Scale Dice by Way of Dice by PCalc – Ehler

I use the app Dice by PCalc to simulate the rolling of various dice while playing tabletop and role playing games. It is good fun, but not something I have used in the classroom. Ehler has the very cool idea of using it for assigning scales. You could use these similarly for any kind of classroom need where you have to randomize an order of something (and make it fun).

You can check out the app here and read Ehler's post below, which includes a link to download the scale dice into the Dice app.

Scale Dice by Way of Dice by PCalc – Ehler

I’ve known many directors over time to use “scale dice” to help students practice their major scales with an element of randomness. In Iowa, this is a useful preparation for All-State auditions, but it can be a handy thing to do in sectionals and small-group lessons too. Dice by PCalc has support for custom dice, and these wind up looking great.

Currently, the app supports six distinct dice designs on screen at a time (so it would be easy and practical to have six different students at once get assigned a scale with a single roll)

You can configure these dice yourself, but I’ll save you the work by sharing my “custom dice” export here.

Band Score Order in Dorico 4.0.10 -- Ehler

Band directors rejoice! The latest Dorico 4 update improves score ordering for band instruments. Click and read band director Ehler's blog post below to learn more about this feature.

Band Score Order in Dorico 4.0.10:

It’s a little tricky to find the band score order toggle; you do so by right-clicking the sorting icon at the bottom of the left-pane, which will give you options between different score orders (leaving room for more to come).

If you set that right from the start, then as you add instruments, they’ll appear in the correct order. If you unwittingly were working in orchestral score order first and need to then adjust, simply switch it over to band score order and then left click the same icon again to have it impose that score order on your players.

Ehler provided feedback to Steinberg about this feature and for this I say thanks!