Our OrchLab resources explore the music and instruments of the London Philharmonic Orchestra and wider OrchLab project, using this as inspiration for musical activities, information and games.
Explore the four categories to start your musical journey.
Test your memory by matching the musical sounds (make sure your sound is on!). Tap each card to flip it over, then try and remember where the matching sound is so you can match the pairs. The extracts you hear are from British composer Gustav Holst’s The Planets, performed by the LPO. You can find
Posted in Games & Quizzes, Resources
Ahoy! In this activity, we’re going to create musical waves inspired by Felix Mendelssohn’s ‘Hebrides Overture.’ This piece was inspired by Mendelssohn’s visit to Scotland in 1829 and it’s also known as ‘Fingal’s Cave,’ after the landmark which inspired it. However, its original title was ‘The Lonely Isle’ – you can learn more about Mendelssohn’s
Posted in Create & Compose, Resources
Gustav Holst (1874-1934) Gustav Holst was born in 1874 in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, into a musical family, including a great-grandfather and grandfather who had both been composers and harp teachers. His father was an organist and choirmaster in Cheltenham, and his mother was a talented singer and pianist. As a child, he played the piano, violin
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
Play, sing and dream about sunny California with this popular classic, originally recorded by The Mamas and the Papas in 1965 and later released by The Beach Boys in 1986. ‘California Dreaming’ was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001 and was included in Rolling Stone‘s list of the 500 greatest songs of
Posted in Create & Compose, Resources
In Autumn 2024, OrchLab worked with groups from Antill Road (Look Ahead Care Support & Housing) and New Court Place (Shaftesbury) on a project inspired by The Planets by Gustav Holst. Holst (1874-1934) was born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and, after injury prevented him from pursuing a career as a pianist, he worked as a trombonist,
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
Composers often use pictures as a starting point for the pieces of music they create. For instance, in 1874 the Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky created Pictures at an Exhibition, a piano piece which was inspired by the art works of the painter Viktor Hartmann. Mussorgsky went to an exhibition of Hartmann’s paintings at the Imperial
Posted in Create & Compose, Listen & Discover, Resources
Solve the clues to guess the right musical instrument for each row and column of the crossword. For more clues and further information, watch the videos on the OrchMap, which will help you to learn more about each of the instruments of the orchestra! Explore more:
Posted in Games & Quizzes, Resources
OrchLab Soundmakers are a set of web-browser based instruments that you can use on a computer, tablet or mobile phone. The instruments available are called Circles, Squares, Percussion, Lines, Bars and Patterns. Below you can find a video which introduces Bars to you. Feel free to use this as a starting point and then be as creative as you like
Posted in Create & Compose, Resources, Staff guidance & training
Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was a child prodigy – by the age of 12 he had written several operas and string symphonies, as well as a large amount of chamber and piano music. Two works which he wrote when he was 16 and 17 years old (the Octet and Overture to a Midsummer Night’s Dream) are
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources