An entire symphony orchestra on Newzik with iPad Pros

In May 2017, Newzik met with the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France for a one-day trial of our digital solution that replaces paper scores.

For this trial, 30 iPad Pros and 30 Bluetooth pedals were lent to the 80 musicians. The string section shared one iPad for two.

For a long time, the orchestra was looking for a solution to the issues they faced using paper scores. Being an orchestra that regularly travels all across the country, the ONDIF has to carry heavy loads of music sheet, which is a serious logistic issue. When they heard about the benefits of digital scores offered by Newzik, a trial was quickly organized.

Crystal-clear advantages

Turning pages with a Bluetooth pedal and collaborative digital annotations are the features the Orchestra liked the most, along with the possibility to display other musicians' parts on the same screen.

A very convincing trial

After they had tested and rehearsed with our app for an entire day, we asked the musicians of the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France to fill out a questionnaire about their experience with Newzik. We’ve analyzed their answers, suggestions, and comments about our app as well as about their experience with the Newzik team during this trial. The results are stunning.

How would you grade your overall experience with Newzik? 74%

Do you think paper scores can be replaced and improved by digital tools? 70% Yes

Would you like to try Newzik again? 96% Yes

Perspectives

The Orchestre National d’Île-de-France and the Newzik team are currently beginning a long-term collaboration to accompany them in their transition to digital. They also provide us with great insight on professional musician’s needs, so we can continue to develop the best tool for all of our users.

“A powerful interface, accessible to anyone”

The musicians loved the ease-of-use of the Newzik interface. After a few minutes, most of them described it as “intuitive” and “simple” (42% found it “satisfactory” and 25% “very interesting”), including those who were not used to using iPads.

Most appreciated features

Collaborative annotations

92% of the musicians loved our digital annotations. They quickly became aware of how much superior digital tools are when it comes to annotating scores, in terms of comfort, speed, display options, and ability to be shared.

Easier page turns

Using a Bluetooth pedal to turn pages was a relief for many musicians. 75% of them found it “useful” (14.29%) or “essential” (60.71%).

Access to all the parts

89% of them appreciated the ability to display several parts at once, when playing a rhythmically complex section for instance, or simply to be able to check what other musicians are playing at any time.

Zoom & Crop

Our Zoom & Crop functions were greatly appreciated. Unlike with paper scores, any musician can now set his own display preferences. 92% were convinced these features are great tools, and 40% considered them “essential”.