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Multiple studies have shown that the ability to keep a beat is linked to reading and language skills.

1. The Importance of Keeping the Beat

2. Rhythm is linked to language

3. Music and Literacy summary

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From world class performances, award-winning venues and exceptional educational programming, with your support the American Jazz Museum will remain a destination for all things jazz.

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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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narrated by David Bowie

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David Bowie Narrates Disney's Peter And The Wolf (Full)

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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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You may have never heard of Bartolomeo Cristofori, but you definitely know his invention. Cristofori was an Italian musical instrument maker credited with inventing the pianoforte, or: the piano. One of his biggest innovations was creating a hammer mechanism that struck the strings on a keyboard to create sound. The use of a hammer made it possible to produce softer or louder sounds depending upon how light or hard a player pressed on the keys. In fact, that's how Cristofori's new instrument got its name -- in Italian, piano means soft, while forte means loud. Being able to change the volume was a major breakthrough. And that's exactly what Doodler Leon Hong wanted to highlight in this interactive Doodle. We talked to Hong to get the inside scoop on how this musical Doodle came to be.
Though the piano is one of the most popular instruments, the name Bartolomeo Cristofori isn't widely known. How did you first learn of him?
The topic was first suggested by the Google team in Italy. I was also astonished I had never heard of him given that he'd had such a large impact on music. We're always trying to find topics that are educational, fun, and surprising - Cristofori is an ideal topic. Hopefully after the doodle, people will think of Cristofori everytime they see a piano.
What music is playing in the doodle ? How did you go about recording it?
The melody is from Johann Sebastian Bach's Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring. It was important to me to have a piece that was from the same time period as Cristofori's life. In addition, I was also looking for a memorable tune composed of notes with all the same duration so it would fit nicely with the animations. The timing and loudness had to be precise and consistent so I plotted the notes using software and rendered the sound files with a virtual piano instrument.
Can you walk us through your process for creating this doodle?
It began with several sketches on paper after a round of research. For this particular doodle, everybody knows what a piano looks and sounds like so it was difficult to think of simple concepts that could be both educational and visually delightful to a large audience. For some reason when I first came up with the idea of a volume control slider labelled with 'piano' and 'forte' it made me chuckle. It stuck and I began fleshing out the details soon after.
What was the biggest challenge?
Besides deadlines (it's difficult to change someone's birthday), this doodle was enjoyable to work on. Creating the animations and music was a fun and educational experience for me. It was probably much more challenging for Corrie Scalisi, our engineer, to take the code I had written and make it bug-free and work on different browsers.
What is your favorite part about the finished doodle?
My favorite part of the doodle is the animation of Cristofori playing when the volume is set on forte. If I had more time I would have put even more bounce to his bottom. I hope people decide to do more research after playing with the doodle and learn more about him.
Which musicians do you think we'll be celebrating with a doodle in 360 years?
I would say Bob Moog, but we've already celebrated him! There are lots of new exciting electronic keyboard instruments coming out these days, such as the Seaboard and Continuum, which are even more expressive than traditional pianos. Maybe one day such devices will be as ubiquitous as the piano.
You can check out Cristoforo's original pianos at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Google Cultural Institute or at the museum in New York City, at the Museo Strumenti Musicali in Rome, and at the Musikinstrumenten-Museum of Leipzig University in Germany.

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Bartolomeo Cristofori, inventor of the piano, was born 360 years ago today! #GoogleDoodle

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Claude Debussy’s 151st Birthday #GoogleDoodle

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Create visual music for Oskar Fischinger’s 117th birthday in this #GoogleDoodle 👀 🎶

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Langston Hughes' 113th Birthday #GoogleDoodle

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In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the U.S., today's Doodle celebrates the 61st birthday of native Hawaiian `ukulele player, singer-songwriter, and activist Israel "IZ™" Kamakawiwo`ole, who is perhaps best known for touching the world with his beloved rendition of "Over the Rainbow" and forever changing the face of Hawaiian music. Through his joyful songs and lifelong advocacy for the islands' values and culture, Kamakawiwo`ole has been widely referred to as the "Voice of Hawai`i."

Israel Ka`ano`i Kamakawiwo`ole was born on this day in 1959 in a suburb of Honolulu, Hawai`i and raised in a native islander family with a shared love of Hawaiian music. At ten years old, he was often found holding his `ukulele against his chest. In his teens, Israel, his brother, and three friends dug deep into the traditional sounds of the islands. Together, they achieved huge popularity across fifteen albums.

Late one night in 1988, Israel sat down in a Honolulu studio, closed his eyes, and in a single take, sang an emotional `ukulele-backed version of the classic song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." Little did he know, this recording-which serves as the soundtrack of today`s video Doodle-was destined to become an international phenomenon.

But Israel is so much more than one song; with his band and successful solo career, he redefined popular Hawaiian music through his own unique style and spread his love for the islands around the world.

Thank you, Israel, for providing the soundtrack for Hawai`i and for continuing to move hearts around the world through your music.
Special thanks to the family of Israel Kamakawiwo`ole for their partnership on this project. Below, they share their thoughts on his legacy.
Pictured: Israel facing the future
Photo Credit: Jon de Mello
The Kamakawiwo`ole `Ohana (family) remains overwhelmed by the worldwide reach of Israel's music and the reaction of everyone who hears his voice, a voice that instantly touches your heart. Having Google create a Doodle for his 61st birthday gives us all reason to again celebrate his life and impact on millions worldwide. Israel's musical legacy includes critically acclaimed Gold and Platinum recordings which are recognized and loved throughout the world. More important to us and the greater `ohana of Hawaiians, is the spotlight that his success has brought to Hawai`i, his Hawaiian heritage, and, most of all, the Hawaiian people. Born in 1959, the same year that Hawai`i became the 50th State, Israel grew up on O`ahu and was known to all as a rascal. He was always holding or playing his `ukulele. His roots were on the island of Ni`ihau, which is privately owned and remains the only island with a 100% Hawaiian population and cannot be visited without an invitation from a resident. Israel spent his summers there with grandparents learning the life lessons of the early Hawaiians who practiced the ancient ways. In his late teens, he and his brother Skippy formed the Makaha Sons of Ni`ihau, a contemporary Hawaiian musical group at the height of the Hawaiian cultural renaissance. Their music resonated with Hawaiians and Hawaiians at heart, and they won the Nā Hōkū Hanohano Awards (the Hawaiian music equivalent of a Grammy) year after year. Israel broke out on his own in 1993 (after releasing two solo albums while still performing with the group), and the rest is history. He recorded three solo CDs between 1993 and his death in 1997, which have allowed for four posthumous releases. His iconic version of "Over the Rainbow" has been licensed in dozens of hit feature films, TV shows, commercial advertising, and remains on various Billboard charts to this day. Combine an iconic song with a distinctive and unique artist, and you get an international hit-one that continues to delight and spread across the world. The Kamakawiwo`ole family hopes that this Birthday Doodle will spread more aloha around the world.
Ua Mau ke Ea o ka ʻĀina i ka Pono
("The life of the land is perpetuated in righteousness")

Photo Credit: Brett Uprichard

Pictured: Israel with his `ukulele
Photo Credit: Jon de Mello
Doodler Q&A with Sophie Diao
Today's Doodle art was directed by Doodler Sophie Diao.
Below, she shares some thoughts on the making of the Doodle:

Q: When did you first learn about Israel Kamakawiwo`ole?
A: I'd grown up hearing his cover of "Over the Rainbow" around, but I didn't know his name until I learned about his inspiring one-take recording a few years ago.

Q: What was your creative approach for this Doodle? Why did you choose this approach? A: My goal was to make an animated video about Israel's life and legacy as a musician that would complement the relaxed and optimistic tone of the song. Stylistically, I wanted it to feel gentle and loose and for it to all flow together. I tried to depict scenes that reflected who Israel was as a person and places in Hawai`i that were important to him. Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? A: The foundation for the entire Doodle was the amazing phone call that we had with Jon (Israel's producer) and Marlene (Israel's widow). They were able to share their favorite stories about him and give so much context about who he was and what he was all about - even down to his favorite flower (plumeria). Q: What do you hope people will take away from this Doodle? A: When I asked Jon and Marlene what Israel would`ve wanted the Doodle to be like, Marlene (without missing a beat) responded, "Happy. Life is beautiful. He loved life." They also said that no matter what challenges came up in his life, he never lost his determination to keep on going. So that is what I hope people will take away from this Doodle.
I asked Dalani Tanahy of Kapa Hawaii to create traditional Hawaiian kapa for the Doodle that would add depth and dimension to the scene transitions. I also enlisted the help of Gabrielle Ahuli`i, a Native Hawaiian author and librarian in Honolulu who kindly helped me come up with ideas and gave feedback on the video as it was created. I'm so thankful for the hard work and support of these two women.

Dalani with paper mulberry trees on her farm. These trees are used to create kapa fabric.
The Doodle is full of places in Hawai`i that had special significance for Israel: the sunrise at Diamond Head, Makaha Beach, the Palehua vista, the flowing lava and volcanic landscape of the Big Island, the black sand beach at Kalapana, the Wai`anae coast. We wanted to visit these places and see Israel's drum in person, but then the COVID-19 pandemic happened, so I relied on the Internet, photos from Jon and Marlene, and memories from previous trips to Hawai`i. I also read a couple books on Hawaiian history and legends for context and perspective.

Close-up of the final kapa
Behind-the-scenes of the making of the Doodle
Dalani planning out the kapa designs on watercolor paper Style tests and storyboards for the Doodle Learn more about the inspiration behind today's APAHM Doodle, particularly in the midst of COVID-19.
The kapa art incorporated as transitions in today's video Doodle was created by Wai`anae-based guest artist Dalani Tanahy of Kapa Hawaii. Kapa is made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree to create a product that is used like fabric. Natural dyes made from plants and earth are stamped onto the kapa with carved bamboo stamps to create patterns.

When asked about some of the designs and their meanings on these kapa, Dalani says, "There is an element on the brown kapa that references eyes - that's the Kamakawiwo`ole reference, which means "the eye with no fear."

She also used a design called "pewa," which Dalani described as "a patch in woodworking, used to draw two cracked edges together and used extensively in old Hawaiian bowls and calabashes, where people would fix the item they had rather than have to carve another one. In modern use, it can mean bringing two sides together, or being a peacemaker. I used that design because Israel definitely did bring people of all persuasions together with his beautiful voice, music and personality."

Lead Artist | Sophie Diao

Marketing | Perla Campos, Grace Chen

Business Affairs & Partnerships Lead | Madeline Belliveau

Doodle Team Lead| Jessica Yu

SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS
Mountain Apple Company
Marlene Kamakawiwo`ole

Guest Artist | Dalani Tanahy of Kapa Hawaii

Cultural Consultant | Gabrielle Ahuli`i

The Polynesian Voyaging Society

President Emeritus | Leah Bernstein

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In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month in the U.S., today's Doodle celebrates the 61st birthday of native Hawaiian `ukulele player, singer-songwriter, and activist Israel "IZ™" Kamakawiwo`ole, who is perhaps best known for touching the world with his beloved rendition of "Over the Rainbow" and forever changing the face of Hawaiian music.

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Today's Doodle, illustrated by Little Rock-based guest artist Steve Spencer and animated by Brooklyn-based guest animator Nayeli Lavanderos, celebrates B.B. King-the iconic "King of the Blues" who brought blues music from cotton fields and street corners to grand halls and arenas across the world.

Born on this day in 1925 on a Mississippi Delta plantation near Berclair, Mississippi, Riley B. King was a sharecropper's son whose soulful, piercing guitar solos became recognizable with a single note. Often imitated but never duplicated, B.B. King became a blueprint for many of the world's biggest rock stars who followed. "I wish I could just do like B. B. King," said John Lennon of The Beatles. "If you would put me with B. B. King, I would feel real silly."

Raised singing gospel music in church, King performed on street corners before hitchhiking to Memphis and landing a job on the air at radio station WDIA. There, locals began calling him "Beale Street Blues Boy," later shortened to "Bee Bee" and finally "B.B."

He began recording in 1949 and never looked back after his first hit, "Three O'Clock Blues." Records like "The Thrill is Gone" and "Every Day I Have the Blues" have become classics of the genre.

King opened for the Rolling Stones on tour and became the first internationally acclaimed blues artist, winning 15 Grammys, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, receiving honorary doctorates from assorted universities, and performing at the White House. Embodying the traveling bluesman, King was also known for averaging more than 300 shows a year throughout various points in his career.

In 1949, King ran inside a burning nightclub to save a guitar, risking his own life for his beloved instrument. The fire had been caused by two men fighting over a woman named Lucille, and from that day forward, King referred to all his guitars by that name.

"When I sing, I play in my mind," he once said. "The minute I stop singing orally, I start to sing by playing Lucille."

Courtesy of Universal Music and Hiroyuki Arakawa

Special thanks to the B.B. King Family Trust for their partnership on this project. Below, a representative of the trust shares some thoughts on the artist's legacy. The B.B. King Family Trust is excited that Google Doodles has chosen to honor B.B. King on what would have been his 94th birthday. One of B.B. King's lifelong influences was his first teacher, Luther Henson. Luther gave B.B. a positive self-image, got him devoted to self-improvement, and taught him to be self-reliant through learning. B.B. carried this enthusiasm for self-improvement throughout his life - learning to read, write, play music, and sing on his own. While traveling and touring the world he took up speed reading, learned to communicate in several languages, got a pilot's license, and pursued his fascination with technology. B.B. King would have shared and embraced Google's spirit as he strove to transcend musical and cultural boundaries.
Today's Doodle video was art directed by Oakland-based, Memphis-born Angelica McKinley; illustrated by Little Rock-based guest artist Steve Spencer; and animated by Brooklyn-based guest animator Nayeli Lavanderos. Below, the three share their thoughts behind the making of the Doodle:

Why was this topic meaningful to you personally? A: Memphis is a city forged by civil rights and music (specifically blues, soul, rock 'n' roll, and rap). Everyone knows about Elvis Presley and Graceland, however many other legendary artists like King called this city home: Issac Hayes, Johnny Cash, Otis Redding, and Kirk Whalum, as well as contemporaries like Justin Timberlake, Valerie June, Yo Gotti, and Three 6 Mafia. I'm humbled by the privilege to weave the musical and historical significance of my city with the life of an extremely talented man whose career is deeply intertwined with Memphis's development and international appeal. S: I saw B.B. open for a much more well-known act way back when. The more well-known band only played for 23 minutes. Afterwards, I looked to the right of the stage and saw B.B. talking with the musicians in that band. He then came out and played for an hour with the bigger act's band. I was completely won over by his generosity of spirit. He already had me as a musician,
but he then won me over as a person. This topic is meaningful for me because I grew up in Memphis, listening to B.B. King and hearing about blues artists like W.C. Handy and Bobby 'Blue' Bland of the Beale Streeters. These two artists and the city's famous Beale Street greatly influenced King's career. In fact, several people I grew up with have played in clubs along that very same street.
N: I've always liked B.B. King's music and felt honored to pay a tribute to him using my artistic skill.

What were your first thoughts when you were approached about the project?

A: How can I possibly take B.B. King's entire life - spanning almost 9 decades - and fit it into a video that is 3 minutes long? This forced me to decide on the most important points I wanted to get across about King: his cultural significance of taking the blues from cotton fields and juke joints to arenas around the world; his unique string-bending technique on the guitar; and his devotion to performing as the consummate traveling bluesman. Then the challenge was to find the right song, but once I heard the first few minutes of "The Thrill is Gone," I knew that was the one that could engage a new audience while bringing nostalgia for established audiences.

S: When I found out this Doodle would be about B.B., I was elated. I dug up his autobiography, which I had read maybe 15 years ago, and reread pivotal stories. I started a new sketchbook with a flood of ideas-visual and verbal. It looked like something the bad guy in a thriller might inadvertently leave behind when he finds out the authorities are closing in on him.
Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle? A: S: B.B.'s autobiography. The documentary about B.B., The Life of Riley. Discussions with Angelica, from Google. YouTube clips of B.B. from various points in his career. While working on this project, I devoured everything I could about B.B. King-from documentaries, to obituaries, to YouTube videos. Watching him play his guitar Lucille and teach others his signature vibrato was inspiring. I also looked at the work of other visual artists who've captured jazz or blues musicians. I found inspiration in illustrator Evan Turk's drawings for the book Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters, as well as the emotive storytelling in a short illustrated film about Kobe Bryant, called Dear Basketball. I'd say I was also drawn to artists' work that was similar to our guest artist Steve Spencer's style of painting. What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle? A: S: If you're true to yourself, you can find your authentic voice. B.B. King loved music so much that he worked for years to develop his own voice. I feel like that's my lifetime goal, too. I think that's a facet of life that we can all take inspiration from. I hope that people looking at this Doodle understand the magnitude of B.B. King's life journey. His story can be seen as a source of inspiration for anyone of any race. Without having a full formal education and the guidance of his parents, King took the talent that he was given in a time period that wasn't kind to black people and devoted himself to sharing music that was the pulse of the Mississippi Delta with the rest of the world. This music was created from pain that he knew all too well but King decided to own it. Despite all his successes, King remained a kind, humble man who still enjoyed coming home to his beloved Mississippi Delta to simply play Lucille.
N: Excited! But I also realized I didn't know much about his life.

N: I did a lot of research on B.B. King and watched many live concerts to really be able to grasp his feel for the music.

Erich, Angelica, Steve, and Business Affairs Lead Madeline standing in front of Beale Street's newest mural "The Beale Street Wings," featuring an iconic line from Marc Cohn's song "Walking in Memphis." Visiting Club Ebony, a historic African American juke joint where legendary acts such as Ray Charles, James Brown, Bobby "Blue" Bland, B. B. King and others performed. In 2008, B.B. King purchased this landmark to keep its tradition alive, and that history is now being preserved by the B.B. King Museum & Delta Interpretive Center.

N: Mostly getting an insight on his life-long trajectory and his deep passion for his music.

Early sketches and drafts from guest artist Steve Spencer

More behind-the-scenes of the making of today's Doodle:

Art Directors Erich and Angelica with guest artist Steve, next to B.B. King's brass note on Beale Street's Walk of Fame celebrating talented people who made Memphis music and Beale Street worldwide.

Project Art Director | Angelica McKinley

Lead Art Director |Erich Nagler
The B.B. King Family Trust The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center
Guest Artist | Steve Spencer

Guest Animator | Nayeli Lavanderos
Orpheum Theatre Group
Program Manager | Lindsay Elgin

Marketing & Partnerships | Perla Campos, Grace Chen

Business Affairs Lead & Partnerships Program Manager | Madeline Belliveau

Doodle Team Leads | Jessica Yu, Brian Kaas

Executive Director | Malika Polk-Lee

Director of Operations | Robert Terrell

Director of Rentals and Production Operations | Joy Truly Brown

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Today's Doodle, illustrated by Little Rock-based guest artist Steve Spencer and animated by Brooklyn-based guest animator Nayeli Lavanderos, celebrates B.B. King-the iconic "King of the Blues" who brought blues music from cotton fields and street corners to grand halls and arenas across the world.

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Today's animated Doodle celebrates German composer and singer Josephine Lang on her 205th birthday. With over 100 songs published and around 300 composed throughout her lifetime, Lang established herself as one of the most prolific female composers of the Romantic period.

Lang was born on this day in 1815 into a talented musical family in Munich, her father, an orchestra violinist, and her mother, a professional opera singer. She played her first notes of the piano as a toddler on her mother's lap, and by the age of just five, began to compose her own music.

Her public debut at a museum concert at age 11 only bolstered her reputation as a child prodigy, and in 1830, the famed composer Felix Mendelssohn was so impressed with Lang's talent that he personally volunteered to give her lessons.

The 1830s marked a period of great creative success for Lang, establishing her amongst Europe's most influential artistic circles. Her original compositions continued to garner the admiration of some of Germany's most famous musical figures, including Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann, and Ferdinand Hiller, the latter two of whom provided support in publishing her later work,

In addition to releasing over 40 collections of songs and piano music, Lang sang professionally at the Munich court and was a prized music teacher, counting among her students notable members of German royalty.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Josephine Lang! ("Happy birthday, Josephine Lang!")

Today's Doodle was created by Doodler Alyssa Winans.
Below, she shares some thoughts on the making of the Doodle:

Q: What aspect of Josephine Lang's story most resonated with you?
A: I'm impressed that even though Josephine often struggled with her health, she still managed to write so much music in her lifetime, much of which we can still enjoy today.

Q: Did you draw inspiration from anything in particular for this Doodle?
A: I mainly relied on drawings of Josephine, as well as sheet music itself.

Q: What was your creative approach for this Doodle? Why did you choose this approach?
A: Too often we depict writers or composers in a static pose, so I tried to bring in the active joy of composing.

Q: What message do you hope people take away from your Doodle?
A: I hope people feel inspired to persevere in their creative pursuits.
Early concepts and draft of the Doodle

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Today's animated Doodle celebrates German composer and singer Josephine Lang on her 205th birthday. With over 100 songs published and around 300 composed throughout her lifetime, Lang established herself as one of the most prolific female composers of the Romantic period.

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John Lennon's 70th Birthday #GoogleDoodle

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Celebrating Mbira Doodle - Google Doodles

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Learn more about the creation of Celebrating Mbira Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.

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Freddie Mercury's 65th Birthday #GoogleDoodle

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In the mid-1960s, Dr. Robert Moog unleashed a new universe of sounds into musicdom with his invention of the electronic analog Moog Synthesizer. The timbre and tones of these keyboard instruments (true works of art in and of themselves) would come to define a generation of music, featuring heavily in songs by The Beatles, The Doors, Stevie Wonder, Kraftwerk and many others.

When people hear the word "synthesizer" they often think "synthetic"-fake, manufactured, unnatural. In contrast, Bob Moog's synthesizers produce beautiful, organic and rich sounds that are, nearly 50 years later, regarded by many professional musicians as the epitome of an electronic instrument. "Synthesizer," it turns out, refers to the synthesis embedded in Moog's instruments: a network of electronic components working together to create a whole greater than the sum of the parts.

With his passion for high-tech toolmaking in the service of creativity, Bob Moog is something of a patron saint of the nerdy arts and a hero to many of us here. So for the next 24 hours on our homepage, you'll find an interactive, playable logo inspired by the instruments with which Moog brought musical performance into the electronic age. You can use your mouse or computer keyboard to control the mini-synthesizer's keys and knobs to make nearly limitless sounds. Keeping with the theme of 1960s music technology, we've patched the keyboard into a 4-track tape recorder so you can record, play back and share songs via short links or Google+.

Much like the musical machines Bob Moog created, this doodle was synthesized from a number of smaller components to form a unique instrument. When experienced with Google Chrome, sound is generated natively using the Web Audio API-a doodle first (for other browsers the Flash plugin is used). This doodle also takes advantage of JavaScript, Closure libraries, CSS3 and tools like Google Web Fonts, the Google+ API, the Google URL Shortener and App Engine.

Special thanks to engineers Reinaldo Aguiar and Rui Lopes and doodle team lead Ryan Germick for their work, as well as the Bob Moog Foundation and Moog Music for their blessing. Now give those knobs a spin and compose a tune that would make Dr. Moog smile!

Posted by Joey Hurst, Software Engineer

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Robert Moog's 78th Birthday Doodle - Google Doodles

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Learn more about the creation of Robert Moog's 78th Birthday Doodle and discover the story behind the unique artwork.

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120th of Birthday of Sergey Prokofiev #GoogleDoodle

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Learn to play the theremin with Clara Rockmore! #GoogleDoodle

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digital resources for classical, jazz, rock, and country

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip is a fully interactive, virtual field trip through the world of music history. During this trip, you will visit the birthplaces of four of the most popular genres of music in the world today: classical, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country. The birthplaces of these great forms of music are Vienna, Austria; New Orleans, Louisiana; Cleveland, Ohio; and Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia respectively. In short, this virtual field trip will provide you with a deeper understanding of the history of each form of music, its particular artists, and its specific sound. In the end, you will be able to see how each physical location played a part in shaping and forming its own special sound and culture in the world of music.

Instructions

During this field trip, you will use the interactive map, text, photos, audio, and video to explore the various birthplaces and genres of music. Additionally, the navigation menu on the top of each page will guide you from city to city on this journey. Use all of the interactive elements of each page to learn about a particular style of music. Furthermore, keep notes and a journal of your experiences and impressions of each birthplace, and answer the questions included on each page about a particular type of music. At the end of your field trip, use your journal, your questions, and your answers to write an essay about the history of these four musical genres.

Learner Description

This virtual field trip was created for high school students studying music history. Furthermore, it can also aid any individuals that wish to explore the genesis and characteristics of a particular style of music.

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip

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Birthplaces of Music: A Virtual Field Trip is a fully interactive, virtual field trip through the world of music history. During this trip, you will visit the birthplaces of four of the most popular genres of music in the world today: classical, jazz, rock 'n' roll, and country.

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Bedřich Smetana's 195th Birthday! #GoogleDoodle

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Virtual tours of Mozart's birthplace and residence in Salzburg, Austria

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in YouTube click "SHOW MORE" for details about this animated score

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Great composers who changed the course of classical music history. Picture: Getty

From Scott Joplin to Florence Price, the music of these brilliant composers has too long been neglected in Western classical music tradition.

Following countless others, the shocking and tragic death of African American man George Floyd at the hands of police has sparked a worldwide uprising against racial inequality, and protests calling for the unfailing protection of black lives from police and system brutality.

The music industry and wider communities took a stand on Tuesday 2 June 2020 with Blackout Tuesday - a vow to silence an industry propped up by black history and culture on social media and across airwaves for a day, with time to pause and reflect, and take a moment to plan effective, lasting and truly uniting change in the fight to end discrimination on grounds of race.

In classical music's corner of this, there are brilliant composers that have too long been neglected in the Western tradition, and here we celebrate some of the most famous and influential black composers in classical music history. Black lives matter now, and absolutely always.

1. Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745 - 1799)

Dubbed 'le Mozart noir' ('Black Mozart'), the Chevalier de Saint-Georges is remembered as the first classical composer of African origins.

Born to a wealthy plantation owner and his African slave, Saint-Georges was a prolific composer who wrote string quartets, symphonies and concertos in the late 18th century. He also led one of the best orchestras in Europe - Le Concert des Amateurs - and former US president John Adams judged him "the most accomplished man in Europe".

Mozart, who at the time of Saint-Georges' success was struggling to make his own music heard, envied him. There is a popular theory that Mozart, as well as swiping one of Saint-Georges' ideas in his Sinfonia Concertante, used his jealousy to fuel the creation of the villainous black character Monostatos, who appears in his opera The Magic Flute.

2. Florence Price (1887 - 1953)

Florence Price was the first African-American woman to have her music performed by a major symphony orchestra - in 1933. A music critic from the Chicago Daily News heard the work, performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and declared it "a faultless work, a work that speaks its own message with restraint and yet with passion... worthy of a place in the regular symphonic repertoire."

Born in Arkansas in 1887, Price was a deeply religious person, and brought the music of the African-American church into her music - as well as influences from the likes of Dvořák, Tchaikovsky and other European Romantic composers. Hear some of her songs here and here, and the Concerto in One Movement here.

3. Scott Joplin (1868 - 1917)

Dubbed the 'King of Ragtime', Scott Joplin was one of the most important and influential composers at the turn of the 20th century. His ideas around harmony, as well as his complex bass patterns and sporadic syncopation, are still imitated by composers today.

Joplin's untimely death, caused by syphilis which descended into dementia, marked the end of ragtime and a sad lapse in interest around his music. But his compositions were rediscovered and rose to popularity again in the early 1970s, when Joshua Rifkin released an extremely successful album of his pieces. This was followed by the Academy Award-winning 1973 film The Sting that used several of Joplin's compositions, including 'The Entertainer' and 'Solace'.

4. George Bridgetower (1778 - 1860)

George Bridgetower was an Afro-European virtuoso violinist and composer whose name you might recognise from Immortal Beloved. He is described in the film as 'the famous virtuoso from Africa' - but his father was probably from the West Indes.

In the scene, he plays Beethoven's 'Kreutzer' Violin Sonata No. 9, a piece that Beethoven formally dedicated to Bridgetower. The scene recounts their real-life falling-out, which culminated in Beethoven withdrawing his dedication over an off-colour remark Bridgetower made about a lady Beethoven knew. Outraged, Beethoven opted instead to name his sonata after Rodolphe Kreutzer, the great French violinist.

Bridgetower's name soon got lost in history, and he died in poverty in Peckham, his name forgotten. So next time you hear a performance of the Kreutzer Sonata, spare a thought for the man after whom it should really be named...

5. William Grant Still (1895 - 1978)

Still's career is a story of firsts: dubbed 'The Dean' of African-American composers, he was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have an opera produced by a major opera company (the New York City Opera), the first to have a symphony (his First Symphony) performed by a leading orchestra, and the first to have an opera performed on national TV.

Still composed more than 150 works in his lifetime, including five symphonies and eight operas, the most famous of which is his 'Afro-American' Symphony No. 1. He also found time to moonlight as an oboist, conductor and jazz arranger.

6. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (1875 - 1912)

Referred to by white New York musicians as the 'African Mahler ', Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (not to be confused with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, the Romantic poet) fought against racial prejudice all his short life.

He skilfully married African-American folk music with concert music, composing pieces like his African Suite, African Romances and Twenty-Four Negro Melodies. He is particularly known for his three cantatas based on the epic poem, Song of Hiawatha.

Coleridge-Taylor was given a well-deserved foot in the door by Edward Elgar who recommended him to the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford, Gloucester and Worcester, where his Ballade in A minor was eventually premiered. Elgar woke up to Taylor's talent thanks to August Jaeger, a highly influential music critic and editor of publisher Novello, who advised the composer that Taylor was 'a genius'.

7. George Walker (1922 - 2018)

Walker was the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music. He received it for his work Lilacs in 1996.

But not only that; Walker was also the first black graduate of the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia in 1945, the first black musician to play New York's Town Hall in the same year, the first black recipient of a doctorate from the Eastman School in 1955, and the first black faculty member to receive tenure at Smith College in 1961.

Walker died on 23 August 2018, and his most famous and performed work remains his Lyric for Strings (1946), a beautifully moving work for string orchestra. He also brought the Chevalier de Saint-Georges' legacy to our attention in 2010, honouring him in his Foils for Orchestra (Homage à Saint George).

8. Francis Johnson (1792-1844)

Francis 'Frank' Johnson was a celebrated and widely-published Philadelphia composer, known for being the first African American composer to have his works printed as sheet music.

He played the violin and keyed bugle, and wrote over 200 pieces - including Ethiopian songs, operatic airs and marches.

A contemporaneous account by Philadelphia resident, John Cromwell, remembers Johnson's influential work and pioneering brass band, which was "the leading military band at all the famous parades and fashionable functions."

9. Wynton Marsalis (born 1961)

Trumpeter Wynton Marsalis is one of the biggest stars in jazz, but his inventive and infectious jazz, gospel and spiritual-infused compositions have become some of the most important new works to hit classical concert halls.

In 1997, Marsalis became the first jazz musician to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music with his oratorio Blood on the Fields.

And it's his violin concerto, a work composed for violinist Nicola Benedetti, that's been making waves in 2019. Nicola has been championing this work around the world and with a recently released recording. She recently came to Classic FM and told us all about the concerto's extraordinary first movement.

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9 black composers who changed the course of classical music history

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From Scott Joplin to Florence Price, the music of these brilliant composers has too long been neglected in Western classical music tradition. Following countless others, the shocking and tragic death of African American man George Floyd at the hands of police has sparked a worldwide uprising against racial inequality, and protests calling for the unfailing protection of black lives from police and system brutality.

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Museum of American Soul Music

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Skip to content

The Story of Stax

Organized by Memphis' Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts rebellion in Los Angeles, Wattstax was seen by some as the "Afro-American answer to Woodstock". To make sure everyone who wanted to attend could, tickets were sold for $1 each.

Experience the story

Museum Exhibits

See Stax's impact in our hall of records and hear the classics - or find new favorites - at our listening station.

Tour the museum

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A story about talent, hustle, and soul Plan your visit BUY TICKETS The Story of Stax Organized by Memphis' Stax Records to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the Watts rebellion in Los Angeles, Wattstax was seen by some as the "Afro-American answer to Woodstock".

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The B. B. King museum has provided a coloring page for students to complete as they listen along with the video.

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Explore tabs such as Education tab, Watch and Listen, and other resources.

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Words & Music at Home, an extension of the Museum's flagship music education program, Words & Music, is bringing live interaction and songwriting resources to aspiring songwriters of all ages.

Tools and tips, including Words & Music at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide to Writing Your Own Song Lyrics, are accessible any time at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum's website.

Words & Music at Home's weekly Instagram Live series is every Thursday at 2:00 PM CT, with artist-songwriters joining in at @OfficialCMHOF for a performance and conversation about their experiences and creative process. Join us for conversations with recording artists Walker Hayes, Carly Pearce, Tenille Townes, Brett Young, and more. For the schedule of programs, click here.

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Museum from Home - Country Music Hall of Fame

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Connect With Country Music, From Home The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum is bringing its weekly Songwriter Sessions and flagship education program Words & Music live to Instagram, and each week, we're also spotlighting interviews, rare performances, and insightful commentary in our Watch & Listen section.

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A fun, interactive music experience
Incredibox is a music app that lets you create your own music with the help of a merry crew of beatboxers.Choose your musical style among 9 impressive atmospheres and start to lay down, record and share your mix.

Where making music is child's play!

Part game, part tool, Incredibox is above all an audio and visual experience that has quickly become a hit with people of all ages. More than 80 million players worldwide have already enjoyed it. The right mix of music, graphics, animation and interactivity makes Incredibox ideal for everyone. And because it makes learning fun and entertaining, Incredibox is now being used by schools all over the world.

Create a mix

Drag and drop icons onto the avatars to make them sing and start to compose your own music. Find the right sound combos to unlock animated choruses that will enhance your tune.

Share it

Once your composition sounds great, just save it and you will get a link to your mix. You can easily share it with anybody so they can listen and even vote for it.

Be a legend

If you share your mix a lot and get enough votes from other users, you may go down in Incredibox history by joining the Top 50 chart. Ready to show your stuff?

Ready to lay down
your mix?

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Incredibox is a music app that lets you create your own music with the help of a merry crew of beatboxers. Choose your musical style among 9 impressive atmospheres and start to lay down, record and share your mix.

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Reading text to a steady beat can help increase fluency and reinforce a sense of beat.  Reading to a backing track makes it fun for all grade levels.

Find downloadable tracks here:
freebeats.io
(Note: Not all of the titles or pictures are child-appropriate even though the tracks themselves do not contain text or content.)

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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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record video, audio, computer desktop

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millions use Screencastify to create amazing videos

/* Sets tab pane to display block instead of default display:none */ /* Allows CSS opacity transitions */ .w-tab-pane, .w--current { display: block; } /* Any .w-tab-pane that does not have webflow .w--curent sets opacity 0 */ .w-tab-pane:not(.w--curent) { opacity: 0; } /* Any element with .w-tab-pane that has .w--tab-active sets the opacity 100% */ .w-tab-pane.w--tab-active { opacity: 1; } /* Set the opacity transition to 1 second ease-in */ .w-tab-pane { transition: opacity 1s ease-in; }

Educator, student, marketer, engineer, gamer. Whatever part you play, you'll have simple, yet powerful screen recording and editing tools.
Learn more

Easily share your creations in multiple channels. Let more viewers watch, pause and rewind on their schedule while maximizing time by eliminating unnecessary meetings.
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Collect video assignments to ensure any team or student is heard. Track viewing activity and add interactive questions and more to ensure your message is understood.
Learn more

Educator, student, marketer, engineer, gamer. Whatever part you play, you'll have simple, yet powerful screen recording and editing tools.
Learn more

Easily share your creations in multiple channels. Let more viewers watch, pause and rewind on their schedule while maximizing time by eliminating unnecessary meetings.
Learn more

Collect video assignments to ensure any team or student is heard. Track viewing activity and add interactive questions and more to ensure your message is understood.
Learn more

loved by everyday video creators

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Screencastify | Screen Recording and Video Editing

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Screencastify is the leading screen recorder for Chrome. Install the extension to record, edit, and share videos in seconds. Create video class assignments, training and tutorials, and make business communication faster.

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includes ThingLinks to videos featuring instruments and instrument families

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A Virtual Field Trip to the Symphony | Frau Musik USA

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Learn about musical instruments with a virtual field trip to the symphony. Enjoy these videos of varying styles & genres as your students listen & learn.

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You can create your own hangman game using a mystery word or phrase that you would like students to discover.

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All things Hangman - Play, Strategize, Solve

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Learn how-to play Hangman or play now for free. Create a game and share with your friends. Find some strategies for guessing and choosing the best words.

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more advanced rhythms for older students

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watch videos of performances in their "digital stage" collection

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use household objects for this at-home playalong

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a movement playalong

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use this site to teach from authentic primary sources

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Created by teachers for teachers, these ready-to-use materials provide easy ways to incorporate the Library's unparalleled primary sources into instruction.

Lesson Plans
Teacher-created lesson plans using Library of Congress primary sources.

Collection Connections
Historical context and ideas for teaching with specific Library of Congress primary source collections.

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Created by teachers for teachers, these ready-to-use materials provide easy ways to incorporate the Library's unparalleled primary sources into instruction. Lesson Plans Teacher-created lesson plans using Library of Congress primary sources. Collection Connections Historical context and ideas for teaching with specific Library of Congress primary source collections.

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a body percussion game song

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Where the sum is greater than the individual parts.

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a movement playalong. Use finger lights, glow sticks, or ribbon. At home you could use a washcloth, dish towel, scarf, or even a T-shirt!

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Funeral March of a Marionette - Minor and  4/4 Meter