This week, my students and I are exploring various online music games and going on virtual tours. I figure we can all use a lighter load this week and some fun projects to “work” on over the Christmas Break. Here is a quick list of what we have been exploring:
Online Music Games
Orchestra from the Magic Flute: Students listen to a short clip, featuring an instrument in the orchestra. They have to correctly identify the instrument for it to take to the stage.
Channel Scramble: Test your ear to identify which channel has been assigned to a particular instrument.
Kandinsky: Create a painting and hear what it sounds like.
Rhythm: Can you click on the pattern of dots in time without missing a beat?
Spectogram: Check out spectograms created when instruments play a short clip. Create your own.
Name that Note: Personally, I like Note Rush more but for a Zoom lesson, this works.
MusicTheory.net Exercises: Good for note reading, ear training and theory tutorials
Virtual Tours
Located in Phoenix, Arizona, the Musical Instrument Museum boasts an extensive collection of instruments from every country in the world:
Check out Studio Bell’s Speak Up! online exhibition, featuring many talented Indigenous Canadian musicians.
Pianist, composer and history nerd Thomas Little takes us on a tour of the National Music Museum in Vermilion, South Dakota:
The final virtual tour offered during the 2020 Tiqets Culture Festival (showcasing virtual tours of museums around the world) was a virtual tour of the ABBA Museum. Catch the replay here:
Check out this virtual tour of The Beatles Museum in Liverpool:
Finally, the Morgan Library & Museum (NY) takes us on a virtual tour of Beethoven’s workshop:
Virtual Concerts
This fall, the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra has been offering free live stream concerts on Fridays. Register in advance to watch live or the replay.
The Metropolitan Opera offers nightly streams of past performances. These are available for free and each production is available for a limited time.
The Berlin Philharmonic’s Digital Concert Hall offers free digital concerts. Register for access.
Do you have a favourite online music game, virtual tour or concert that isn’t on this list? Drop it down in the comments.