ByzanTune

ByzanTune grew out of years of teaching and takes a child-centred approach informed by contemporary music education. Learners can explore Byzantine chant notation through tailored exercises, randomly generated examples or transcription from dictation. Exercises can be played back using parallagē (Byzantine solmisation) or as a chant on the words “Kyrie eleison”. Learners can record their singing and compare it with the example as they practise. A graphic score, a visual scaffold for the voices and a numerical representation of intervals offer different ways to study the same exercise, making it more accessible to learners with different needs. Learners can save their files and upload them again to revise or develop their work.

Before its release, ByzanTune was used for two years in lessons at the Synagma Music Workshop. The application developed gradually through classroom use, as the children’s needs and interests helped shape its features. Music educators Yannis Mygdanis and Nikos Fragkakis designed the application together and provided academic oversight, drawing on their teaching experience to shape its content. Yannis Mygdanis developed the software for Music Schools and schools of Byzantine music.