In recent years the internet has seen astounding growth. Text, pictures, recordings, and movies are common elements of many sites. More recently sites have expanded to include interactive lessons and activities. Because these lessons run within the internet browser, they run on all platforms (Windows and Macintosh). Because these lessons are available on the internet, they are accessible from any internet connection in or out of the classroom. This article identifies ten interactive sites with useful lessons for music students and teachers.
 
 
 

Note Reading with Score This site offers practice identifying notes in the treble, bass, alto and tenor clefs. The computer maintains a score which the students may print and submit as proof of having completed the assignment. This site is useful for beginning musicians of all ages. Also available at this site are lessons on major and minor key signatures. This site requires JavaScript.
Example 1 - Note Reading with Score  http://courses.wcupa.edu/frichmon/usetech/musicalflashcards/aaaindex.html

 
 

Keyboard Note Identification This site also offers practice identifying notes on the piano keyboard. Additional lessons include treble and bass clefs notes and musical symbols (whole, half, quarter, eighth notes and rests, dynamic symbols, etc.). The student's score is displayed as they work through the lesson. This site requires Java.
Example 2 - Keyboard Note Identification  http://www.dragnet.com.au/~donovan/mb/java/jdemo.html

 

Intervals, Chords, and Scales This site offers practice identifying and writing intervals, chords and scales. A score is maintained in the window as the student works. This site is ideal for students in music theory classes or for those preparing for undergraduate entrance exams in music. Java is required.
Example 3 - Intervals, Chords and Scales  http://www.teoria.com/java/eng/java.htm

 
 
 

Big Ears This site offers practice in the aural identification of intervals. Also available is a piano keyboard which, when clicked, plays notes and announces the intervals played. Java is required.
Example 4 - Big Ears  http://www.ossmann.com/bigears/

 
 
 
 
 
 

Blues Jam This site allows students to create real-time musical performances in a blues style. The computer plays a 12 bar blues progressions while the student selects melodies to be used at various times in the performance. This site requires QuickTime. For a similar site, see http://www.mousejam.com/pick.html.
Example 5 - Blues Jam  http://stumac39.music.temple.edu/mmiweb/bluesjam.html

 
 
 
 
 

Creating Music This web site offers six activities for young children. The musical sketch pad (shown in figure 6 below) allows children to trace the contour of a melody using a variety of timbres. Once written the melody may be played in a slow, medium or fast tempo. Also available on this site are Music Puzzles, Playing with Music, Rhythm Band, Cartoon Conductor and Melodic Contours activities. This web site requires Java and the Shockwave and Quicktime plugins.

Example 6 - Creating Music  http://www.creatingmusic.com/

 
 
 
 
 

Musical Call Charts This site contains a number of formal call charts for familiar pieces. Included are excerpts from the Nutcracker ballet (see figure 7 below), Bach's Little Fugue in G minor, Scott Joplin's Entertainer, and more. Most of the files use MIDI for playback. For better results, play a CD recording of the music and use the forward and backward buttons on the movie control bar to advance in time with the music. This site requires QuickTime.

Example 7 - Musical Call Charts - Trepak from the Nutcracker Ballet  http://courses.wcupa.edu/frichmon/tdml99/index.html

 
 
 
 
 

Groove Builder This site allows the user to enter chords which the computer uses to generate accompaniments in various styles. This is a nice tool for exploring chord progressions and musical style. This site is similar to Band-In-A-Box. This site requires JavaScript.
Example 8 - Groove Builder  http://www.wholenote.com/default.asp?iTarget=http%3A//www.wholenote.com/builder/builder.asp

 
 
 
 
 

Kodaly Hand Signs - This lesson offers practice identifying aurally presented melodic sequences using the Kodaly/Curwen hand-signs. The online-version of this lesson only implements four of the eighteen lessons. Lessons begin with sol and mi and progress in difficulty according to the sequences designed by Kodaly. This site requires JavaScript and Quicktime.
Example 9 - Kodaly Hand Signs  http://courses.wcupa.edu/frichmon/kodaly/index.html

 
 
 
 
 

Mr. Note's Gameland Mr. Note's Gameland offers a number of puzzles and games with a musical twist. In the figure below, the student must identify the half note symbol to advance his player to that location. Other activities at this site include Quiz Page, Music Puzzles and a musical version of Hangman.
Example 10 - Mr. Note's Gameland  http://www.talentz.com/MusicEducation/Resources/MrNote/MrNoteGameland/MrNoteGameland.mv

Browser resources required to run these lessons are listed below. In most cases, these will automatically have been installed on your computer.
 
 

JavaScript - JavaScript is a programming language currently built into Netscape and Internet Explorer. Support for JavaScript exists in these browsers to some degree down to version 2 and 3 respectively. If your browser does not properly display pages which require JavaScript check the preferences in the Edit menu to confirm that JavaScript is turned on. If your browser is old (pre-version 4), you may wish to download the latest version. Netscape is available at http://www.netscape.com. Internet Explorer is available at http://www.microsoft.com/
 
 

Java - Java is a programming language currently built into Netscape and Internet Explorer. It is similar to JavaScript in many regards. It may be turned on or off in the browser preferences. If problems occur, check to see that it is on. Because of recent changes in Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Java may soon require a plug-in. For the latest information see the Microsoft site (http://www.microsoft.com) or the Sun site (http://java.sun.com).
 
 

QuickTime - QuickTime is a multimedia playback system which is essential for many musical applications on the web. Developed by Apple Computer, QuickTime runs in both Windows and Macintosh browsers. The latest version is available at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/.
 
 

Shockwave - Shockwave is a plug-in which allows specially developed Macromedia Director projects (programs) to run in a browser window. The latest version is available from http://www.macromedia.com.
 
 

Dr. C. Floyd Richmond is a music education and technology specialist working in the Southeastern Pennsylvania area. He is frequently called upon for school inservice days, local, state, and national conferences. This year he has presented or will present at the Midwest/Michigan Band and Orchestra Association, the Technological Directions in Music Learning Conference, the TI:ME/MENC National Conference, and the Ohio Music Educators Conference.