Other
George Crumb: Echoes of Time and the River
Part of a program, these notes on Crumb and his composition have some good information, and some good quotes.
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Music and Acoustics [Pdf]
In this lesson, young scholars will create a rhythmic composition using cups to demonstrate understanding and identification of various sounds. Musical skills addressed include improvising, composing, listening, and playing.
Other
Chord Studio
Have fun composing your own music with this easy to use online tool. Select the chords you want your song to have and choose the various instrument styles. You can sign up for a free account so you can save your songs and edit them later.
Other
Composing Music Using Computers
Understanding MIDI, digital audio, and how to compose using both. Although this site is from 1996, much of the information remains relevant.
Other
Virtual Composer
Compose music with this interesting online tool. To compose, you click small boxes on a grid. The grid is continuously scanned with a line that passes over your clicked boxes which in turn plays their sounds. You can listen to other...
PBS
Classics for Kids: Compose Your Own Music
In this interactive you will compose your own music in 4/4 time. Hit play to hear to hear your song then send it to your friends!
Other
Morton Subotnick's Creating Music
This site is an effective and fun way to help children understand music better. There are several online interactive games to play to better understand rhythm, pitch, scales and much more.
Other
Music Web: Benjamin Britten (1913 1976)
Quite a bit of biographical information here at Music Web, a very complete listing of his compositions, and a good list of recordings as well.
Other
Examples of Music Scores: Hildegard of Bingen
Images and descriptions of original compositions by Bingen.
Other
Philip Glass Official Website
This is the official website of 20th century composer, Philip Glass. The site includes news, biography, calendar, works, discography, and more.
McMaster University
Mc Master University: Music Composition for Beginners
A brief site on the advent of technology changing how music is written (and by whom) forever. One bad point is that for most of the links to work, you have to figure out for yourself where they go and type it in.
Other
Alan Belkin Music: On Learning Musical Craft
Alan Belkin provides four of his pedagogical booklets about composing music. They discuss fundamental principles of musical composition, counterpoint, orchestration, and harmony. and provide guidance to student composers.
ArtsNow
Arts Now Learning: Module K: Shapes
In this series of STEAM activities, students will discover the concepts of geometry through shape exploration and the creation of choreographic sequences. Another activity in this module will allow students to identify shapes by applying...
Classical Net
Classical Net: Johann David Heinichen
A very interesting page outlining the life of composer Johann David Heinichen. This site includes his biography, a list of his compositions and links to some of his recorded music.
Other
The Golden Rules of Songwriting
Do you have the desire to begin writing music but don't know how to get started? This well written article provides some very good advice to help you on your way.
Other
Structural Chord Progressions
When composing music, it is good to be sure you have the right set of chords surrounding your melody. This column provides a brief overview on how to begin to think of chord structures for your songs.
Other
Compositional Inspiration
Without going into specifics, this article provides general ideas on how to begin writing your own music. A few of the ideas discussed are recording yourself playing around, learn a new scale or pattern, and apply some new music theory...
Other
Writing Guitar Licks
You have just written a cool guitar lick and you want to play it in your favorite song, however, it just doesn't sound good in the song. This article explains how you can break down your lick into the key components and refine it to suit...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: I Could Be the Next Beethoven
For this lesson, students write the words and compose a melody for a school alma mater.
Other
Part 13: In 900 Minutes, You Can Be Composing
Learn how to compose music in 900 minutes through a process known as "Improvitaping." This is a good tool for the upper level student and makes a great teachers help.
PBS
Pbs: The Blues as Poetry
Discover what the relationship is between poetry and the blues. This site features lesson plans and online resources.
Other
Georg Philipp Telemann: A Biographical Note
A nice, in-depth biography on composer Georg Philipp Telemann is found here. Details on his compositions and life as a composer are given.
National Arts Centre (Canada)
Arts Alive: Ludwig Van Beethoven
This site from the National Arts Centre of Canada explores the life of Beethoven (1770-1827 CE). Read about his education, musical contemporaries, loss of hearing, and his death. There are also discussions of many of his famous works,...