How Do You Make Music?

This episode’s story was broken up by songs that teach the audience about different types of instruments, the number three, and chickens.

• The StoryBots receive a video message from Mya, who asks them how you make music. They prepare for transport out of their computer-world and into the outside world where they can investigate and find an answer to her question.
• The StoryBots land in a music store. Bing [?] tries to make music by banging and strumming on the many different instruments in the store, but none of the sounds he makes sound like music. They realize it’ll be harder to answer the question than just playing the instruments.
• One of the other StoryBots hits a string and it creates a music sound, which turns into a note that floats through the air and down into a tuba. The StoryBots follow the note, and fall down into the tuba themselves. When they land, they’re in a magical music land.
• The group meets a horn that’s guarding a wall of bells to get into Music Land. He tells them they’ll have to play a melody on the bells to get in, and he explains what pitch and melody are. They play a melody of increasing pitches, and they climb over the wall. The horn instructs them to follow the path to the castle where they’ll meet the King of Music who can help answer their question.
• As the StoryBots are following the path, they come to a gaping hole in the ground. They meet Mr. and Mrs. Recorder, who teach them about harmony, two pitches played at the same time that sound good together. Each time the recorders play a harmony, the notes turn into floating objects that float over the hole in the road. The StoryBots grab onto the harmony notes and float through the air.
• Bo appears scared as they float, and says that she wishes they were closer to the ground. As the others are reassuring her, they get startled by a loud noise and the notes fall to the ground. They land in a shadowy spot off the path, and Bo again appears scared. A drum emerges from the bushes chanting about rhythm, and they repeat his chant as they follow him back to the path.
• When they finally reach the castle, they’re greeted by a pair of guards who explain they need to know about tamber before they can go inside. They teach them that tamber is the quality of a sound, and it’s what makes one sound different than another. Finally, the door opens and the StoryBots enter the castle.
• The group is greeted by a Wizard-of-Oz-esque projection of the King of Music’s head, played by John Legend. He teaches them about intensity, the volume of a sound. The StoryBots loudly chant intensity, causing the castle to apparently overload and the notes around them to tumble to the ground and the king projection to disappear.
• The King of Music walks out to where the StoryBots are standing, and he teaches them about the last important part of music: organization. He explains that music is made when melody, harmony, rhythm, tamber, and intensity are all organized in a way that makes people feel something. The notes around him organize themselves and create music that would make you feel happy, sad, excited, and more emotions.
• The StoryBots return to their boss in the computer and explain the answer to the question they learned. They end the episode with a final song about what makes up music, and they have a dance party with Mya.