Finale has included worksheets since version 2010. The current version, 2014, has hundreds of worksheets in a wide variety of applications. Back in 2009 I did a post on Sibelius Worksheets. I made the statement that the Sibelius Worksheets made the total cost of the software worth it for music educators. Since that time, Finale has created their own Worksheets and they are also an incredible free resource for use in private lessons and for K-12 and College music teachers. I tell Sibelius users to consider purchasing a copy of Finale just to have access to their worksheets. And, if you use SmartMusic, the worksheets can be used in conjunction with it.

TIP: Finale Worksheets do not come with the demo version of Finale. You must purchase a full version of Finale. Also, take advantage of the educational discount that MakeMusic offers. You can purchase Finale at a significant discount if you are a music educator, private teacher or church musician. You can purchase it from MakeMusic or resellers such as www.sweetwater.com andwww.soundtree.com as well as directly from MakeMusic.

Printing Handouts and Booklets

Some teachers have created their own personalized theory workbooks for students using Finale worksheets. You have permission to duplicate and distribute Finale Worksheets either in print or electronically. Finale includes the following statement on each worksheet:

MakeMusic grants permission to duplicate this worksheet for non-profit, educational use only, provided each copy includes this copyright notice. Copies may not be sold or included in any materials offered for sale to the general public.

Finale Worksheets are organized into two main categories: Worksheets and Repertoire

To access the worksheets, launch Finale and choose File > Open Worksheets and Repertoire.

The Worksheets section includes hundreds of pre-made materials useful with students of all ages.

Rhythms

There are over 50 rhythm worksheets that correlate with the rhythm exercises in SmartMusic. However, you don’t have to be a SmartMusic user to apply them in your teaching. You could print a packet of pages for sight reading or post them in PDF format or Finale format on your teacher website. I have used these worksheets with students and asked them to write in the beats over each bar. And, I’ve used them for sight reading materials. The numbers above each line of rhythms correlates with the specific number in SmartMusic.

PDF version of the above Worksheet: 2210 Simple Time 6215 to 6220

Other rhythm worksheets include a set of rhythm equations where students add up the total number of beats. These make for a good way to use cross-curricular concepts in a lesson as these are math-related exercises.

Elements of Music

The elements of music section includes worksheets that are designed to be printed out and completed with pencil. Teachers have used these worksheets to create a complete and customized music theory booklet for students.  Below is an example of the The staff,

PDF version of the above Worksheet: 0001 The Staff

Worksheet Answer Sheets

Many teachers use Finale worksheets for substitute lesson plans. For this and similar purposes, there is a complete set of answer sheets available. The answer sheets download as a separate PDF file when you install Finale. Go to the folder where Finale is installed on your computer and look for Finale Worksheets Answer Key. There is a PDF for each section of the worksheets. For example, the answer sheet for the above Staff worksheet looks like:

PDF version of the above Worksheet: Elements of Music The Staff Answer Sheet

Ear Training and Improvisation

The rest of the categories contain many helpful worksheets. The Intervals, chords and ear training worksheets can be used to help students practice ear training exercises. These files work best when opened in Finale or via the free version of Finale, Finale Notepad. Share specific files with students via email or posting on a teacher website. Students can then open the files in Finale Notepad for practice and reference.

Opening Worksheets with Finale Notepad

Since Finale offers a free version of Finale, Finale Notepad, students can open and manipulate worksheets. Finale Notepad does not have all of the editing functions of Finale, but students can view, playback and enter notation into exercises and worksheets that you want them to complete.

SmartMusic Exercises

If you use SmartMusic, you can use the worksheets as supplemental print materials for students.  The various rhythm and melodic exercises can be printed and opened by students. The Finale worksheets include the SmartMusic exercise number on the sheet (see the rhythm sheet, above). One option is to print up a booklet of the various rhythm worksheets you want the students to cover. They are numbered and correspond to the exercises in SmartMusic.

Repertoire

The Finale repertoire section contains materials of interest to teachers. There are folk songs that can be printed for singing as well as repertoire for ensembles. And, if you open the files in Finale, you can make adjustments to them for your students so it is a great resource for creating duets, trios and other chamber music pieces. Since all of the music is in Public Domain, you can arrange and adjust them for your own use without violating copyright.

In-Service Activity

I often suggest to teachers that if they can propose a topic for an in-service activity, propose that the staff take time to review the Finale Worksheets and Repertoire and integrate them into the music curriculum. With hundreds of worksheets, it can take the better part of an entire day to get through them all and to create lesson integration ideas for their use.  Even if you don’t own a copy of the full version of Finale, you can review the options from the online Finale manual. These only offer thumbnail versions of the files, but at least you can see the options. You will need at least one copy of Finale to open the full versions of the worksheets.