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.
Gustav Holst: The Planets Suite English composer Gustav Holst (1874–1934) wrote one of the most famous and popular orchestral pieces ever – The Planets Suite. It has been performed by professional orchestras all over the world since Holst finished it in 1916. It has hugely influenced music written for film by modern day composers. For instance, John Williams’s
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
‘Mercury: The Winged Messenger’ is the third movement of The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. You can read all about The Planets in our Listening Guide. ‘Mercury: The Winged Messenger’ In Ancient Rome, the god Mercury was the winged messenger, taking messages from one god to another. This gives Holst the chance to compose some very fast music which jumps
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
‘Mars: The Bringer of War’ is the first movement of The Planets Suite by Gustav Holst. You can read all about The Planets in our Listening Guide. ‘Mars: The Bringer of War’ ‘Mars’ starts with a repeated rhythm played by the strings – listen for the unusual tapping sound from them. For this opening, Holst asks all the string players
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
In June 2020 the OrchLab team had planned to run live workshops with Garwood Foundation and St Cecilia’s Leonard Cheshire centre, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we took our workshops online instead. As part of these sessions we had a ‘Listening Party’ where we watched specially created videos of LPO musicians making music together
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
In June 2020 the OrchLab team had planned to run live workshops with Garwood Foundation and St Cecilia’s Leonard Cheshire centre, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we took our workshops online instead. As part of these sessions we had a ‘Listening Party’ where we watched specially created videos of LPO musicians making music together
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
Originally written by Bill Withers and Skip Scarborough, this song became a firm favourite of OrchLab participants earlier in 2020, when we visited St Cecilia’s and Garwood Foundation. Lovely Day Join Kate (violin), Alice (oboe), Anne (trumpet), Dave (trombone) and Tom (double bass) and play and sing along! The words are included in the video
Posted in Create & Compose, Resources
In June 2020 the OrchLab team had planned to run live workshops with Garwood Foundation and St Cecilia’s Leonard Cheshire centre, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic we took our workshops online instead. As part of these sessions we had a ‘Listening Party’ where we watched specially created videos of LPO musicians making music together
Posted in Listen & Discover, Resources
If you’ve explored the OrchMap, and already mastered the individual instrument quizzes, challenge yourself to be a master of orchestral knowledge! The quizzes below test your knowledge of all the OrchMap instruments combined. You can access the quizzes online, or if you prefer, you can download PDFs and fill out by hand, or use to
Posted in Games & Quizzes, Resources, Staff guidance & training
If you’ve explored the OrchMap, test your instrument knowledge by taking our quizzes! We have provided a range of quizzes on each instrument which you can access online, or if you prefer, you can download PDFs and fill out by hand, or use to test a group. If you’ve finished our individual instrument quizzes, or
Posted in Games & Quizzes, Resources, Staff guidance & training