The Bottom Line:
The New York Philharmonic Kidzone is an engaging, educational website that promotes classical music for kids in elementary school and in middle school. Kidzone offers information about the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, its musicians, and conductors. There is also information about some of history’s greatest composers along with audio clips of their compositions. Kidzone also offers numerous games designed to teach kids about music and musical instruments. The quality of this site reflects what one would expect of the prestigious New York Philharmonic. Kidzone is one of the top online destinations for parents or teachers who are looking for learning material about classical music for kids.
Description:
- Kidzone is a well designed website created by the NY Philharmonic
- All the features on the Kidzone website are free
- Kidzone offers music-based learning content
- Kidzone provides enjoyable music-based games
- Kidzone includes a link to the homepage of the official site of the New York Philharmonic
Pros:
- A good deal of educational content about symphony music
- The look and feel of the site is appropriate for kids
- Interactive games allow kids to compose short audio clips of music
- Site offers music-based projects to do at home
- Videos of members of the Philharmonic are available
- Wide range of topics including: Musicians, Conductors, Musical Instruments, Classical Composers, and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Cons:
- The Philharmonic video clips are not easy to find through the site’s home page
Review the New York Philharmonic Kidzone Website:
Kidzone is an appealing, interesting website about symphony music, developed by the New York Philharmonic. As you might expect, you’re going to get a good dose of culture here. Fortunately, there is nothing snooty or boring about this kid-friendly website. In fact, it has a nice casual, fun design. Also, since Kidzone never talks down to its young audience, it has a pretty wide appeal. Everyone from smart 4th graders to 8th graders should enjoy this site – especially if they’re interested in music!
Kidzone offers a Composer’s Gallery which lets you click on pictures of famous composers to get useful information, such as the country where they were born and the period in which they lived. Kids can also visit the Instrument Storage Room to learn about many of the different instruments used by the musicians of the Philharmonic Orchestra. If you want to know about the musicians, themselves, you can visit the Musicians’ Lounge. Click on the picture of the musician to read a short interview or hear an audio clip of their instrument. The Dressing Room leads to a web page which will introduce you to the conductors of the New York Philharmonic.
Kidzone contains many interactive features that let you experiment with music. Visit the Composition Workshop and click on the Orchestration Station to listen to the various ways that a musical piece can sound when played by different instruments. You put together the orchestra! Musical Mingles is an activity that lets you create compositions using musical sounds. The Game Room has a lot of music themed games aimed at younger children. While you’re at the Game Room make sure that you click on the television in the corner in order to watch some short videos make by members of the New York Philharmonic.
Kidzone is definitely worth a visit. It serves as a great introduction to the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, in particular…and to symphony music, in general.