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For my younger students, explore what a great music maker you are through these different games! My favorite is the Peg and Cat Music Maker game!

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Learn about music and play games with your favorite PBS KIDS characters like Elmo, Arthur, Pinkalicious, and Daniel Tiger!

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For all my students, explore the amazing world of sounds through these activities!

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How were these built?

All our experiments are all built with freely accessible web technology such as Web Audio API, WebMIDI, Tone.js, and more. These tools make it easier for coders to build new interactive music experiences. You can get the open-source code to lots of these experiments here on Github.

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Music is for everyone. Play with simple experiments that let anyone, of any age, explore how music works.

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For all my students, create your own opera with this fun activity!

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Create your own opera inspired song with Blob Opera - no music skills required ! A machine learning experiment by David Li in collaboration with Google Art...

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For my younger students, practice keeping the steady beat with this fun Video! Make sure to follow the directions at the beginning and ask permission first.

Created by Sandra Hendrickson

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Steady Beat Activities At Home 🎵Kids Music Lesson🎵Preschool Music Activity🎵Sing Play Create

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1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th GRADE: Musicate #1!

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1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th GRADE: Musicate #1!

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Use your listening skills to create a rhythm! (Four beats will play before you hear the rhythm)*Quarter, Eighth*

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Use your listening skills to create a rhythm! (Four beats will play before you hear the rhythm)*Half*

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Use your listening skills to create a rhythm! (Four beats will play before you hear the rhythm)*Whole*

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Use Your listening skills to create a rhythm! (Four beats will play before you hear the rhythm)*Quarter, Eighth, Sixteenth*

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As you watch the video, you will see a person jumping on three different eggs. Each egg is for a different instrument.  Look around your house for anything you can hit or tap.  You will need three instruments.

Watch the person carefully and play when it is your turn! It may help to watch the video a few times before trying it together.

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Deteggtive Anderson - Percussion Level 1

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For my older students, this is an activity for your whole family!

As you watch the video, you will see one conductor jumping on three different eggs.  Each egg is for a different instrument.  Look around your house for anything you can hit or tap.  You will need three instruments.

Watch the conductor carefully and play when it is your turn!  It may help to watch the video a few times before trying it together.

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Deteggtive Anderson - Percussion Level 2

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For my younger students, enjoy singing and dancing along to Jack Hartmann!

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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For my older students, play different kinds of music games and interactive activities!

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For my older students, see if you can identify these music symbols through flash cards, matching and other activities! (Practice with flashcards first)

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This is a story for younger students.

By Robert Kalan
Pictures by Byron Barton

Read aloud by Jennifer Bailey

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For my younger students, learn a new song today and sing the song along with your family!

There will be times in the video where you will sing after her.  Make sure to listen.

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This story for my younger students.

Based on the song by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown

Read Aloud by Jennifer Bailey

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This story is for my younger students.

By Robert Munsch
Pictures by Michael Martchenko

Read Aloud by Jennifer Bailey

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This story is for my younger students.

By Marianne Berkes
Illustrated by Robert Noreika

Read Aloud by Jennifer Bailey

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For my younger students, learn a new chant today along with your family!

Make sure to listen carefully!

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If you made your own egg shaker, you can shake along with this fun song!

Created by Sandra Hendrickson

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Sing Play Create Educational Music Channel

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Egg Shaker Song "Shake Your Egg" |Egg Shaker Movement Activity |Children's Song| Sing Play Create

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For my younger students, move like a dinosaur to the music!  Don't forget to keep the beat!

Created by Sandra Hendrickson

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Kids Action Song Dinosaur Movement "Doin' Dinosaur Moves" Preschool, Music and Movement, Brain Break

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Sing along to the song with your family!

Video created by Sandra Hendrickson

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"I've Been Workin' on the Railroad" Children's Music Activity Homeschool, Elementary Music, Guitar

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Watch this video and learn all about woodwind sounds!

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For my older students, learn all about the lines and spaces of the staff!

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The Music Show Episode #6: Lines and Spaces, Baby

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Monday, April 20, 2020

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Musical Storytelling: Alex Fowler '20 GD, cello

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Tuesday, April 21, 2020

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Musical Storytelling: Morgan Pope ’21 MM

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Wednesday, April 22, 2020

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Thursday, April 23, 2020

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Musical Storytelling: Cheyanna Duran ’21

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Friday, April 24, 2020

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Musical Storytelling: Lucy Little ’21 MM

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Enjoy a performance by these amazing folks!

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The Greatest Showman - Rewrite the Stars (Piano & Cello Cover) - The Piano Guys

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Take a virtual tour of the Opera House in Sydney, Australia!

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Google Arts & Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives who have partnered with the Google Cultural Institute to bring the world's treasures online.

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Virginia Symphony Orchestra Learning Lab

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Virginia Symphony Orchestra Learning Lab

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Watch videos of professional musicians and their instruments!

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An extension of our Education and Community Engagement programs, the Learning Lab features dozens of videos about orchestral instruments, playing technique, and our musicians' secrets of success. Below you will find series for all ages and levels of playing. Be sure to download the companion worksheets and technique exercises as well!

Virtual Petting Zoo

Join musicians of the VSO to learn about each instrument that makes up an orchestra! Developed for kids in kindergarten through fifth grade, these videos introduce children to how each instrument makes sound, how they are made, and how they are used within the symphony.

Complete the worksheet that goes with each video:

We need your feedback! Please click here to take our survey.

Through this series of videos and accompanying activity worksheets, the Virtual Petting Zoo addresses the following Virginia Standards of Learning:
Music SOLs: K.9, K.12, K.13, 1.14, 1.16, 1.17, 2.7, 2.10, 2.13, 2.14, 3.11, 3.12, 3.15, 3.16, 4.10, 4.11, 5.16, EI.18, EI.20
English SOLs: K.3, 1.7, 1.8, 2.3, 2.6, 3.2, 3.4, 3.9, 4.2, 5.4
History and Social Science SOLs: K.1, K.6, 1.11, 2.2, 2.11

Technique Tips

This video series is for middle and high school students who have been playing their instruments for a few years. Hear the hidden secrets from VSO musicians on how to improve your playing technique to master your instrument!

More videos coming soon!

Spotlight

Getting ready to step into the spotlight? Tune in to advice from professional VSO musicians to shed some light on how you can tackle challenges and become a more confident musician. These special topics include overcoming performance anxiety, preparing for auditions, orchestral etiquette, bringing the notes on the page to life, and more!

The Virginia Symphony Orchestra's Music Learning Lab is generously supported in part by The Cook Foundation.

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Music Learning Lab - Virginia Symphony Orchestra

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An extension of our Education and Community Engagement programs, the Learning Lab features dozens of videos about orchestral instruments, playing technique, and our musicians' secrets of success. Below you will find series for all ages and levels of playing. Be sure to download the companion worksheets and technique exercises as well!

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Listen to this performance and draw a picture to go along with the music!

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Holst: The Planets, Op. 32: I. Mars, the Bringer of War

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New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts Play!

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New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts Play!

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Watch the concert, watch videos about the music, and try an interactive activity!

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Young People's Concerts PLAY! Jean Sibelius: Music of a Hero, Music of a Nation

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New York Philharmonic Young People's Concerts PLAY! - Watch the famous Young People's Concerts™ in your classroom or home. Welcome to a library of educational concerts available for on-demand streaming, along with a host of interactive features to help you get even more out of the concert experience.

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This is a list of supplies you'll need and steps to make them!

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This is a list of supplies you'll need and steps to make them!

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This is a list of supplies you'll need and steps to make them!

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Create your own chatterbox to review the names of different kinds of tempo! Here is a video if you need help making it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12MOWNMuyB8

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Create your own chatterbox to review the names of different dynamics!

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Create your own chatterbox to review the names of different musical notes!

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For my older students, use Google Earth to search "Life of Bach." Travel through Germany and learn all about composer Johann Sebastian Bach!

*This works best with Google Chrome, or you can download the app for free on Android or Apple Devices*

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Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here.

Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.

Learn more about Google Earth.

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Aw snap! Google Earth isn't supported on your browser. You may need to update your browser or use a different browser. Please see our system requirements for more information. Chrome is a great choice and you can download it here. Or if you're feeling adventurous, you can try Earth anyway by choosing an option below.

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Compose with Johann Sebastian Bach!

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Celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach Doodle - Google Doodles

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Learn more about the creation of Celebrating Johann Sebastian Bach Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.

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Help Beethoven put his music back together before the big concert!

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Even when you're the preeminent musical genius of your generation, sometimes you just step in it. So begins Beethoven's trip to the symphony hall in today's musical puzzle, which Leon Hong created in collaboration with artist Nate Swinehart and engineers Jonathan Shneier and Jordan Thompson. It happens that our story isn't much of a stretch in the broader context of Ludwig van Beethoven's life, which saw more than its share of rotten luck.

Ludwig's father, a middling singer in the Elector's court and a man too often in his cups, pulled the precocious child out of school at the age of ten in hopes of earning some money on the shoulders of his talent (as a result, his handwriting was so bad that musicologists still struggle to authenticate his signature). He lost two siblings prematurely, had to assume full responsibility for his family as a teenager, fell madly for unrequiting lovers twice, and, most famously, began losing his hearing at the peak of his career.

Despite all of this, Beethoven's music prevailed. As Mozart reputedly said, "one day, [that boy] will give the world something to talk about." That he certainly did. Sure, he may have raised his voice a few times, but he could overwhelm his friends with excessive kindness and generosity just the same. And while his romances brought him more anguish than happiness, would we have Für Elise or Moonlight Sonata if they hadn't?

It's unclear when Beethoven was actually born, but December 17th marks the 245th anniversary of his baptism. Today provided us a rare opportunity to construct a game in step with beautiful music, whose evocative moods, drama, lightness, and depth made conjuring visuals to match it rollickingly fun. Here's to one of history's greatest artists, and to hoping that, wherever you happen to be traveling this holiday, your life's work isn't eaten by a horse.

Engineers: Jordan Thompson, Jonathan Shneier, Kris Hom, Charlie Gordon

Design Lead: Leon Hong

Animatics/Additional Art: Nate Swinehart

Piano Recordings: Tim Shneier

Production: Gregory Capuano

Mulling over ideas for puzzle structure

The evening's first misstep

Moonlight Sonata before a dip in the Rhine

At last, the crescendo

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Celebrating Ludwig van Beethoven's 245th Year Doodle - Google Doodles

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Learn more about the creation of Celebrating Ludwig van Beethoven's 245th Year Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.

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Definition provided by Classics for Kids

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Musical Dictionary

Our Interactive Dictionary of Musical Terms ®.

An early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer. The device was originally called the etherphone, based on the method it used to convey sound through the disruption of electronic current. It came to be named after the westernized name of its Russian inventor, Léon Theremin, who patented the device in 1928.

Category: Instruments and tools

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Musical Dictionary Our Interactive Dictionary of Musical Terms ®. An early electronic musical instrument controlled without physical contact by the performer. The device was originally called the etherphone, based on the method it used to convey sound through the disruption of electronic current.

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Remember it's all electricity! She never touches the instrument.

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How to play a scale on the theremin | Carolina talks Theremin

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Play the theremin along with famous musician Clara Rockmore!

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Stay and Play at Home with Popular Past Google Doodles: Rockmore (2016)

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Search the world's information, including webpages, images, videos and more. Google has many special features to help you find exactly what you're looking for.

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Learn about the mbira, an African instrument!

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Today's interactive Doodle celebrates Zimbabwe's national instrument, the mbira, as Zimbabwe's Culture Week begins. Try your own hand at this instrument that has been played for over 1,000 years, while experiencing a story as told through the lens of a Zimbabwean girl who learns to play the mbira.

Originating in Southern Africa, the mbira has long played an integral role in the traditions and cultural identity of Zimbabwe's Shona people. It consists of a handheld hardwood soundboard (gwariva) affixed with a series of thin metal keys, which are plucked by the thumbs and forefinger. A large hollow gourd (deze) provides amplification, and materials such as bottle caps or beads can be affixed to the soundboard to create the instrument's signature buzzing sound.

The music played on the instrument, which is also called mbira, often consists of two or more interlocking and cyclical parts marked by polyrhythmic complexity. Songs lend themselves to improvisation, so no two performances are exactly alike.

The instrument features prominently in a variety of Shona ceremonies, and it remains a vital link to the past through songs that have been passed down over hundreds of years. While the mbira was traditionally played by men, Zimbabwean women have increasingly taken up the instrument in recent years and continue to push its timeless sound in new and contemporary directions.
Click here to listen to more mbira, recorded in the process of creating this Doodle.
Today's Doodle engineering was led by South African Doodler Jonathan Shneier, with art by Doodler Helene Leroux, game design by Lisa Takehana, and produced by Colin Duffy.

Below, they shares some thoughts on the making of the Doodle:

Q: What did you enjoy the most about working on this Doodle?
Colin: Without a doubt the most enjoyable thing about working on this Doodle was being able to experience and learn about Mbira from the Shona people in Zimbabwe. Prior to this project I could not tell you much about Mbira but the kindness, depth of history and open mindedness that the people of Zimbabwe showed our group was life-changing.

Q: What was your approach for this Doodle? Lisa: Because we're celebrating a musical instrument, we knew we wanted our audience to experience the beauty of the mbira by playing a digital version and listening to a variety of songs that spanned traditional to contemporary. But what makes the mbira truly magical is that they come with thousands of years worth of history and culture, and it was essential to us to represent it beyond just their technical components. Q: What was a hurdle you ran into, and how did you resolve it? Helene: Q: What do you hope people will take away from this Doodle? Jonathan: What stands out to me is the sense of community, belonging, and pride associated with the mbira, and the variety of ways it weaves itself into people's lives, from the traditional to the modern. We've tried to give people around the world a taste of a broad and deep cultural tradition that isn't very well known outside its homeland, and to give the people of Zimbabwe a chance to stand up and be seen, to be proud of what is uniquely theirs. I hope we've given people just enough to pique their curiosity and encourage them to go out and learn more; maybe even pick up an instrument and give it a try! The Doodle team doing research in Zimbabwe Engineering the Doodle at home in quarantine More concepts and sketches of the Doodle One of the hurdles was definitely the narrative structure of the project: we wanted to make sure to reflect the culture of Zimbabwe and the Mbira as accurately and respectfully as possible but without reappropriating the history of it. There are so many rich aspects of that culture that it was difficult to choose what to show. For instance, we visited a school in Zimbabwe where students had learnt Mbira and where they performed a wonderful show. We also saw how Shona sculpture is also a very big aspect of the culture there. And we met so many wonderful people. I wish we could have shared it all!! But hopefully, the Doodle will open people's curiosity to discover more about the instrument and that wonderful part of the world.
Throughout the development process, we worked closely with the friends we made from our Zimbabwe trip, mbira experts, and Shona consultants to write the narrative that aligned with their values, and made sure we represented the mbira and culture with as much integrity as possible.

Behind-the-scenes photos of the making of the Doodle

Project Concept Lead |Jonathan Shneier

Lead Artist |Helene Leroux

Lead Engineer |Jonathan Shneier

Game Designer | Lisa Takehana

Artists | Olivia When, Sophie Diao, Lisa Takehana

Engineers | Jacob Howcroft, Collin Irwin

Mixing, Sound Design, Editing | Nathan Miller, Nick Zammuto

Music Production, Score and Audio Director | Nathan Miller

Mbira and Vocal Arrangements and Additional Production | Nora Balaban

Musicians | Nora Balaban, Tendai Muparutsa, Banning Eyre, Benjamin Teters, Shirley Chikukwa, Rima Fand

Marketing | Perla Campos, Grace Chen, Taslim Okunola, Mary Sadiq

Business Affairs Lead & Partnerships | Madeline Belliveau

Doodle Team Lead | Jessica Yu, Brian Kaas

Special Thanks | Alyssa Winans

Albert Chimedza

Amy and Tafadzwa Matamba of Zimbabwe Music Society

Dima Veryovka

Erica Azim

Leonard Hondoma

Mhofu, Mbira maker of Victoria Falls

Newton Cheza Chozengwa "Matemai"

Oscar Takabvirwa

Sahwira and his family

Sean Vesce & the Very Very Spaceship team

Takunda Jora

Tichaona Mudakureva

Tom Beuchel of Flux Studios NYC

Tute Chigamba, Irene Chigamba, Wiriranai Chigonga, Cosmas Magaya, Musekiwa Chingodza,

Chartwell Dutiro, Caution Shonhai, Edgar Bera, Fradreck Mujuru, William Chitauro

Zaza Kabayadondo

Joyce Warikandwa

Goliath Samson (Goliati)
In loving memory of Mhofu, in grateful appreciation for his partnership and hospitality.
Simbarashe Sosten

Dennis Chinyanga

Evelyn & Tendayi Gahamadze

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Today's interactive Doodle celebrates Zimbabwe's national instrument, the mbira, as Zimbabwe's Culture Week begins. Try your own hand at this instrument that has been played for over 1,000 years, while experiencing a story as told through the lens of a Zimbabwean girl who learns to play the mbira.