On-line Notation system

A method for making a lesson authored by a teacher accessible to a class of one or more students, and for making homework authored by one of the students belonging to the class accessible to the teacher, the method comprising the steps of:

• connecting a first client computer to a computer network, the first client computer being under the control of the student;
• connecting a second client computer to the computer network, the second client computer being under the control of the teacher;
• and
• connecting a server computer to the computer network, the server computer maintaining a database including information about the teacher, the student, the class and the lesson, wherein the server computer provides a script to the first client computer and to the second client computer for enabling the execution of a notation computer program in the first and the second client computers, whereby the notation computer program is utilized to author at least one of the lesson and the homework and wherein the at least one of the lesson and the homework is transferred from the respective first and the second client computer to the server computer for making the at least one of the lesson and the homework accessible to at least one of the students of the class and the teacher.

A method for a teacher to author a lesson which is accessible to a class of one or more students, the method comprising the steps of:

• connecting a client computer under the control of the teacher to a server computer;
• entering a class code associated with a class into the client computer and transferring the class code to the server computer;
• transferring a script from the server computer to the client computer in response to a request from the client computer, wherein the script causes a music notation computer program to execute in the client computer;
• entering musical information into the client computer to form the lesson, the lesson comprising at least one of a musical transcript and text formed by utilizing the music notation computer program;
• and
• transferring the lesson from the client computer to the server computer wherein the lesson is accessible to the class of one or more students.

A method for a student to gain access to a lesson prepared by a teacher and for the student to submit homework to the teacher, the method comprising the steps of:

• connecting a first client computer under the control of the student to a server computer;
• entering a class code associated with a class of one or more of the students into the first client computer and transferring the class code to the server computer;
• receiving from the server computer, a list of lessons which are stored in the server computer and which are available to the students belonging to the class;
• requesting access to one of the lessons stored in the server computer, the requested lesson having been previously transferred to the server computer from a second client computer, the second client computer being under the control of the teacher;
• transferring the requested lesson from the server computer to the first client computer in response to the request from the first client computer, whereupon a script within the requested lesson causes a music notation computer program to execute in the first client computer, thereby making the requested lesson accessible to the student;
• entering the homework into the first client computer, the homework comprising at least one of a musical transcript and text formed by the music notation program;
• and
• transferring the homework from the first client computer to the server computer wherein the homework is accessible to the teacher.

An apparatus for displaying a virtual representation of a person playing a musical instrument, said apparatus comprising:

• a storage device for storing the virtual representation of said person playing the instrument;
• a computer connected to the storage device for receiving a command specifying a note to be played and for selecting the virtual representation stored in the storage device to correspond with the playing of the specified note;
• and
• a video display connected to the computer for receiving and displaying the virtual representation of the person playing the specified note on the musical instrument.

A method for displaying a virtual representation of a musical instrument being played by a person, the method comprising the steps of:

• storing the virtual representation of the person playing the instrument;
• receiving a command specifying a note to be played;
• selecting the virtual representation to correspond with the specified note;
• and
• displaying the virtual representation of the person playing the specified note.

A method for providing information to a performer about a musical performance of a musical composition, the method comprising the steps of:

• displaying a musical transcript of the composition;
• highlighting a first note of the composition as registered on the transcript;
• comparing a first note of the performance with the first note of the composition;
• highlighting a second note of the composition if the first note of the performance matches the first note of the composition;
• and
• continuing to highlight the first note of the composition until the first note of the performance matches the first note of the composition.