Sibelius 5 Educational Edition

List Price: $329.00 Discount Price: $239.89

Features:

• Score-writing software that saves time and encourages learning
• Helps teachers prepare teaching materials and arrangements
• 1700+ ready-made worksheets, exercises, projects, songs, and more
• Ideas Hub with over 2000 ready-made ideas for students to use
• Realistic playback; suitable for all educational levels

Customer Reviews:

Not Vista Compatible [Posted on 2007-10-13]
I know that Sibelius 5 is a powerful product - much better than Finale. However,I was very disappointed to discover that it is not compatible with my new computer/Vista operating system. No patch/upgrade seems to be available. So I just wasted many, many dollars.

Top notch software for any musician [Posted on 2007-12-08]
This is a wonderful notation software for any musician. As a Middle School Orchestra director, I use it to compose, arrange and transpose appropriate materials for my students. In addition, I can create and customize worksheets that focus on specific skills, concepts or techniques that I'm addressing in their performance materials and method books.

There are quite a few ways you can input your notation making it a fairly swift process. You can input using the piano scroll, midi, microphone, mouse, computer keyboard or you can even purchase an add on software that allows you scan music in.

One thing you need to keep in mind when you are purchasing this software is that you will need a DVD rom to install this software. It is Vista compatable, but Vista has some issues that can make it difficult to install. My laptop has Vista and I had all sorts of problems with installation and ended up getting help. This software is well worth the hassle you may encounter when installing under the vista operating system.

Absolutely Incredible [Posted on 2007-12-26]
Sibelius 5 is essential music notation software for anyone who needs this sort of software--professionals, educators, students and amateurs. Sibelius is, quite simply, as powerful as it is easy to use. While, I think, many more people are familiar with Finale, and while the end product of your score would probably be the same if you used Finale, with Sibelius, it's much more fun because it's so extremely easy.

Here are a couple of specific things I like about it: Cross-staff beaming is a breeze. If you make a change in a conductor's score, the change is instantly updated in the individual part. Formatting is instant if you move things around.

Also, if you're a film score student, Sibelius 5 has several videos, complete with scores, built in, and video instructions teach you how to do it.

If you're an educator, Sibelius 5 comes with hundreds of worksheets that I find to be extremely useful.

In fact, the best way to see how easy Sibelius is to use is to go to their website, www.sibelius.com, and download a demo version. Please note, this demo is the full notation software. Unlike other demos that hold back many of its key features, this demo will let you do anything and everything--with the obvious exception of printing and saving. Try it out for yourself and see just how easy it is.

I continue to be amazed at how powerful and easy this software is. Try the demo, then come back here and buy it.

Excellent [Posted on 2008-01-14]
I have had absolutely no problems installing this on Windows Vista. I am even running the 64-bit version of Vista Home Premium and i have not encountered any problems so far. Excellent product. Much better designed and user friendly than Finale. I don't remember anything in the install process or registration that "Required" me to be a student. Even though i am. The whole label that talks about you not being able to use it if you aren't a student/teacher is a load of crap. They just want to charge you more money for the same product if you are not.

Sooo much better than Finale [Posted on 2008-01-15]
Sibelius 5 is incredibly good. I've been using Finale (2000) for quite a few years now, and there was a moment in using it a few weeks ago when I asked it to do an arpeggio in 4/4 time with 3 groups of triplet sixteenths in the space of three triplet eighths and it f***ing EXPLODED. I threw up my hands, and downloaded the trial version of Sibelius 5. Granted, it took a little getting used to, and I'll probably still be discovering some of its secrets for years to come, but from off the bat, it's good and fun to use.

I can copy a figure and repeat it (But it doesn't want to let me copy parts of measures that involve triplets, you have to copy the whole measure.) without trouble. After you figure out how to use the voicing tool (or layering as it's called in Finale), it's quite good. I have some trouble writing acciaturas at the ends of measures when the music changes clef, but for that one instance it wasn't a big deal.

The above issue that caused Finale to explode was a cinch on Sibelius 5. This is worth every penny, and I look forward to exploring more of its capabilities in the future..

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