A collection of fun composing activities for children and young people to do at home with or without instruments. All the activities are inspired by or linked to existing pieces of music. Themes include: sounds in the house and garden, superheroes and graphic scores.
CLICK HERE for our creative music activities for instrumentalists.
Illustration: Mina Braun
Compose music using things you find in the garden or park inspired by composer John Cage's Child of Tree.
Compose music for your family using sound makers that you find around your home. Inspired by John Cage's Living Room Music.
Compose music for a superhero of your own design.
Create your own graphic score inspired by composers such as Cornelius Cardew, Cathy Berberian and John Cage.
Doodle along to BCMG oboe player Melinda Maxwell performing her own composition Sounding Out Varèse. Then compose your own music using your doodle!
Compose your own percussion piece inspired by Ionisation by composer Edgard Varèse
Compose music inspired by the map of your daily walk, scoot or cycle.
Compose music for your voice inspired by Sequenza III for Voice by composer Luciano Berio.
Compose music for imaginary or real deep sea worlds, inspired by Deep by composer Shiori Usui.
Compose music using noisy toys from around your house inspired by the music of Joseph Haydn, Benedict Mason and the Modified Toy Orchestra.
A simple guide to composing. Open your ears, play and experiment.
A simple guide to using the recording and editing software Audacity
Compose simple melodies to describe friends and family inspired by the zodiac using a music box app or a real music box, inspired by Tierkreis by composer Karlheinz Stockhausen
Compose a 60 second piece of music inspired by A Dust in Time by composer Huang Ruo.
Compose a piece of music for 1 performer that is a short drama between 3 characters. Inspired by Masks for solo flute by British composer Oliver Knussen
Unleash your musical creativity this summer with 24 composing challenges. Be inspired by the world around you.