Resource: Music Animation Machine

One of the coolest YouTube channels from a musical standpoint is the Music Animation Machine created by Stephen Malinowski. This channel features over a thousand animated graphical scores of mostly classical compositions. It is simply mesmerizing and I believe that it is a VERY useful teaching tool. I have spent many hours watching his Bach renditions specifically, and I love them. Stephen also has a second channel called Musanim where he posts remakes and alternate versions.

Take for example this video of Claude Debussy’s Clair de Lune. It is basically scrolling piano roll notation with colored bars that highlight when the notes they represent are played. It is just like the video game Rock Band, but scrolling left to right instead.

For me, this channel is absolutely perfect for playing musical compositions for students and having them “see” the music, the contours, the form, the counterpoint - everything that a composer is doing during the piece. Obviously the students in our classrooms consume LOTS of video and I think this is a perfect bridge between listening and watching.

For a more complex orchestral work, like the Rite of Spring. The Music Animation Machine truly makes the music come alive visually. You can SEE when the sections change, when the orchestration changes, when the texture changes. Sure there are lots of other videos of ballets or orchestras playing the Rite of Spring, but I believe the Music Animation Machine is the most effective in getting students inside the music and inside the mind of the composer.

Recently the Music Animation Machine has had a “facelift” making the graphics a little more abstract and fun. You’ll know that you are experiencing the new version when you see shapes other than the typical rectangles of piano roll notation. He also has setup some very useful Playlists where you can quickly access the works of specific composers, instrumentation, or even examples of musical concepts.

I highly recommend bookmarking this amazing YouTube channel today. If you would like to support Stephen’s incredible work, he has a Patreon account set up - please donate!