Classical Midi With Words

Keywords:

              MIDI Music Clips, MIDI Classical Music, MIDI Music Files, Classical Music MIDI.

Site Overview

              If you have been searching for a site that allows you to listen to a large variety of music at the click of a mouse, there is no need for you to look any further. This site has a vast array of Classical Music MIDI Song Files.  Musicians and composers are listed under separate nationalities, such as: English and Scottish-English, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, and Russian. The sound files download quickly, and the audio is very good.  Although it is not the Philharmonic, you do receive both speed and excellent quality with MIDI.  This site offers an Introduction, What's New, Links, and Guest Submissions. There is an offer to download a Dual Window Karaoke, but it is not necessary to listen to the music clips.

Goals and Objectives:

The goals and objectives of this site are to become familiar with MIDI sound files, famous classical musicians and composers, and music appreciation.

Further Research:

(Source: Web sites: Classical MIDI with Words and the Ultimate MIDI File Collection.)

Midi is a relatively new word in our vocabulary. Definitions of the word in a 3-year-old encyclopedia were of various geographic locations. For example, did you know, that “Midi”, is a cultural region encompassing several areas in southern France? I decided to search the Internet for a definition of MIDI. The definition for MIDI sound files came from the web site, the Ultimate MIDI File Collection website.  MIDI, an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, tells the sound card how to make the audio transmit to the speakers.  MIDI relies on a sound card with a special chip that creates an organ sound from a frequency.  As a result, the MIDI files are very small and download quickly.  The sound quality of the MIDI is not as good as a WAV file. 

A sound card is required in a computer to listen to MIDI files.  Most computers today already have the sound card so you can download many programs on the Internet to enhance sound and view video files. MIDI files are ideal because you can play them directly from a particular area.  In other words, you do not need to download them into your hard drive or save on a floppy disk to listen to the audio.  In contrast, a WAV sound file takes a long time to download.  Fast is not always better, but it is almost a necessity for survival on the Internet.

Lesson Plans and Site Navigation:

1. Go to Classical MIDI with Words: http://www.recmusic.org/midi.  From time to time, the links on a web site do not work.  Either skip the question below or the page you have been directed to and go on.  When navigating this site, please use your forward and back arrows to go back to the original page.  This tour is very easy to navigate. By simply scrolling down the screen, numerous MIDI sound clips can be easily accessed.  While the music is playing, you are not able to click on another title.  You must wait until the selection being played has finished, or click the X in the corner to close the MIDI player.

2. On the Classical Midi with Words home page.  I suggest you begin to click on the sound clips you would like to hear by scrolling down the page.  As you are listening to your selection, click on the words Introduction.  You can read the information provided about this web site while listening to music.  Use your back arrow key to return to the homepage.

3. Click on the words What's New to see the latest in available MIDI files.  You may listen to as many as you desire.

4. The main emphasis of this site is to listen to a wide variety of selections.  This is to familiarize students with the various sounds of composers of the Classical genre.  The questions are general and require more of an opinion.  Therefore, a right or wrong answer will be subjective.

5. Your tour ends here.  There are various links you may want to explore.  If desired, you may download the Dual Window Karaoke available on this site.

6. Further activities are suggested.

Scavenger Hunt Questions:

Grades K-3

1. How quickly do different MIDI files download (the time it takes for the music to play from your computer speakers)? Time them with a stop watch.

2. How do you think MIDI sound files compare to the radio?

3. List the musicians that you enjoyed the best.

4. List the musicians that you enjoyed the least.

5. What is a Karaoke?

Grades 4-8 

1.    What is a MIDI file, and describe one of its advantages?

2.    Name one surprising characteristic of a MIDI file after you have heard one selection played.

3.    Listen to some classical musicians such as Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Liszt and any others that may be familiar to you.  Compare these composers and musicians with others that are not as familiar to you.  Have you heard any of these melodies before?

4. Listen to clips from a specific geographical location. Do any of these selections have similarities?

5. Listen to clips from the list of new additions.  Indicate any that you would particularly recommend to others.

Grades 9-12

1. Briefly explain the differences between a WAV file and a MIDI file.

2. What is the reason a web site would use a MIDI file as opposed to a WAV file?

3. What type of equipment is needed to produce a MIDI file?

4. Listen to various sound clips, and determine how long it takes to download in contrast to how long they actually play.

5. Listen to sound clips, and compare the musicians whose names you recognize with those you do not recognize.  Is there a difference in the music?

Additional Activities:

· Make a chart with the headings for each nationality. (This may require several sheets of paper.) List the composers under each country in which they are from.  Circle the composers whose music you enjoyed.  A variation of this chart: Make a second column next to nationality and use the heading “Song Title.”  List the songs that you enjoyed.

· Research musicians of your choice. What led them to a career in music? Use an encyclopedia or the Internet.

· Make musical instruments. There are many good books in the library (or search online) that provide instructions.

· Demonstrate principles of sound. Use a ruler and a rubber band. Stretch the rubber band over the length of the ruler. Listen to the sound made by pulling on the rubber band. Variation: Stretch a rubber band over the bottom and top of a plastic cup (or glass). Again, listen to the sound vibrations made by tweaking the rubber band.

· Research creating MIDI files. If you have musical ability, this may be something you choose to do.

· Look up the word MIDI on the Internet using a search engine. By placing parenthesis around the word, you will be restricting the search. Research the origins of the sound file along with its advantages and disadvantages.

· Make your own Karaoke music.  If you can play an instrument, play a song that you have mastered and record it on a cassette recorder.  Write out the music for the song separately. Practice singing the song along with the prerecorded music. Variation: Work with other people, who are musically talented, using various instruments.  Practice recording and singing.