Having Fun with Music

A few weeks ago, I talked — or rather, my piano did — about what fun kids have in the Music for Young Children program.

There are lots of ways to have fun with music even if you’re not in Music for Young Children, or a similar program.

You can make your own music, if you play an instrument. You can sing, even make up your own songs. You can develop your own playlist of favorite songs, maybe songs to match every mood.

You can listen to all kinds of music. Rock, hip-hop, rap, classical. Classical? Lots of kids, and grown-ups, too, think classical music is boring. Not so! Click to read more…

Did you know that lots of symphony orchestras, that play classical music and all kinds of other music as well, have websites with great activities for kids? Here are just a few of them:

The San Francisco Symphony has a cool page for kids. I particularly like the Music Lab — try all the things, especially the Performalator and the Composerizer! You get to perform some songs, and then you get to try composing!

The New York Philharmonic has tons of stuff in their KidZone. There is a scavenger hunt, puzzles and quizzes, even ways to make your own instruments in the Game Room. In the other areas of the Kid Zone, you can learn about the instruments, the musicians, even compose your own music, and a whole lot more. Check it out!

DSO Kids, the place for kids on the Dallas Symphony‘s website, has games like Beethoven Baseball, and a Time Machine where you have to try to get the composers back to their proper times. There’s a listen and learn feature where you can hear samples of different composers’ music, and hear how music has changed over the years. There are loads of resources for teachers and classrooms, too.

Those are just three examples, but there are lots more. See if the symphony or philharmonic orchestra in your city or area has a kids’ page on its website. Even if they don’t, I bet they have educational opportunities for kids and for classes to learn more about orchestral music. See what you can find out!

Have fun with these sites! See you on stage!