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iPad apps · Subscription · Age 6–10

Simply Piano / Flowkey — Guided Home Practice

Apps that listen to a student play and guide them through pieces step by step between lessons.

1. What it is

Simply Piano and Flowkey are guided piano-learning apps. The student plays an acoustic or digital piano while the iPad listens through its microphone (or a cable), shows the notes scrolling on screen, and gives instant feedback on whether they played the right notes in time. Both are subscription apps aimed at structured, self-paced practice.

2. Why it’s great for young learners

They turn home practice into a game with immediate feedback, so a young student gets a little hit of success every time they play a phrase correctly — without a parent needing to know any music. Used alongside lessons, they keep the student engaged with the keyboard on the days they don’t see you.

3. Best use case

Home practice support (between lessons). Best used to reinforce what you taught in the lesson, not to replace it. Point the student at a specific song or skill that matches what you’re working on, so the app and your lessons pull in the same direction.

4. iPad-specific notes

Microphone: Both apps listen through the iPad mic — place the iPad on the music stand facing the piano in a quiet room for accurate note detection.
Screen layout: Use landscape so the scrolling notes have room.
Rotation: Lock to landscape so the display doesn’t flip mid-song.
Offline: Needs internet to download lessons; some content plays offline once downloaded.
Subscription: Both require a paid subscription after a trial — a decision for the family, not something Forte provides. Mention it as an option rather than a requirement.

5. How to set it up

  1. Download Simply Piano or Flowkey from the App Store onto the family iPad.
  2. Open the app and follow the setup so it can hear the piano through the mic.
  3. Start with the beginner course, or search for the specific song the student is learning with you.
  4. Set the iPad on the music stand facing the keyboard, in a quiet room.
  5. Agree a small weekly goal with the student (e.g. one new song section) so it complements the lesson.

6. Sample lesson idea

“App homework with a target” (set in the lesson). At the end of a lesson, pick one short song in the app that uses the skill you just taught (say, simple left-hand chords). Ask the student to get it to 100% by next week. In the next lesson, they play it for you live — the app builds the reps, you check the technique.

7. Troubleshooting

App not hearing the notes: Move the iPad closer to the piano, reduce background noise, and check mic permissions are on.
Detects wrong notes on a digital piano: Try connecting by cable/Bluetooth MIDI instead of the mic if the app supports it.
Student racing ahead with bad technique: Keep the app as reinforcement and correct posture/hand shape in the lesson.

8. Links & tutorials

Simply Piano · flowkey.com — both have intro walkthroughs on their sites.