Practice Space’s monthly store update is here with new avatars and backgrounds! Today we welcome five more influential composers, and twenty-three new cartoon musicians into the Practice Space store.
The Practice Space store is a crucial part of the platform’s motivating features. Students earn Practice Gems by completing practice goals, and can then redeem their Practice gems for items in the store such as avatars, backgrounds, power-ups, and more! Teachers can even upload their own custom prizes into their store!
As an educational application, we like to add real fun facts about each composer avatar as well! Read below to learn about the talented November composers – and even listen to their most famous works!
Happy teaching!
Dmitri Shostakovich – I was a master of musical mystery who hid secret codes and explosive rhythms inside my pieces right under the noses of spies!
Facts in app:
I hid my own name in my music using the notes D–E-flat–C–B!
I was a certified soccer referee and rarely missed a local match.
I volunteered as a rooftop firefighter during World War II while wearing my thick glasses.
I wrote the music for over 30 movies, making me an early film score pioneer.
I could compose entire orchestral pieces in my head without using a piano.
Watch this performance of Symphony #5!
Schostakowitsch: 5. Sinfonie ∙ hr-Sinfonieorchester ∙ David Afkham
Claudio Monteverdi – I helped invent opera by taking traditional tunes and filling them with heart-pounding drama, emotion, and theatrical magic!
Facts in app:
I wrote L'Orfeo, the very first major opera in history still performed today!
I broke old music rules to prove that emotional, dramatic music sounds much cooler.
I invented scary string effects like fast plucking and bowing to mimic battles and monsters.
I directed the music at the famous St. Mark’s Basilica in Venice, Italy.
My career bridged two big eras, taking music from the Renaissance into the Baroque.
Watch this performance of “Rosa del Ciel” from L’Orfeo!
The Monteverdi Choir - Monteverdi: L'Orfeo, SV 318: Act 1: "Rosa del ciel" (2023)
Ethel Smyth – I was a fearless composer and activist who fought for women's rights and never let anyone stop me from writing music!
Facts in app:
I wrote "The March of the Women," the official anthem for the women's suffrage movement.
I conducted my anthem from a prison window using a toothbrush as a baton!
I was the first woman to have an opera performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
I loved giant mountain dogs and played competitive golf.
I wrote big orchestral pieces and loved climbing dangerous peaks in the Swiss Alps!
Watch this performance of March of the Women!
March of the Women (Ethel Smyth)
Jean-Baptiste Lully – I ran the French royal music scene, entertaining the court with sparkling operas, grand ballets, and my heavy walking stick!
Facts in app:
I was best friends with King Louis XIV, who danced in my giant palatial ballets.
I kept time by pounding a giant, heavy staff on the wooden floor instead of using a small baton.
I started as an Italian street tumbler before moving to France and becoming the royal court master.
I forced my orchestra to bow in exact unison, creating the world's first disciplined orchestra.
I practiced my violin in the palace kitchen while working as a page for a princess.
Watch this performance of “Passacaille” from Armide!
ARMIDE, Passacaille de Jean-Baptiste Lully - Les Arts Florissants
Maddalena Laura Lombardini Sirmen – I was a violin virtuoso who broke traditional boundaries, dazzling audiences across Europe with my fierce playing and compositions!
Facts in app:
I learned to play violin at a famous Venetian school for orphaned girls.
I was the star pupil of Tartini, who wrote me a legendary violin instruction letter.
I was one of the first women to tour Europe as a solo violinist.
I was both a violin superstar and a professional opera singer.
I toured with my violinist husband, but audiences always loved my solo playing best!
Watch this performance of Trio in C Major!
Maddalena Laura Sirmen (née Lombardini), Trio in C Major, Op.1
Background Update
Some other fun additions
These all cheer the student on but also talk about tempo and other musical terms!
