Music

Muted.io (Y,M,O,T)
Muted.io offers a “magical collection of interactive music theory tools & visual reference pages to learn music online for free.” There are tons of fun and useful resources here - a beat maker, virtual piano, BPM counter, guitar & ukulele tuner, free synthesizer presets, and interactive guides on scales, chords, and more.

TeachRock: Interdisciplinary Music Lessons (Y,M,O,T)
TeachRock uses popular music to create interdisciplinary lessons that combine music history with science, math, social studies, language arts, and more. The site offers hundreds of K-12 lessons on different popular artists, music from different cultures, and genres.

NAFME Virtual Resources for Music Educators (Y,M,O,T)
The National Association for Music Education has an extensive database of resource links for music educators. You can find resources for band, choir, classical music, jazz, opera, rock & roll, virtual concerts, lesson plans, free music sources, and much more.

Carnegie Hall Resources for Music Educators (Y,M,O,T)
Carnegie Hall offers a wide range of lessons and activities for K-12 students, as well as teacher development. Lessons cover topics like world music, digital music production, the creative process, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, and more.

San Francisco Symphony's Kids' Page (Y,M,O)
The San Francisco Symphony's kids' page is an appealing interactive site where children can learn the basics of music notes, learn about tempo, play in the music lab, and more.

Musical Instrument Museum Virtual Tours and Resources (Y,M,O,T)
If you can’t visit in person, the Musical Instrument Museum of Phoenix, Arizona, offers virtual tours where you can explore the musical instruments of different cultures and time periods. They also offer lessons that include hands-on activities and video resources.

The Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame (Y,M,O,T)
This art-deco museum honors great jazz artists with ties to the state of Alabama. While furnishing educational information, the museum is also a place for entertainment. Exhibits convey the accomplishments of the likes of Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton and Erskine Hawkins and the music that made them famous. Within this fine musical collection, visitors travel from the beginnings of boogie woogie with Clarence "Pinetop" Smith to the jazz space journeys of Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Space Arkestra.

World Music Textbook (M,O)
World Music Textbook is a fully-online, open-source textbook teaching and learning ethnomusicology and musicology. The textbook is divided into “chapters,” which can be short essays, videos, interactive sites, or other formats, and they are in no particular order. You can search the chapters by topic or region.

Musical Futures Online (Y,M,O)
Musical Futures offers a comprehensive collection of music learning resources and videos. Learn to play guitar, ukulele, piano, percussion, and more.

Name That Chord  (Y,M)
A free music theory course that includes numerous lessons and a game for kids.

World Fest Online: Hikaru (Japan)  (Y,M,O,T)
"Explore Japanese folk music with Hikaru. Travel with the band members across Tokyo to explore a festival, a dance studio and a barbershop. Then, tune into Hikaru’s concert to hear Japanese instruments like the 3-string shamisen, the high-pitched shinobue flute, and the rumbling taiko drums as well as traditional singing and dance." Includes downloadable study guides, discussion questions, and an activity guide. (Japan is the last country featured on the page at the link.)

World Fest Online: Paulo Padilha e Bando (Brazil)  (Y,M,O,T)
"Discover the sounds of Brazil with Paulo Padilha e Bando. Paulo’s music is inspired by traditional samba and other popular Brazilian styles. Learn more about the history of the cuica drum and follow Paulo as he zig zags through the streets of Brazil’s largest city, stopping at the bakery, the market, and the beach! Then, tune in to the band’s backyard garden concert." Includes downloadable study guides, discussion questions, and an activity guide.

World Fest Online: Hadar Maoz (Israel)  (Y,M,O,T)
"Travel through 2,500 years of Israel’s musical tradition with Hadar Maoz and her ensemble. Hadar finds inspiration for her music everywhere, from ancient Persia to modern rock and roll. Get to know more about life in Israel as Hadar takes you to the riverside, sings and dances with her grandmother, and visits with her mom." Includes downloadable study guides, discussion questions, and an activity guide. (Israel is halfway down the page at the link.)

Australian Aboriginal Didgeridoo Music  (Y,M,O,T)
Australian Aboriginal music includes the music of Aboriginal Australians and social, cultural and ceremonial observances of these people, down through the millennia of their individual and collective histories to the present day, and has existed for 40,000 years. YouTube submission from Traditional Music Channel

Basic Music Theory  (Y,M,O,T)
The Music Learning Workshop website has mini-lessons that cover the basic elements of music theory. It covers Rhythm, Notes, Intervals, Scales, Chords, and more.

Musical Elements Song  (T,Y)
Sung to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", this song teaches about the elements of music. Ages 7-11.

Paul Taylor Didjeridoo  (Y,M,O,T)
Australian storyteller, didjeridoo player and traveler. He comes to the U.S. from Adelaide, South Australia, on the invitation of Bobby Bridger and the Adelaide-Austin, TX, sister city program. Bridger is a descendant of the legendary Western pioneer, Jim Bridger. In 1986, Paul acted as guide for Bobby Bridger on an extensive tour of South Australia. Bridger performed his acclaimed one-man show "Ballad of the West," on a tour of the outback and to the Pitjantatjara Aboriginal community in the red heart of the country.

Didjeridoo  (Y,M,O,T)
The didgeridoo is a sacred Australian Aborigine instrument that dates back more than 40,000 years. This YouTube video submitted by Planet Doc Express Documentaries shows how the didgeridoo is made.

Popular Songs in American History  (Y,M,O,T)
If your student loves music, he will love learning these songs and their place in history. My kids have enjoyed learning songs like Wait for the Wagon and Yankee Doodle Dandy and this site offers not just the songs, but the background and lyrics.

Making Musical Instruments  (Y,M,O,T)
Carol Raedy, a musician and educator from Charlotte, NC, has put instructions online for making simple music. Using common household items you can guide your students to make a banjo, bass, dulcimer, drum, rainstick, and thumb piano.

Ideas for teaching music  (Y,M)
Includes links to some wonderful music toys and games, musical history fact cards, printables, recommended books about music, and some links to other useful Music sites.

Children's Music Archive  (Y,M,O,T)
Here you will find lyrics, sing-along suggestions, coloring sheets and activities for many children's songs.