
After a few weeks of social distancing at home, you might be kicking around the idea of taking up a new hobby. If knitting, cooking or jigsaw puzzles aren’t your style, try your hand at creating some music! You don’t need lessons in theory or even an instrument to get started with these online games and resources.
Patatap— Turn your keyboard into an instrument and explore all kinds of musical sounds, then combine them to make your own rhythms. Each sound corresponds with a moving image, so you’ll double as a visual artist, too!
Bach’s Google Doodle— Last year, in celebration of Johann Sebastian’s birthday, Google created its very first AI-powered Doodle. You create a melody line, and then press a button to prompt the AI machine to create harmony based on Bach’s signature style.
Gregorian Chant Generator— If you need a moment of zen, it’s hard to beat some of the oldest music in the Western classical tradition. You’re in charge of arranging the music, from the polyphony (how many melody lines you hear at once) to ambient church bells. Pile on the reverb to transport yourself to a European medieval cathedral.
Salsa Beat Machine— The concept is similar to the Gregorian Chant Generator, but with a totally different style of music. Chose your tempo, key, and layer percussion instruments for a living room dance party.
Design Your Own Opera— While the music has already been written by Engelbert Humperdinck, this website allows you to explore all the other essential parts of creating an opera. Geared towards kids (but still fun for the young at heart), Design Your Own Opera allows you to make choices about costumes, choreography, set design and props, as well as giving a backstage look at how an opera works.
SFSKids Compose — If you’re ready to create a totally original piece of classical music, try this program from the San Francisco Symphony. You can take it slow with some basic music lessons, or jump right in and put notes on a staff. There’s even an option to share your new masterpiece with friends.
If you are (or know of) a young person interested in composing, make sure to keep up with 91Classical’s Student Composer Fellowship.





