San+Francisco+Symphony+Kids

**AUTHORITY**
This is a ".org" domain, which is appropriate because the San Francisco Symphony is a non-profit organization. Site authors are not mentioned, and no staff member credentials are found.

**INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT**
This free educational website was designed for use by children, parents and educators for online musical learning. Through interactive web animations and creative music exploration, students are given opportunities to learn more about various musical instruments, orchestral classics, and musical concepts. The site contains four main features: "Music Lab, Instruments of the Orchestra, Radio, and What's Up at the Symphony." In the Music Lab section, students learn about basic musical concepts such as tempo, harmony, rhythm, and pitch. This section also includes "harmonizer, performalator, composerizer" sections in which students can experiment with musical sounds, perform well-known tunes on a color-coded keyboard, compose their own music by clicking and dragging musical measures and listen to their finished products. In the Instruments of the Orchestra section, students can learn about the history, sound, appearance and location of various instruments in the orchestra. The Radio section of the website, allows students to explore various orchestral classics such as Beethoven's "Symphony #5", Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and Copland's "Fanfare to the Common Man". There are six radio stations including: All in the Family, Big Moments, Great Tunes, Musical Critters, Once Upon A Time and Sneak Preview. Finally, in the What's Up at the Symphony section, details about upcoming children's and educational concerts with the San Francisco Symphony orchestra are highlighted.

__National Music Standards that could be addressed through this website include:__ 3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments. 4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines. 6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music. 7. Evaluating music and music performances.

Site last updated in 2008

**PURPOSE, VIEWPOINT**
The purpose of this website is to provide an education to students, parents, and teachers about basic musical concepts, instruments in the orchestra and classical favorites. In general, this educational site offers an exposure to classical music and music appreciation. Students are encouraged to explore musical sounds and create their own compositions on this website. Additionally, instrumental performance in encouraged through the "meet the instruments" section of this website.

**REPUTATION**
The San Francisco Ballet is linked on the Kennedy Center website. Although there may not be as many links to this website, the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra is a well-known group and this website is linked to theirs.

**OVERALL EVALUATION**
In general, I found this website to be quite a wonderful introduction to "classical music" education, instrumental performance, and early musical concepts. The graphics and games are kid-friendly and offer students many opportunities to explore musical sounds and create their own compositions. The many classic works that are offered on the "Radio" section are great for use by parents and educators. The pictures and listening examples do not take long to load and are educational and authentic in their construction. Overall, I found this website to be great for children and parents who wish to expand their knowledge of classic music.

Rating: 4/4 stars

Reviewed by: Lindsay Carlson, 4-1-08