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WELCOME Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd Grade To Padlet!

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WELCOME Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd Grade To Padlet!

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Play piano online

Use your computer keyboard or click the piano keys to play the piano. The keyboard's top row of letters correspond to the white keys, and the row of numbers correspond to the black keys. You can play multiple notes simultaneously.

Click "Hide note names" above the piano to hide the note names. Click "Mark" to mark notes on the piano. Play the marked notes by clicking the "Play" button (only visible after notes have been marked) or pressing the spacebar on your keyboard.

Save your markings on the piano by copying the web address in your browser. This also allows you to share your markings with others. For example, here is a F minor seventh chord and an E major scale.

Free interactive piano exercises

Try the online piano exercises and learn how to identify and play notes, intervals, chords, and scales on the piano. You'll also find various exercises in music notation and ear training. Sign up for free and receive full access to all of the exercises.

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Virtual piano - Play piano online | Musicca

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Use your computer keyboard or click the piano keys to play the piano. The keyboard's top row of letters correspond to the white keys, and the row of numbers correspond to the black keys. You can play multiple notes simultaneously. Click "Hide note names" above the piano to hide the note names.

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Fun online music games that are interactive!

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Classical Music Activities for Kids | San Francisco Symphony

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Music Connects at the San Francisco Symphony. Fun facts, activities, and lessons that support music education at home. Free education resources.

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Neat ideas for how to make your own instruments at home.

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Do you drive your teachers crazy at school by drumming on the desk with your pencils? Have you ever wanted to be a drummer or a musician? If so, this activity is for you.

WHAT YOU NEED

An adult to help

Different lengths of PVC pipes

Two boards

String

A mallet or small hammer

WHAT YOU DO

1. Create a xylophone by cutting PVC pipe into various lengths.

2. Place them side by side on a frame from the longest to shortest.

3. Cut two boards the appropriate length to accommodate all the pipes. These boards will make a good supporting frame. The best sound will be achieved by allowing a little less than a third of each pipe to extend off the frame. When you have the pipes the way that you want, tie them on the frame with string.

4. You can tune your xylophone by cutting the pipes shorter for higher notes and leaving the pipes longer for the lower ones.

5. Play the xylophone by striking the pipes with a mallet of some kind.

Have you ever wanted to play the violin or some other string instrument? In this activity, you can make your very own string instrument using ordinary household items!

WHAT YOU NEED

Information about the instruments in the string family, found here.

Wire clothes hanger

Two pieces of string, each a few feet long

WHAT YOU DO

1. Read about string instruments, particularly how they are built and how they produce sound.

2. Make a string instrument using a wire clothes hanger and two lengths of nylon string. Tie two ends of one string across the bottom part of the hanger (like in the picture). Tighten it until the bottom wire bends up out of the way and tie it off so that it stays tight with your hand and then "play" it by plucking it.

3. Take a second length of string about three feet long and tie one of it to something solid. Pull the other end tight with your hand and then "play" it by plucking it.

4. Use your clothes hanger "bow" that you made and pull it across the string. Help students note that the tighter the string is, the higher the note will be.

Students will gain an understanding of how shaken percussion instruments sound by creating a simple set of maracas.

RESOURCES

Meet the Percussion Family of Instruments

2 small plastic water bottles or 2 empty soda cans (rinsed and dried)

Small dry objects such as seeds, uncooked rice, pasta, or dried beans

Masking or packing tape

TEACHING SEQUENCE

1. Provide each student with a copy of Meet the Percussion Family of Instruments.

2. have students read about percussion instruments, particularly the maracas.

3. Discuss with students how maracas produce sound.

4. Have students partially fill their cans of bottles with the small dry objects.

5. using the tape, students should close off the top of their cans or bottles, then (optional) decorate their "maracas."

CULMINATING ACTIVITY

Have students take turns shaking their instruments, and ask them to compare the sounds of the different materials used.

EVALUATION

Do students demonstrate an understanding of how shaken percussion instruments produce sound?

CO-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS/TEKS

Fine Arts - Music
Science

Do you like to measure things? In this activity, you will use brass instruments to measure everyday items. Sounds strange doesn't it?

The first brass instrument that we know about is a trumpet found in a drawing in King Tutankhamen's tomb in Egypt dating to 1500 B.C. - over three thousand years ago. The Egyptian trumpet was a long, straight tube made of silver or bronze, and was four feet long. This instrument could produce only a few tones. As the trumpet evolved (evolved - developed gradually over time), it became longer and was coiled to make the instrument easier to hold. Later, valves and tubing were added to let the players play all of the notes in the scale.

WHAT YOU NEED

Pictures of the trumpet, trombone, French horn, and tuba

A yardstick or ruler

WHAT YOU DO

1. Look at pictures of the trumpet, trombone, French horn and tuba. How long do you think each instrument would be when unrolled or uncoiled?

2. Do you see any connection in the length of each instrument to the sound of each instrument? The longer the tubing of each brass instrument, the lower the sound of the instrument. Therefore, the trumpet plays higher pitches or sounds than the tuba.

3. Now using the copy of the" Brass instruments Uncoiled Chart" that you printed off, can you figure out how many trumpet lengths make up your kitchen table or a desk in your home. For example, my dinner table is two trumpets long. (My dinner table is 12 ft. long.) What about your bed? How many trombones does it take to walk from your room to the kitchen? What about your backyard or driveway? How many French horns would it take to go from your house to school? What other items or distances can you measure sing brass instruments?

SOMETHING ELSE

Have you ever tried to play a brass instrument before? Try "Buzzing Brass Mouthpiece" to find out how to make your own mouthpiece like the ones brass players use, and learn how to use it.

Students will gain an understanding of how drums produce sound by building and playing a simple drum.

RESOURCES

Large empty coffee can

Piece of heavy plastic trash bag

Ruler

Marker of chalk

Scissors

Large rubber band

Spoon or pencil

TEACHING SEQUENCE

1. Have students read the material.

2. Discuss with students how a drum is constructed and how it produces sound.

3. Have students measure the diameter of their can, then mark a circle two inches larger in diameter on their piece of plastic with the marker or chalk.

4. Students then should cut out the circle of plastic and stretch it tightly over the top of the can, securing it with the rubber band.

CULMINATING ACTIVITY

Ask students to play their drums using the spoon, pencil or their hands to strike the top of the drum.

EVALUATION

Do students demonstrate an understanding of how drums produce sound?

CO-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS/TEKS

Fine Arts - Music
Mathematics
Science

Do you like to annoy those around you by making funny sounds? Have you ever thought of playing a brass instrument? If so, this activity is for you.

Brass players play their instruments by blowing air between their closed lips causing them to vibrate together into their mouthpiece. When the lips vibrate in this way, it is called "buzzing." This "buzzing" sound is the basic sound for all brass instruments. Practice buzzing your lips.

WHAT YOU NEED

Bottles of various sizes

An adult to help

WHAT YOU DO

1. Make a mouthpiece by cutting the top off a plastic coke bottle (Be sure to leave enough of the bottle so that it flares out, making a place for you to buzz into.)

2. Then create a "brass" instrument by inverting it into the top of a larger bottle or jug. Experiment with putting your mouthpiece into various jugs and containers to see what kind of sound is produced.

SOMETHING ELSE

Did you know that when you buzz your lips, you are making them vibrate? All sounds are produced by vibration.

How much do you know about the instruments in the brass family? To find out more about the brass instruments, click on the following links: trumpet, trombone, French horn, tuba.

Have you ever blown across the top of a soda bottle and heard the sound it makes? Here is another type of woodwind instrument you can make.

WHAT YOU NEED

Plastic bottles and jugs of various sizes

A small comb

Paper squares approximately 2 inches by 2 inches

WHAT YOU DO

1. Make a "woodwind" instrument by blowing across the top of a bottle. Experiment with various sizes of bottles and you will discover that larger bottles make a lower sound than smaller bottles when you blow across them.

2. Make a reed instrument using a piece of paper and a comb. Hold a small pocket comb with the teeth pointed toward you. Place a small piece of paper on the comb on the side closest to you, holding it in place with your thumbs. By holding the comb and piece of paper together with your lips and blowing, you can make the paper vibrate which makes a sound.

Do you get in trouble for spending too much time talking to friends on the telephone? Here is a fun way to find out how sound travels and talk to friends at the same time.

WHAT YOU NEED

An adult to help

Two metal cans, clean and dry (Be sure that there are no sharp edges)

Ten to Twelve feet of a piece of small diameter string such as kite string or nylon string

WHAT YOU DO

1. Make a 'Tin Can Telephone' by punching a small hole in the bottom of each can. Each hole should be just large enough so that the string will go through.

2. From the outside, insert one end of the string into the hole in one can. Tie a couple of knots in the end of the string so that it will not slip back through when pulled tight. Do the same with the other end of the string using the other can.

3. With one person holding each can, stretch the string so that it is tight. Then have one person talk into one can while the other one listens on the other can. Then switch roles.

WHY IT WORKS

When someone speaks or makes a sound, the air ripples or vibrates. The word 'vibrate' means to move up and down, or back and forth rapidly. Our ears collect the sound vibration, or sound waves and send them to our brains. Then we hear the sound.

When you pull the string tight and talk into one of the cans of your tin can telephone, the sound vibrates across the taut string to the other can. The person at the other end of the telephone hears your message after his or her ears collect the sound vibrations and send them to the brain to be processed.

Students will gain understanding of how the size of an instrument affects the pitch of the sounds produced by the instrument.

RESOURCES

20 Clay flower pots, in a variety of sizes

5 wooden dowel rods approximately 18 inches in length

String or cord, scissors, tape measure, and wooden spoon

TEACHING SEQUENCE

1. Have students read about percussion instruments, particularly the chimes.

2. Discuss how the size of each chime affects its pitch (high or low sounds).

3. Divide students into 5 groups, giving each group 4 different size flower pots.

4. Have each group of student cut four lengths of string: 30 inches, 24 inches, 18 inches, and 12 inches.

5. Have students match pots and string from largest/longest to smallest/shortest.

6. They should then put one end of the string through the hole in the pot and knot the string inside the pot so the pot hangs upside down from the string.

7. Next, have them tie the free end of the string around the wooden dowel rod with the pots arranged from largest to smallest, left to right.

8. One student should hold the rod so the pots hang freely while another student strikes the pots gently with the wooden spoon to produce sound.

Note: Steps 4 and 5 are only for visual reinforcement of tone differences, and are optional. Strings may be of equal lengths.
CULMINATING ACTIVITY

Ask the students to describe how the difference in the size of the pots affects the pitch of the sound they produce.

EVALUATION

Do students demonstrate an understanding of how the size of an instrument affects the pitch of its sound?

CO-CURRICULAR CONNECTIONS/TEKS

Fine Arts - Music
Science

Join a fun and exciting club just for kids who love music and learning as much as you do. DSO Kids Club members receive periodic emails from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra full of music puzzles, information about upcoming Dallas Symphony events, what's new on DSOKids.com, answers to your questions, and much more!

Sign up now

Download now

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Do you drive your teachers crazy at school by drumming on the desk with your pencils? Have you ever wanted to be a drummer or a musician? If so, this activity is for you.

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This awesome website has fun games and stories that teach us about the instruments of the orchestra!

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Parents, Mrs. Keele here. A lot of these amazing online games require Adobe Flash Player to be enabled and installed on your device! If your children are not able to access them, use this to link to either download it or troubleshoot any issues you may be having with your computer's flash player! Always feel free to reach out if you need assistance.

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Download free Adobe Flash Player software for your Windows, Mac OS, and Unix-based devices to enjoy stunning audio/video playback, and exciting gameplay.

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This is a circular rhythm app for creative music making and learning using math concepts like shapes, angles and patterns!

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Groove Pizza is a playful tool for creating grooves using math concepts like shapes, angles, and patterns. Start working with one of the special pizza presets and add/remove toppings to adjust the groove, or click on the Shape Pizza tab and drag various shapes onto the big circle to play and explore math-inspired grooves.

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Such a fun way to explore cool music games!

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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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This website is A--Mazing! I love creating cool sounds with it. 

Make sure you have Adobe Flash Player installed, ask an adult for help if it's not working!

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More than 80 million players worldwide have already enjoyed Incredibox. The right mix of music, graphics, animation and interactivity makes it ideal for everyone.