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Design Your Own Opera

March 26th, 2022

The Creative Kids Education Foundation: Hansel & Gretel: Learning about Opera

(goclassical.org/kids/opera/opera-game)

All grades, with parental supervision

The Creative Kids Education Foundation offers this free interactive game called “Hansel and Gretel Design Your Own Opera” that provides players with music education while they pick different settings for the technical elements of creating an opera.

When you get to the site the game will launch. Try your hand at being:

  • A Costume Designer
  • A Choreographer
  • A Property Manager
  • A Lighting Technician
  • A Set Designer
  • A Technical Director
  • A Stage Director
  • A Technical Effects Director

With each scene, as you engage in activities, the music from the opera “Hansel and Gretel” is played and the meaning and nuances are pointed out by a narrator. Not only that, the lyrics that are being sung are on the screen making it easier to understand the storyline.

During Intermission, you get to try your hand at being an orchestra conductor! Learn about the instruments including strings, percussion, and brass.

When the show is over, take a virtual trip backstage and see how the production was put together. Use the spotlight menu to learn all about:

  • The Composer – Learn about the German composer, Engelbert Humperdinck.
  • Opera – Find out what an opera is and explore links to opera websites.
  • Fairy Tales – Get links to sites about Fairy Tales along with some downloadable activities.
  • Voice Studio – Learn the definitions of a Soprano, Mezzo Soprano, Tenor, and Baritone. Visit a Master Class with Placido Domingo. Meet famous opera singers.
  • Teacher Resources – Download free lesson plans for the opera along with games and activities to enhance learning. Take a fun quiz to see what you’ve learned.

This activity takes about 45 minutes to complete. It is SO WORTHWHILE – and fun, educational, engaging, and entertaining for the whole family!

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Piano & Music Resources at your Fingertips!

February 26th, 2022

Susan Paradis Piano Teaching Resources

(susanparadis.com/)

Grades 2-8, with parental supervision

Looking for printables for practice and activities to supplement your music studies, specifically piano? Then check out this website from classroom music specialist, Susan Paradis. Visitors will find loads of great teaching ideas and colorful printables to add fun and interest to their music class.

When arriving at today’s link, click the “Free>Teaching Aids” menu to access the various freebies. Here you’ll find:

  • Flash Cards
  • One Minute Club Cards
  • Staff Paper
  • Recital Programs
  • Certificates
  • Assignment Pages
  • Binder Covers
  • Practice Aids
  • and a lot of other free things teachers like!

There are so many wonderfully created resources here you will want to add this website to your bookmarks.

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Learn to Play the Guitar

January 29th, 2022

Andrew Keppie: Kids Guitar Zone

(www.kidsguitarzone.com/)

Grades 3-12, with parental supervision

Kids can learn the basics of playing the guitar with these free lessons from Andrew Keppie. Lessons are presented through short video presentations that focus on one concept at a time.

Lessons start with the basics and single-string songs and progress through more complex chords. Lessons include:

  • Lesson 1 – the parts of a guitar, how to hold a guitar, tuning a guitar and reading a tablature
  • Lesson 2 – Learn to play some songs on one string including “Smoke on the Water”, “The Peter Gunn Theme”, “Summer Lovin'”, “Mary Had a Little Lamb”, and “Seven Nation Army.”
  • Lesson 3 – Play two string songs such as “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, “Blister in the Sun”, and “Jingle Bells” chorus.
  • Lesson 4 – Three string songs include “Happy Birthday”, “Beat It”, “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Old MacDonald Had a Farm”, “The Wheels on the Bus”, “The Skye Boat Song”, “1 2 3 4 5 Once I Caught A Fish Alive”, “Baa Baa Black Sheep”, “The James Bond Theme”, and “Jingle Bells” the verse.
  • Lesson 5 – Songs on 4 strings are “La Bamba”, “Jack and Jill”, “Yankee Doodle”, “The Farmer in the Dell”, and “The Pink Panther Theme.”
  • Lesson 6 – how to play chords and read chord windows
  • Lesson 7 – Play “Wild Thing” with three chords.
  • Lesson 8 – Using three chords, learn to play “Yellow Submarine” and “Shake It Off.”
  • Lesson 9 – Learn to use power chords to play “Beat It.”
  • Lesson 10 – Learn to play a simple version of “Gangnam Style.”

Most lessons include multiple videos and accompanying downloadable PDFs. Select the “Kids Guitars” link in the menu for some information on selecting a guitar for your student.

If you have a child interested in playing the guitar, this website will provide a good starting point.

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Christmas Music & Audio Stories

December 18th, 2021

Feels Like Christmas – Free Christmas Music

(feelslikechristmas.com/free-christmas-music/)

All grades, with parental supervision

Listen and/or download free Christmas music from independent (indie) artists at this website.

Choose songs in the following categories:

  • Contemporary Instrumental
  • Contemporary Vocals
  • Traditional Instrumental
  • Traditional Vocal

There are hundreds of selections, many of which are originals written by the submitting artist. Select a song and when the page opens click the play button on the player to hear the song online. Found a song you absolutely love? Download the MP3 to add to your holiday collection by right-clicking on the download graphic to the lower right of the player. (Please note that the downloads are for personal listening use only. Be sure to read the “Use of This Music” page for specifics.)

In addition to the Christmas music, click the “Audio Stories” link to find a selection of Christmas stories including:

  • Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Match Seller
  • Luke 2:1-20
  • Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Moore
  • Santa’s Poem
  • Mrs. Claus Saves Christmas
  • My Granddad Helps Father Christmas
  • Mouse in the Honeysuckle

And don’t forget to check out the “Christmas Sounds” page to hear Sounds of Santa, sleigh bells, and more.

We hope this website will add to your holiday fun.

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Create Your Own Music Composition!

November 20th, 2021

Incredibox

(www.incredibox.com/)

All grades, with parental supervision

Become the conductor of a group of animated human sound machines and express your musicality through this free, fun, and easy-to-use interactive program. Sponsored by a graphic design and mixed media studio, Incredibox lets you record your music composition to share with friends.

When you get to the site, click the TRY WEB VERSION button and then select from versions:

  • Alpha
  • Little Miss
  • Sunrise
  • The Love

After making a selection, click the “i” information circle at the right to see the HELP menu and understand how it works. When you are ready, press the PLAY button. You’ll see animated male characters. Drag and drop different effects, beats, melodies, and voices (from icons located below the animation screen). As you drop them onto the character, it will dress the character in a new outfit and demonstrate the effect. Continue until you create a musical piece that appeals to you.

Click the three-line menu circle at the left to explore the Reset, Auto, and Record buttons. It takes a little experimentation to get proficient at creating compositions, but the fun is in exploring and testing the possibilities.

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Music Lessons & Resources from Carnegie Hall

October 23rd, 2021

Carnegie Hall: Music Educators Toolbox Resources

(www.carnegiehall.org/Education/Programs/Music-Educators-Toolbox/Resources)

Grades K-5, with parental supervision

Discover a variety of music lesson plans and resources at this page from the larger Carnegie Hall website.

Plans are arranged by grade level and focus on the fundamentals of music including “rhythm, meter, singing, form, dynamics, articulation, tempo, pitch, and performing.” Each plan provides all the needed information and resources to use in the classroom as well as downloadable assessments and more. A sampling of plans includes:

  • Exploring the Sounds Around Us – Kindergarten students listen to a selection of audios and use a downloadable, colorful worksheet to identify the sounds and then answer thought-provoking questions to increase sound awareness.
  • Dynamics Hide and Seek – First graders will enjoy playing this variation of the “Hot and Cold” game. Instead of using “hot” or “cold,” students sing either forte or piano to help the seeker locate the hidden object and learn these musical terms.
  • Classroom Thunderstorm – Kids in second grade will enjoy learning musical terms such as accelerando, ritardando, crescendo, decrescendo and accent while creating a human thunderstorm with sounds they create.
  • Goldilocks Sings – Third graders learn how posture affects their singing using the characters from Goldilocks and the Three Bears as examples.
  • Listening for Contrasts in Genre – Students in fourth grade discover how expressive musical qualities in music work together like a recipe to create different genres of the same song.
  • We’ve Got the Blues – Fifth grade children learn about the unique facets of blues music focusing on musical scales.

Even though the plans are geared towards a specific age group, they could be adapted for other grades and can serve as a supplement to any music program.

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