OtterKnow Kids Encyclopedia

Classical music has been around for hundreds of years. It uses instruments like violins, flutes, pianos, and trumpets. A big group of musicians called an orchestra often plays classical music together.

Classical music can tell a story without any words. Some pieces sound like a thunderstorm. Others sound like a gentle river. Famous composers like Mozart and Beethoven wrote classical music that people still love today. You might hear classical music in movies, cartoons, and at special concerts.

• People have been making music for at least 40,000 years! Some of the oldest instruments ever found are flutes made from bones.
• Jazz music started in New Orleans over 100 years ago. Jazz musicians like to make up music as they go along!
• Country music often tells stories about everyday life. It uses guitars, fiddles, and banjos.
• Hip-hop music uses rhyming words spoken to a beat. It started in New York City in the 1970s.
• Every country in the world has its own special type of music. Music from Africa often has amazing drum beats, and music from India uses instruments called sitars and tablas.