading settings: mode, length, time signature, tempo, tier, clef, scale, key, target notes, and contour.
- Click Generate Phrase if you want a new phrase with the current settings.
- Click Play Phrase. The tool gives a count-in, plays the metronome, and moves through the notation.
- Use Replay Phrase, Next Phrase, or a follow mode depending on whether you want repetition or fresh material.
- Optional: click Arm MIDI Capture, then play along on a MIDI device to receive scored feedback.
Practice Controls
The setup panel controls what kind of phrase is generated. Changing a setting stops current playback, resets the current performance session, and prepares a new phrase using the updated conditions.
| Control | Options | Teacher Use |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | Single Line, Accompaniment, Hand Transfer, Counterpoint | Choose whether students read one staff or a grand-staff texture. |
| Length | 2 Bars, 4 Bars, 8 Bars, Endless | Use two bars for quick repetitions, longer phrases for continuity, and endless for continuous reading. |
| Time Signature | 4/4, 3/4, 2/4 | Match the meter students are studying. |
| Tempo | 40-180 BPM | Start below performance tempo. Raise the BPM only when reading stays steady. |
| Tier | Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 | Increase the tier when the student needs more complex musical reading demands. |
| Clef | Treble, Bass, Alto | Use the student's instrument clef or isolate a clef that needs reinforcement. |
| Octave | 2-6 | Move the generated range into the student's readable or playable register. |
| Contour | Random, Arch, Staircase Down, Staircase Up | Control melodic shape so students practice different reading patterns. |
Reading Modes
Single Line
Single Line is the main student practice mode. It creates one staff line in the selected clef and is the safest choice for assignments, individual practice, and targeted note work.
Accompaniment
Accompaniment mode creates a grand-staff texture with melody and accompaniment. Teachers can choose accompaniment style, including Open Fifths, Blocked Triads, and Root + Fifth, plus density options.
Hand Transfer
Hand Transfer mode passes one melody between hands at the midpoint. By default, the right hand starts and the left hand finishes. Turning on Invert Hands reverses that role.
Counterpoint
Counterpoint mode creates a grand-staff contrapuntal reading texture. It is useful for students who are ready to track independent lines.
Levels and Difficulty
The Tier setting gives a broad difficulty target. Level 1 is the simplest reading level. Level 2 and Level 3 increase the musical demands by allowing more challenging phrase construction, note movement, and reading patterns.
The generator also validates and repairs phrases. That means it is not just choosing random notes. It checks whether the phrase is usable, whether target notes appear in appropriate places, whether leaps are reasonable, and whether the generated material fits the selected reading conditions.
Use for early sight-reading, short patterns, and students who need a clean starting point.
Use when students can read simple phrases but need more varied melodic movement.
Use for stronger readers who need more advanced continuity, range, and phrase-shape demands.
Keys, Scales, and Tonal Center
Sight Reader can choose keys automatically or use a manual key. Manual key choices include C, G, D, A, F, Bb, and Eb major. Scale choices include Major, Natural Minor, and Minor Blues. Scale complexity can also allow harmonic and melodic minor when appropriate.
The No tonal center checkbox turns on moving tonal center practice. Instead of locking the exercise to one fixed note pool, the generated phrase center rotates across different notes. This is useful when students need flexible reading rather than repeated practice around one tonal anchor.
Target Notes and Weak-Note Practice
The Target Note buttons let teachers choose one or more pitch-letter targets: C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Generated phrases still focus on one selected target at a time, but the target pool can contain multiple notes.
In teacher mode, Sight Reader can also use the latest Notes Per Minute weak-note profile for a selected student. That lets a teacher move directly from benchmark evidence to sight-reading practice. For example, if a student hesitates on bass clef E and F, the teacher can use that data to create phrase work that repeatedly places those notes in musical context.
Playback and Follow Modes
The playback area shows the phrase number, replay count, and current follow mode. The main buttons are Play Phrase, Replay Phrase, Next Phrase, and Stop.
| Follow Mode | What It Does | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Manual | The teacher or student controls when to replay or advance. | Best for instruction, correction, and first attempts. |
| Auto Next | After playback completes, the tool advances to a new phrase and starts it automatically. | Best for fluency runs with fresh material. |
| Loop Phrase | The same phrase repeats after completion. | Best for repetition, correction, and tempo-building. |
Endless mode uses continuous generated two-bar chunks. It previews the first chunks before playback, schedules upcoming material during playback, and keeps the reading flow moving without requiring a new click after each short phrase.
MIDI Performance Scoring
MIDI scoring is optional. Students can use Sight Reader without MIDI as a visual and listening practice tool. When a MIDI keyboard or compatible device is connected, the tool can capture note-on events during playback and score the performance.
- Connect a MIDI keyboard or MIDI-capable instrument.
- Click Arm MIDI Capture.
- Leave Listen to all MIDI inputs on, or choose a specific device after inputs appear.
- Click Play Phrase and perform during the count-in/playback window.
- Review Note Accuracy, Rhythm Accuracy, Phrase Score, and the note-result labels.
Performance results can include correct notes, wrong octaves, wrong pitches, missed notes, and extra notes. For grand-staff material, the panel can also show right-hand and left-hand/staff-specific scoring plus a composite score.
Adaptive Practice Recommendations
After a scored MIDI attempt, Sight Reader analyzes the performance and can recommend a follow-up practice direction. The analysis looks at pitch accuracy, target-note accuracy, timing stability, cadence accuracy, phrase score, hesitations, weak notes, weak rhythms, and continuity breaks.
The Use Recommendation button applies a targeted settings patch and generates a new phrase. This is intended as a practice aid. It helps the student spend the next repetition on the most useful problem area instead of randomly trying another exercise.
Teacher Assignment Use
When Sight Reader is opened from a student assignment, the assignment settings are locked. The student connects MIDI, plays the assigned phrase, and the first scored attempt is submitted automatically.
The saved assignment summary can include score, note accuracy, rhythm score, phrase score, weak notes, time signature, BPM, level, clef, octave, contour, phrase length, key mode, manual key, scale type, moving tonal center status, target notes, source excerpt information when present, and phrase ID.
Projection Mode
Teacher mode includes Projection Mode for classroom display. It makes the drill view more projection-friendly, allows fullscreen, and lets the teacher hide or show the setup panel. This is useful for whole-class reading, call-and-response, group clapping, or guided sight-reading before individual practice.
Troubleshooting
No MIDI inputs detected
Connect the MIDI device before arming capture, use a browser with Web MIDI support, and try re-arming capture after the device is connected.
Capture is armed but no score appears
The tool scores after a phrase attempt. Start playback, perform during the active phrase window, and make sure the device is sending note-on events.
The result says wrong octave
The pitch class matched, but the octave did not. This is different from a wrong pitch and usually means the student played the correct note name in the wrong register.
Settings are locked
Settings lock during student assignments and while endless playback is active. Stop playback or exit assignment mode before changing setup options.
Audio does not start immediately
Browsers often require a user click before audio can play. Press Play Phrase directly after opening the tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can students use Sight Reader without MIDI?
Yes. MIDI is only needed for automatic performance scoring. The phrase generator, notation display, playback, count-in, and teacher projection uses work as practice tools without MIDI scoring.
How is Sight Reader different from Notes Per Minute?
Notes Per Minute measures note-reading fluency by timing individual note identification. Sight Reader generates connected musical phrases, so students practice reading notes and rhythm together in context.
Can teachers target specific weak notes?
Yes. Teachers can manually choose target notes, choose multiple notes for the target pool, or use a student's latest Notes Per Minute weak-note recommendation in teacher mode.
Does Sight Reader support bass and alto clef?
Yes. Single-line practice supports treble, bass, and alto clef. Grand-staff modes use fixed staff roles appropriate to the selected mode.
What should I assign first?
Start with a two-bar Single Line assignment, a slow tempo, Level 1, the student's primary clef, and one target note. Once the student can perform accurately, increase length, tempo, or target-note variety.
Are grand-staff modes assignable?
Not yet. Accompaniment, Hand Transfer, and Counterpoint are available for free play and teacher projection, but student assignments currently require finite Single Line phrases.