Web 2.0 for Music Teachers

Exploring the sound of music through science

Exploring the science of sound

Chat widgets for synchronous sessions

A few links to additional music resources for whiteboards etc.

There are four music games on Classics for Kids, and each of them are based on solid musical theory. The Rockin' Rhythm Master encourages children to listen to and repeat drum beat rhythms, while the Note Name game is all about naming notes on a staff. The composer time machine offers musical samples from great musicians, and a simple composer lets students create music as long as they keep four beats to every bar. The games open in a small window, so if you use Firefox, I would recommend the Flash Game Maximizer plugin in order to make them full screen.

A listing of various interactive music websites for elementary students.

Maestro - music games for music students. Students get their hand at being a conductor in the game.

Although they are grouped with the art games, Learning Games for Kids definitely has some worthwhile elementary music games. Many link out to other sites, but they are all student friendly and have content that is school appropriate. Music Match 'em, for instance, has students match the sound of an instrument with a picture of what they think made that sound. Boom Thang is a fun and easy to use composer game, while Music Memory is a tone matching game based on the doh ray me scale. All in all, there is a good mix of education and fun, but that is exactly what we have come to expect from LearningGamesforKids.com.

The emphasis here is more on games than music, but it was created by MTV so you can be sure that there is still a strong musical element. The Sound Factory starts as you join our hero on his way to work at the tire factory, but it soon develops into a cacophony of industrial sounds that combine effortlessly into a foot stomping melody. Sounds can be turned on and off as required, especially when the boss checks up on you, but it is your job to entertain the workers, so you need to try to please everyone with your musical prowess.

Recreate the sounds of an award-winning DJ with this great Fat Boy Slim online mixing game. Choose from a variety of well chosen samples and loops, and mix them together to create a dance floor tune to be proud of. The clever thing about this game is that success is measured by how many people you manage to get dancing to your tunes. The students I work with always enjoy this, and see it as a challenge worth working towards. It is also one of the more popular elementary music games that I have used.

Incredibox is one of those websites that really have to be seen to be believed. It encourages composition skills in students, but in a fun and user-friendly way. Basically you create your own a cappella group song from a list of chosen voice generated sound effects. It is incredibly addictive and even has bonus bridge sections that can be earned from creating a worthwhile composition. Everything is guaranteed to match musically so you can use this with any age of elementary students and still get great results. Try it and you will love it.

From the National Arts Centre - orchestral instruments, musicians and composers

Chapter 6.5 from McPherson, G., & Welch, G. (Eds.). (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Music Education, Volume 2. Oxford University Press, USA.

This project has created a platform that uses high definition panoramic video and surround sound to provide individual musicians with the very realistic experience of playing in an orchestra. The expected result is an exciting new method of training musicians and allowing them to expand their repertoire.

Ear training app for vocalists and performers.