Music Tech Resources/Sites/Games:

Composition

Graphic Notation

• Chrome Music Lab (13 visually stimulating online opportunities for exploring sound production) (grades K-6)

  • Songmaker is a point-and-click composition app using graphic notation; songs can be saved to a link or downloaded as a .wav file)

• Groove Pizza (free exploration of rhythm, patterns, meter, and simple beat-making with a connection to geometry) (grades 4-9)

• DanielX's Composer (a free point-and-click video-game-like composition page - uses the musical staff) (grades 3-8)

• Music Grid (click on the boxes to control pitch as the song plays; limited interface) (grades 2+)

• BeatMaker (a point-and-click beat maker; can be used with or without the free account) (grades 4+)

• BeepBox (a browser-based system for composition/loops; share songs by copying/pasting the unique URL) (grades 5+)

Standard Notation

• Noteflight (an online music notation program with options for student recording and assessment) (grades 2+)

  • Video tutorial page for creating worksheets and assignments

  • Google Classroom integration help page

  • NOTE: This site requires a log-in. SDUSD has a district license, and every school site has a unique log-in. Students, please contact your music teacher if you need your information. Teachers, please contact Anne if you have questions.

• MuseScore (a free open-source notation app for creating and playing compositions) (grades 7-12) *requires a log-in

• Flat for Education (free online music notation software with ability for collaboration) (grades 2-12) *requires a log-in

Audio Editing, Recording Studios, DAWs

• Online Sequencer (a browser-based pitch sequencer much like MIDI editing in a DAW) (grades 5+)

• Abelton's Learning Synths & Playground (similar to Chrome Music Lab but for older students, Learning Synth is a lesson/exploration of synth controllers and Playground is a simulated controller itself; all free) (grades 7+)

• SoundTrap (online software DAW for editing audio and creating beats) *See MusicFirst Classroom *requires a log-in

• Audacity (free open-source audio editor program for download) *requires a log-in

• BandLab (free online or app version DAW/recording studio that allows creating, mixing, mastering, collaborating, and more) *requires a log-in

Music Theory & History

Composers and Instruments

• New York Philharmonic's Kidzone (explore instruments and composers) (grades 2-6)

• Classics for Kids (explore composers; play musical games or compose) (grades 2-6)

• Dallas Symphony Orchestra (learn about composers, instruments, and practice tips) (grades 4-8)

Games and Exercises

• Staff Wars and related downloadable app-games (free note-naming practice in a variety of clefs and at a variety of levels) (grades 3-7)

• MusicTheory.net (free theory lesson website for general exploration, with ability for teachers to create customized exercises with direct links)

• Teoria.com (free tutorials, exercises, and more for theory and ear training)

• Variation Playground (free: click-and-drag small melodic excerpts to create a longer composition and to visually see how form works)

• Music Tech Teacher (over 130 free Flash animation quizzes, games, and worksheets) (grades 3-8)

Lessons

• Brain Pop (online website for exploration of music theory, instruments, and music genres - lesson videos are free; exercises, worksheets, etc. available with teacher subscription) (grades 4-8)

• Two-minute Music Theory (youtube playlist) (grades 8-12)

• 8-Bit Music Theory (youtube playlist featuring analyses of video game music) (grades 8-12)

• Khan Academy (free online video lessons on theory, music history, instruments, and composers - note: it says "this course is retired" but it is still accessible)

• David Conservatoire (free theory tutorials and videos on an easy-to-navigate website)

• uTheory (up to ten free music theory lessons and practice exercises per day) (grades 4-9)

• The Guitar Junky's Music Theory Fundamentals (overview of theory)

Practicing, Performing, and Assessment

Rhythm

• Rhythm Writer (click on a beat to choose rhythmic options; requires Flash)

• Rhythm Randomizer (straightforward webpage produces random rhythmic segments for reading practice; click on the example to get a new one)

Pitch / Piano

• Dot Piano (use your computer keyboard as a piano and see interesting visuals) (all ages)

• Virtual Piano, Musicca Virtual Piano, or iMusic School Online Piano (touch-screen sensitive for Chromebooks and tablets)

• Seeing Music (sing into your microphone and see a visualization of the pitch)

Other

• Online Voice Recorder (a free user-friendly option for recording audio using built-in computer or phone microphones and downloading as an .mp3)

• Vic Firth's Rudiments practice site (free video and PDF drum rudiments)

Free Sheet Music

• IMSLP/Petrucci Library - public domain scores and recordings

• Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) - public domain choral and vocal works

• Kronos Quartet's 50 for the Future - advanced string quartets

• Free-Scores.org - classical and contemporary sheet music for primarily solo and small group

Virtual Music Resources/Games:

Composing and Creating

• Explore Abelton's Learning Synths (lesson) and Playground (mixer) (grades 7-12)

• Create rhythmic accompaniments on Groove Pizza (see the lesson here!) (grades 2-8)

• Compose your own music using one of the music programs found on our Music Tech Resources page here

• Read the timeline of the History of Music Recording (grades 9-12)

Listening and Responding

• Explore instruments and composers on the New York Philharmonic's Kidzone, Classics for Kids, or the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (grades 2-6)

• Research Unusual Musical Instruments (grades 5-8)

• Select songs/pieces on a theme or within certain criteria, using youtube, J.W. Pepper, IMSLP, or CPDL (grades 4-12)

• Evaluate an ensemble performance from YouTube (grades 4-12) -- grades 7+ can use a festival rubric

• Listen to a YouTube or Spotify playlist of songs (curated by the teacher) (grades K-6)

• Compare, contrast, or pick your favorite of the next two songs you hear (grades 3+)

Practicing and Performing

• If you have your instrument at home, just practice! (grades 4-12)

  • Using SDUSD's Flipgrid page, record a 1-2 minute performance of yourself performing to share!

  • Check out Learn to Play Music.com on youtube, which has instructional videos for instruments ranging from recorder and ukulele to strings and woodwinds to piano.

  • Play along with Rockin' Recorder songs -- method book and tracks right on the website

• Access vocal warm-ups, karaoke, and/or practice tracks on youtube (grades 3-12)

  • Empowering Yourself for Vocal Independence playlist on youtube

• Use practice tracks in Google Classroom or on youtube for choral repertoire and/or solo works (grades 4-12)

  • Art Song Central has free sheet music for many classical songs in the public domain, and you can easily find practice tracks and accompaniments on youtube. The 24 Italian art songs are a great place to start.

• Follow Sing Well, a 10-lesson online singing class available for free on "A Song a Week by Jodie".

• See this Chorus e-lesson plan example for suggestions on how to practice (grades 6-12)

• View Little Kids Rock video lessons for vocals, rock band instruments, ukulele, and songwriting (grades 3-9)

• View lessons and links on Mr. Ethridge Music for ukulele, guitar, bass, piano, and drums

• Practice your rudiments with Vic Firth's Rudiments practice site

Connecting to Culture, History, and More

• Research the background of one of your pieces - composer, time period, culture, significance of the piece, translation of lyrics, etc. (grades 5-12)

• Participate in free world music video lessons (with study guides) from San Diego's Center for World Music

• Watch "Zap! Boom! Pow! Superheroes of Music" (on youtube), featuring 2-3 minute videos about classical composers, based on the book of the same name by Lucy A. Warner, and with music by the San Diego Symphony

Things to Watch

• Watch up to four performances for FREE in the Berliner Philharmoniker's Digital Concert Hall

• The Met Opera is streaming FREE nightly presentations from their Live in HD series on their website (each production begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT and will be available until 3:30 p.m. the following day)

• Learn about opera with the "Sing Out Loud" or "Shakespeare Sings" YouTube series from the LA Opera

• Got Netflix? Check out "Julie's Greenroom" (elementary), "Amadeus" (HS), "Eroica" (HS), or one of the many available musical theatre productions from "The Sound of Music" to "Les Miserables".

• Watch a TED-Ed video lesson on a variety of music topics.

• See "A Virtual Choir 2,000 Voices Strong," a 15-minute TEDTalk with Eric Whitacre about the Virtual Choir project.

• Check out the show "Broadway or Bust" free from KPBS, which follows 60 musical theatre students to New York to be coached for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards competition.

• The competition show "Sing That Thing!" features a cappella choirs in numerous styles. Full episodes of all five seasons are available for free.