I helped develop a website for the PBS program Keeping Score, specifically for the second season. I did some editing on the sections about three compositions — Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique, Ives’ Holidays Symphony and Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony — and worked a lot on a map feature that shows classical music milestones of various eras on a Google map based structure. I think it’s neat and I think you should look at it.

The programs themselves are excellent and will be airing on local PBS stations this October. Keeping Score was developed by the San Francisco Symphony and features their conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas, who is an excellent ambassador for classical music. I learned a lot from the program about the composers but also about how to listen and what to listen for.

And, I can’t recommend it highly enough, check out the program’s own page (not on PBS.org) at KeepingScore.org. There are super excellent interactive features. For example, listen to the music and read the score as it scrolls by. Not impressed? How about stop the score and click on a soloist’s part to see a little video of the soloist talk about what the part means for that instrument and how it fits in with the rest of the orchestra. And there’s more of that — thoughtful interactivity that makes a point and teaches as it amuses. KeepingScore.org.