Note & Key

Note & Key vs. My Music Staff

My Music Staff is a powerful studio-management platform. Note & Key is built around what happens between lessons: you assign the practice, your student sends a recording, and you reply at the exact moment that needs work — then they record again.

Last checked against My Music Staff's own website. See sources.

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Free for one student · 1-month free trial of Pro for new studios

Side by side

Numbers in brackets link to the My Music Staff page each statement comes from. Where their materials don't make something clear, we say so rather than guess.

  • Scheduling

    Note & Key
    Yes — lesson calendar, with two-way Google Calendar sync on Pro
    My Music Staff
    Yes — recurring lessons, calendar sync and online booking through the Student Portal[2]

  • Attendance

    Note & Key
    Yes — an attendance status on every lesson
    My Music Staff
    Yes — including bulk attendance and make-up credits[2]

  • Invoicing

    Note & Key
    Yes — 1 invoice a month on Free; Pro removes the limit
    My Music Staff
    Yes — automatic invoices, reminders and late fees[3]

  • Online payments

    Note & Key
    Yes — card payments through Stripe; Interac e-Transfer tracking on Pro
    My Music Staff
    Yes — Stripe and PayPal, with Auto Pay[3]

  • Student/family portal

    Note & Key
    Yes — one family login for all of a household's children, with lesson notes and a weekly summary
    My Music Staff
    Yes — Student Portal for students and parents, with invoices, balances and online payment[4]

  • Practice assignments

    Note & Key
    Yes — title, description, due date and attachments (sheet-music PDFs, images); group homework
    My Music Staff
    Yes — assign repertoire pieces and share files with students; Practice Log with a practice timer[4][5]

  • Practice recordings

    Note & Key
    Yes — students record in the app, listen back and retake before sending; every take is kept
    My Music Staff
    Yes — students can attach files, such as a video of a practice session, to a Practice Log entry[4][7]

  • Timestamped feedback on recordings

    Note & Key
    Yes — comments pinned to a moment in the recording, on every plan including Free
    My Music Staff
    Teachers can review Practice Log entries and give feedback; check their current plans for comments pinned to a moment in a recording[8]

  • Record-again workflow

    Note & Key
    Yes — approve a take or ask for another, then compare an earlier and a later take
    My Music Staff
    Check their current plans

  • Multi-teacher management

    Note & Key
    Yes — Studio plan: unlimited teachers, shared schedule, studio-admin and teacher roles
    My Music Staff
    Yes — teachers and staff with individual permissions[6]

  • Payroll

    Note & Key
    Not offered
    My Music Staff
    Yes — flat hourly rate or a percentage of revenue[6]

  • Large-school administration

    Note & Key
    Basic — shared schedule and invoices per teacher on Studio
    My Music Staff
    Yes — staff permissions, locations, booking forms and payroll[6]

  • Price for one teacher

    Note & Key
    Free for 1 student; Pro $12.99 USD/month or $99 USD/year with unlimited students. 1-month free trial of Pro.
    My Music Staff
    $16.95/month with unlimited students; $4.95/month per additional teacher or staff member; 30-day free trial[1]

Who each one is best for

Note & Key fits best if…

  • You teach privately, on your own or in a small studio.
  • You want to hear how practice is going before the next lesson, not at it.
  • You'd rather point to the bar that needs work than write a paragraph about it.
  • You still need scheduling, attendance and invoices, without a large admin system.

My Music Staff may fit better if…

  • You run an academy with several teachers and need payroll.
  • You need detailed staff permissions, multiple locations or online booking forms.
  • You want PayPal alongside card payments.
  • You want a studio website builder included with your studio software.

Based on My Music Staff's feature pages [3] [6] and features overview.

What “between lessons” means in practice

  1. 1

    Assign

    After the lesson, set the practice: a title, what to work on, a due date, and the sheet music or a photo of the page. Send it to one student or a whole group.

  2. 2

    Record

    Your student records in the app, listens back, and retakes until they're happy before sending it to you.

  3. 3

    Feedback at the moment

    You listen with the waveform in front of you and pin comments to the exact second — “watch the left hand here.” Your student taps a comment and the recording plays from that point.

  4. 4

    Record again

    Approve the take, or ask for another. Every take stays in the history, so you can compare an earlier and a later one and both hear the progress.

Families see it too: one login covers all their children, with lesson notes and a weekly summary of recordings sent, feedback received and the next lesson.

Switching over

  • Lessons in Google Calendar? Connect it and import them. Note & Key groups recurring events, suggests a student for each, and can create new students from the event titles. How the import works
  • Add students by hand and invite their families to log in.
  • Start with one student. Free covers one student, so you can try the practice loop with a single family before moving your whole studio.

Questions

Is Note & Key a replacement for My Music Staff?

For many private teachers, yes — Note & Key covers scheduling, attendance, invoicing and online payments. But it is built around what happens between lessons: assigning practice, receiving recordings and giving feedback at the exact moment in a recording. Large schools that need payroll and detailed staff administration may be better served by My Music Staff.

Does My Music Staff have a practice log?

Yes. According to My Music Staff's own site, students can log practice time in the Student Portal, use a built-in practice timer, leave notes and questions, and attach files such as a practice video to a Practice Log entry.

What is timestamped feedback?

When a student sends a recording, you can pin a comment to the exact moment you are talking about — for example, the left hand at 0:42. The student taps your comment and the recording plays from that point. In Note & Key this is included on every plan, including Free.

How much does Note & Key cost?

Free for one student. Pro is $12.99 USD a month or $99 USD a year for unlimited students, and Studio is $24.99 USD a month or $199 USD a year for unlimited teachers. New studios start with a 1-month free trial of Pro.

Can I bring my existing schedule over?

If your lessons are in Google Calendar, Note & Key can import them: it groups recurring events, suggests which student each belongs to, and can create new students from the event titles. You can also add students by hand and invite their families to log in.

Keep the lesson going all week

Assign practice, receive recordings, and give feedback exactly where it matters.

Start free

See pricing

Sources

All My Music Staff pages read on .

  1. [1] My Music Staff — Pricing
  2. [2] My Music Staff — Calendar & Attendance
  3. [3] My Music Staff — Invoices & Payments
  4. [4] My Music Staff — Student Portal
  5. [5] My Music Staff — Learning Management
  6. [6] My Music Staff — Multi-Teacher
  7. [7] My Music Staff blog — “No Strings Attached – Just Files!” (June 12, 2020)
  8. [8] My Music Staff blog — “Feature Spotlight: Practice Log Communication” (March 12, 2020)

Features and prices change. This page reflects what each product's own website said on the date above; check mymusicstaff.com for their current plans. My Music Staff is a trademark of its owner; Note & Key is not affiliated with or endorsed by My Music Staff.