Meet Mr Chopin: the Classfern Music Department tour

Dzień dobry! I am Mr Chopin, head of the Classfern Music Department – and, between you and me, a master pianist. Here we learn music the fun way: play, listen, read and practise, right in your browser. Our motto? Étude – study! So… shall we study?

Let me show you around. Everything in my department is free, and it all works inside your web browser – on a computer, a tablet or the big screen in class. The sounds are made on your own device, and nothing you play is recorded or sent anywhere. Your music stays with you. Good. Now, follow me!

First, every musician's best friend: the beat. Here is our metronome, with a steady click and seven drum beats, from rock all the way to a waltz. Want something more exciting? Choose a jam track in any key, with drums, bass and chords, and simply play along.

Even I practise with it… when nobody is watching. And now my favourite – the piano, of course! Coloured bars fall onto the keyboard to show you which keys to press. You can slow it down, practise one hand at a time, loop the tricky bit, or use wait mode – the music waits politely until you find the right note.

There is a free library of more than two thousand out-of-copyright pieces: folk songs, carols, piano pieces and more. Search by name, press play… and off you go. Do you play something else? Wonderful. We have play-along pages for the recorder, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet and violin, each showing the fingering, the keys or the valves for every note.

Guitar and ukulele players get tab, chord boxes, a fretboard and strumming, with well over a thousand free tunes. And singers? You can check a song fits your voice, change the key and sing along with doh, ray, me. Here is a little magic. On many instrument pages, press Listen in wait mode and the page hears each note you play, ticks it, and shows a tuning needle, so you know whether you are a little sharp or a little flat.

Only when you press Listen, and only on your own device. No microphone? No problem – the keyboard and the buttons on the screen work too. Do you have a melody stuck in your head? Sing it, hum it or play it, one note at a time, and Tune to notes writes it down for you – notes, rhythm, key, even tab.

And the Chord Player listens to a song and shows its chords in time with the music, with a big projector mode for the whole class. Very useful. Also very impressive at parties. Now, the serious part – but do not worry, it is also fun. Our course "Learn to read and write music" goes step by step through Levels 1 to 5, like Grades 1 to 5.

Each unit explains one idea, shows it and plays it, then gives you fresh practice questions every time. You even write notes on the lines of music yourself, and the page marks your answers. At the end of each unit there is a check, so you know you are ready to move on. When you want to test yourself, try our theory and aural tests.

New questions every time: notes, rhythm, keys and scales, intervals, chords, Italian terms, and your own instrument. There are listening tests and playing tests, a class quiz for the board, and worksheets you can print with the answers included. Teachers – yes, the answers are for you. And for teachers and families making music together: class play-along lessons.

Choose a tune, and Classfern writes a part for every instrument and every level – recorders, tuned percussion, ukulele, voices and more – in the right key. Drums, bass and piano fill in the sound, there is a class screen for the board, printable parts, and practice links for home. One tune – the whole class playing together. Beautiful. So – that is my Music Department.

Start anywhere you like: a drum beat, a simple tune on the recorder, or Level 1 of the course. Practise a little every day, be patient with your fingers, and remember our motto: Étude – study. I will be here at the piano whenever you need me. Do widzenia – goodbye, and happy playing!

Guten Tag! I am Miss Clara Schumann, Mr Chopin's helper and a concert pianist. Classfern is free for everyone, and we want to build many more departments. Please support us, and help every child find their music. Danke!

Dzień dobry! I am Mr Chopin, head of the Classfern Music Department – and, between you and me, a master pianist. Here we learn music the fun way: play, listen, read and practise, right in your browser. Our motto? Étude – study! So… shall we study?

Let me show you around. Everything in my department is free, and it all works inside your web browser – on a computer, a tablet or the big screen in class. The sounds are made on your own device, and nothing you play is recorded or sent anywhere. Your music stays with you. Good. Now, follow me!

First, every musician's best friend: the beat. Here is our metronome, with a steady click and seven drum beats, from rock all the way to a waltz. Want something more exciting? Choose a jam track in any key, with drums, bass and chords, and simply play along.

Even I practice with it… when nobody is watching. And now my favourite – the piano, of course! Coloured bars fall onto the keyboard to show you which keys to press. You can slow it down, practice one hand at a time, loop the tricky bit, or use wait mode – the music waits politely until you find the right note.

There is a free library of more than two thousand out-of-copyright pieces: folk songs, carols, piano pieces and more. Search by name, press play… and off you go. Do you play something else? Wonderful. We have play-along pages for the recorder, flute, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet and violin, each showing the fingering, the keys or the valves for every note.

Guitar and ukulele players get tab, chord boxes, a fretboard and strumming, with well over a thousand free tunes. And singers? You can check a song fits your voice, change the key and sing along with doh, ray, me. Here is a little magic. On many instrument pages, press Listen in wait mode and the page hears each note you play, ticks it, and shows a tuning needle, so you know whether you are a little sharp or a little flat.

Only when you press Listen, and only on your own device. No microphone? No problem – the keyboard and the buttons on the screen work too. Do you have a melody stuck in your head? Sing it, hum it or play it, one note at a time, and Tune to notes writes it down for you – notes, rhythm, key, even tab.

And the Chord Player listens to a song and shows its chords in time with the music, with a big projector mode for the whole class. Very useful. Also very impressive at parties. Now, the serious part – but do not worry, it is also fun. Our course "Learn to read and write music" goes step by step through Levels 1 to 5, like Grades 1 to 5.

Each unit explains one idea, shows it and plays it, then gives you fresh practice questions every time. You even write notes on the lines of music yourself, and the page marks your answers. At the end of each unit there is a check, so you know you are ready to move on. When you want to test yourself, try our theory and aural tests.

New questions every time: notes, rhythm, keys and scales, intervals, chords, Italian terms, and your own instrument. There are listening tests and playing tests, a class quiz for the board, and worksheets you can print with the answers included. Teachers – yes, the answers are for you. And for teachers and families making music together: class play-along lessons.

Choose a tune, and Classfern writes a part for every instrument and every level – recorders, tuned percussion, ukulele, voices and more – in the right key. Drums, bass and piano fill in the sound, there is a class screen for the board, printable parts, and practice links for home. One tune – the whole class playing together. Beautiful. So – that is my Music Department.

Start anywhere you like: a drum beat, a simple tune on the recorder, or Level 1 of the course. Practise a little every day, be patient with your fingers, and remember our motto: Étude – study. I will be here at the piano whenever you need me. Do widzenia – goodbye, and happy playing!

Guten Tag! I am Miss Clara Schumann, Mr Chopin's helper and a concert pianist. Classfern is free for everyone, and we want to build many more departments. Please support us, and help every child find their music. Danke!