MagicScore School is designed for students, instructors, and general music fans. It has a simple, straightforward interface. Edit balance, volume and effects for notes and tracks. The drag-and-drop feature makes it easy for amateurs to edit compositions. Play what you've written by track -- each track represents the part of an individual instrument -- or with the whole digital orchestra. This versatile playback feature makes it easy to track your progress.
Sibelius has a long-standing presence in the music writing software industry. Its first product debuted in 1993. Sibelius is particularly marketed to secondary-school students, so amateurs should be able to pick up on its function and features. The program uses a simplistic music sheet interface with a horizontal toolbar that makes its various features easy to access. Amateurs may appreciate its music-writing wizard, which provides a step-by-step guide for writing a composition.
Another music writing product is Finale. One special feature of Finale is the ability to edit lyric font and style. This feature may be purely cosmetic, but amateur composers may appreciate the stylistic touch it brings. A special AlphaNotes font lists the letter notation of notes (A, B, C#, etc.) along with the note itself. Choose from a variety of digital instruments from all sections of the orchestra.
Noteflight makes music writing a little more convenient by incorporating the software into your Web browser. You can use a MIDI keyboard to input notes, but if you're an amateur without the equipment, you can write them manually with your mouse or keyboard. Its online capabilities also let you collaborate with others using the program. This feature may be beneficial to amateurs who can rely on the tutelage of more experienced music writers.