5 Cool Classical Music Apps
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra by Benjamin Britten (FREE)
iOS
Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra will be featured as part of our Notes from Vietnam performance on February 12, 2016!
Here is a fun and creative way to introduce young people to the joys of the orchestra and the thrill of music-making. This app is aimed at 7–11 year olds but will be enjoyed by much younger children and grandparents alike! It is also a great resource for the classroom. At the heart of the app is a new, complete recording of Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra conducted by Sir Mark Elder. The games and quizzes are an engaging way of becoming familiar with the music while learning about the instruments, musical terms and composition.
Melody Street (FREE)
iOS
Android
The House On Melody Street” interactive eBook tells the heart-warming story of the instruments of the orchestra learning to live in harmony. The storyline, written in rhymes and set to a symphonic score, includes lessons about friendship, tolerance, and mutual understanding. The musical score represents different dialogues between the various characters, portraying each one with its own unique sound. Children are introduced to the musical families of the orchestra- Strings, Woodwinds, Percussion, Brass and Pluck, and learn to recognize them by look, sound, character and family orientation.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Learn (FREE)
iOS
MSO Learn is the first App of its kind to offer the user advanced interactive audio-visual exploration of an orchestra, featuring the different instrumental families, individual instruments and the musicians who play them. The App for iPhone and iPad brings together stunning graphics and uncompressed audio to produce an experience that will delight users of all ages and enhance their appreciation of the workings of an orchestra. Users can explore the various sections of the orchestra (strings, woodwind, brass and percussion); through rich graphics and a soundtrack that highlight individual musical sections. Users can delve further again to learn and listen to each instrument and meet a member of that section from the MSO.
Percussive ($1.99)
iOS
Percussive contains a total of five instruments. Glockenspiel, Kalimba, Xylophone, Vibraphone and Marimba. The instruments look and sound fantastic with their gorgeous 3D designed artwork. Learn, practice and master your music & touch skills.
Nutcracker Musical Storybook ($2.99)
iOS
Relive the magic of Oakland Ballet’s production of the Nutcracker with this app!
Join Clara and The Nutcracker Prince in a fully animated, Cinematic Storybook Adventure of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker Ballet, combining original artwork by Yoko Tanaka with full symphonic orchestral excerpts of Tchaikovsky’s timeless score. This app is a fun and educational way to introduce children and adults to the story and music of The Nutcracker Ballet.