Animal Music

Thai Elephant Orchestra (with its own devoted webpages)

Zebra finches

Marsh Fugue

Music with zebrafinches

Similiar to the Thai Elephant Orchestra, I found that songbirds will also play instruments if they are provided with something ergonomic to trigger and if they like the sound - they like brass instruments and hate distorted rock guitar. They will play hundreds of times a day without training or other reward than hearing the music.

playing brass samples

big band samples

gamelan samples

Pygmy chipmanzees
Gordon Shaw and I began to coach pygmy chimps at the San Diego Zoo, and I am sure that they would enjoy playing instruments given the opportunity and plenty of effort. We didn't have a chance to record what they did play, which was mostly waving handbells. Gordon passed away after a short illness in April, 2005. He was the promulgator of "the Mozart effect", which uses music to help children with abstract thinking. Please see his MIND Institute.

Marsh Fugue (2004)
Arranged with genuine fugue structure from recordings ofcrickets, fish, frogs, and nightbirds from Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.