SFSKids.com
“Thanks for making music available all the way around the world!” – Teacher, New Zealand
SFSKids.com
A free Web site providing online learning about music. SFSKids.com is designed to serve children, families, teachers, and schools.
Description
SFSKids.com is an online educational resource that presents opportunities for learning about music through interactivity, animation, and the creative exploration of music-making. The site was created for use by children and their parents, families, teachers, schools, and other educational communities. The site is designed to be comprehensive, fun, and easy to understand. Special care was taken to make the site appealing to both non-musicians and young music students.
SFSKids.com site-features include:
- Music Lab
Allows children to learn music basics, including tempo, rhythm, harmony, pitch, and music symbols. In addition, the Music Lab includes special features such as the Performalator, which allows users to play familiar tunes and create melodies; the Composerizer, which allows users to create music by arranging note groupings; and a module on instrumentation
- Instruments of the Orchestra
Allows users to learn about the instruments of the orchestra by sound and sight, including close-ups; where instruments are seated in a symphony orchestra; about the instrument families; and background information on each instrument.
- Radio
Allows users to tune in to dozens of audio clips of orchestral classics, arranged thematically. The radio’s “stations” are:
Channel 1 All in the Family
Channel 2 Big Moments
Channel 3 Great Tunes
Channel 4 Musical Critters
Channel 5 Once Upon A Time
Channel 6 Sneak Preview
- What’s Up at the Symphony
Gives details on upcoming San Francisco Symphony events designed especially for children, families, and schools.
What Users Say about SFSKids.com
Following is a selection of unsolicited e-mails from users, sent to the SFSKids.com Webmaster with compliments about the site:
“Your Web site for kids is amazing! It is incredibly user-friendly and loaded with tons of valuable information for kids of all ages. Thanks so much for your hard work and for sharing it with everyone.”
--Teacher Virginia
“What a great web site for classroom music! I just found it, and I’ve been playing for the last half hour! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
--Elementary Music Teacher Wisconsin
“I think your Kids site is absolutely stupendous. Shall put it in our school newsletter. Parents and students will have fun with this one.”
--Teacher Melbourne, Australia
“Thank you for such a wonderful site. It is a fantastic way for my daughters, in rural Montana to learn about the symphony and feel the joy of great music.”
--Parent Montana
“May I congratulate you and say thank you for such your wonderful educational Web site. I am a technology integration specialist in Virginia. I cannot wait to show the teachers that I work with - this great resource.”
--Technology Teacher West Virginia
“You know you've made a good site when a nineteen-year-old guy like me looks at this site...makes me feel like a kid at heart! :-) It explains music very well! I want more!!!”
--Music Lover
“I love your Web site and feel that the four thousand odd Australian children who learn music at our schools would enjoy visiting your site. Extremely awesome site!!!! I've never responded to a site to say thank you until now. Thank you!!!!”
--School Administrator Australia
“As a private piano teacher, I am flabbergasted - what a GREAT site!!! I will be sending my students to this. I'm always looking for fun ways to teach, and this is the best! Thank you.”
--Piano Teacher
“Hello. This is just to applaud all those who were involved in developing this Web site. It’s really wonderful. My kids have taken a great interest in music after visiting your Web site. Your simple approach to music is very interesting. I especially liked the way you have described tempo, rhythm, pitch, etc. Thank you for this site.”
--Parent India
“I am a bassoonist and a junior in high school who hopes to major in music. I am very interested in arts education for children, so when I saw your SFS kids site on TV, I wanted to check it out. Wow! This site is truly amazing. Kids really do love the music when they are able to understand it a bit more, and perhaps wonderful sites like this will help to overcome the stigma that sometimes surrounds classical music among today's youth.”
--High School Student
“I am a middle school technology teacher who learned about your site through the Webby Awards several years ago. I love it and would like to share your site with my students.”
--Technology Teacher California
“Hello - I am happy to have found this site. I really enjoy the idea that my kids are learning how music goes. They are open to all types and styles of music now; this site helps broaden their perspective and teaches the fundamentals of it. It's perfect. Thank you so much for allowing everyone the joy of wandering through this site.”
--Parent Ontario, Canada
“I am employed with an online public school. We are currently working to add more curricular options to our students and I am currently working on a Music Appreciation Course. During the development of the course, one unit covers musical instruments and ensembles. Your Web site is amazing and a perfect addition for our course.”
--Teacher at Online School Pennsylvania
“Wow! This is a great site. I am an elementary music teacher. I am really enjoying your Web site with my kids. This is one of the best sites I have found. It makes me want to come to San Francisco and hear the symphony in person. Very educational as well as fun for them! Great job! Keep up the good work!”
--Teacher Virginia
“I'm a homeschooler in Georgia and found out about your website through a homeschooling discussion board online. Your site is very well done! My children and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We'll be sure to pass this site along to everyone we know.”
--Parent Georgia
“I am a middle school technology teacher. I've shown your site to all of my classes. They love it! I am very impressed with the site and am sending the information about this to as many folks as I can. Thank you for taking the time, energy, effort, etc. to produce such a top-notch site that attracts children of all ages!”
--Teacher New Mexico
“I just wanted to compliment the creators and designers of this site. I am a thirty-four-year-old graduate student, and as a class assignment was asked to locate interactive musical education programs for my students. By far, SFS Kids was the best I encountered. It has wonderful graphics and colors, and the language and layout make it fun and accessible to everyone. I learned more about music basics in thirty minutes navigating this site than I did in all of my educational history. Keep up the fantastic work. Sites like this allow for non-musical individuals/educators to integrate/teach music education into the classroom in an easy and engaging way.
--Graduate-School Researcher Pennsylvania
“I'm a teacher of eight and nine year olds in New Zealand, with a keen interest in music and its value in education. I have just found your Web site and think it’s wonderful! I will definitely be recommending it to children to explore. Keep up the magnificent work.”
--Classroom Teacher New Zealand
“I'd just like to say that I love your kids' site! I'm a music teacher myself and really admire the way you've made it interesting and fun, but not too silly the way a lot of other kid-oriented Web sites do.”
--Music Teacher
“THANK YOU for this fantastic Web site!!! I am teaching elementary teachers how to use their SMARTboard. Your Web site will not only inspire them to use the SMARTboard, it will give them a brilliant example of what an educational site can be!”
--Instructor, Professional Development Program for Teachers