Spotlight On: Steinberg – Powering Music Education with Cubase and Dorico
Steinberg Logo
As one of the first companies to join TiME (Technology in Music Education UK), we wanted to highlight Steinberg’s fantastic work in music education. A pioneer in music technology for 40 years, Steinberg’s tools have helped shape how music is composed and produced from classrooms to blockbuster film scores.
Computer screen showing Cubase
Their flagship DAW, Cubase, is a mainstay in UK secondary schools and colleges, offering a professional and adaptable platform for developing music production skills. Used by leading composers such as Hans Zimmer and Ludwig Göransson (Oppenheimer, Black Panther), Cubase enables students to explore the same creative processes as today’s top professionals, from MIDI sequencing and beat making to audio editing, mixing and scoring. Zimmer used Cubase in scoring Inception and The Dark Knight, where it played a central role in shaping his signature cinematic sound.
Dorico notation programme on iPad
Their award-winning notation software, Dorico, is equally valuable in education, combining powerful scoring tools with a clean, intuitive interface. It’s increasingly used in professional film and media scoring, with high-profile users such as John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon, Solo: A Star Wars Story, Shrek) and David William Hearn (orchestrator on Dune, Wonder Woman 1984, No Time To Die). Powell and his team use Dorico for sketching, orchestration and part preparation. For schools and colleges, Dorico supports learning with features such as excellent playback, flexible layout options and descriptive labels and tooltips for buttons, panels, and controls. It’s ideal for both classroom work and individual composition projects.
Dorico by Steinberg in use.
Steinberg’s commitment to education is also reflected in their support of the MTEC (Music Technology Education Connect) Course. Developed in partnership by TiME, Leicestershire Music (Hub Lead Organisation for Leicester and Leicestershire), and Hull University. This FREE structured training course supports secondary school teachers to confidently deliver creative music technology lessons using Cubase. It includes free access to Cubase LE for the classroom, a substantial set of ready to use lesson resources, training videos, handouts and a full programme of guided learning.
In addition to their software, Steinberg provides generous education discounts. Whether you're preparing students for exams or introducing them to real world music production, Steinberg’s tools offer both professional depth and classroom flexibility.
We’re proud to work alongside Steinberg and grateful for their continued commitment to empowering music educators and inspiring the next generation of creators.