Music
Blob Opera
Kids appear to conduct a quartet of singing blobs, dragging each one to shift its pitch and vowel.
Open Blob Opera and four round, rubbery singers stand in a row – soprano, mezzo, tenor and bass – waiting for someone to pull them around. Tugging a blob upward raises its note; nudging it toward or away from the viewer changes the vowel it sings. The other three seem to follow along and harmonize, so even a careless swipe of the mouse lands as something choir-like. According to the Google Experiments page, the voices were modeled on recordings of four working opera singers, which may explain the surprisingly full sound. Within a few minutes, kids tend to stumble on wobbly high notes, deep grumbles and abrupt silences that get a laugh. It looks like an easy way into harmony and pitch for almost any age, including preschoolers who can only manage a drag.
- Ages
- All ages, from preschoolers up
- Works on
- Web browser
- Topics
- Music, Creative play
- Languages
- English
- Listed
- 2026-10-18
What kids do
- Drag a blob higher or lower to shift its note
- Push a blob forward or back to change its vowel
- Listen as the other three blobs harmonize
- Hold a long chord, then cut it off suddenly
Who it suits
All ages, from preschoolers up.
Notes for parents
Created by artist David Li with Google Arts & Culture, it opens in a web browser and asks for no singing ability at all. Sessions seem to last as long as the giggles do, often just a few minutes.
What you need
- Web browser
- Speakers or headphones
More Music
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- Chrome Music Lab: A collection of browser experiments for playing with sound, pattern and rhythm.
- Ableton Learning Music: Browser lessons from Ableton on how beats, basslines, chords and melodies fit together.
- Ableton Learning Synths: Interactive lessons on how synthesizers shape sound, with controls kids drag and then listen to.
- Incredibox: A music game in which kids drag sounds onto animated performers to build a mix.
- Piano Maestro: Kids play a real piano or keyboard while the iPad seems to listen in and light up the notes they hit.
- Classics for Kids: Kids hear composer stories on a weekly radio show, play note and rhythm games, and write little tunes of their own.
- Prodigies Music: Kids sing, use hand signs and ring colorful bells along with short video lessons.