This page is dedicated to Alex Chen’s educational music project supported by Ocean Wise’s Ocean Bridge and Ocean Action Grant programs​.

The Adventures of Kelp Creature is a musical narrative introducing audiences to the biodiversity and contemporary conservation challenges of Pacific kelp forest ecosystems. Using whimsical narration, newly-composed music, and a cast of colourful characters, Ocean Bridge Ambassador Alex Chen and his undersea musical ensemble will delight your ears! With a cast ranging from bull kelp to southern resident orcas, this free musical piece is created for young people aged 7-11 and the young at heart.

The approximately 15-minute piece is perfect for listening at home, use in the classroom, or on your next commute. For added fun and learning, you can print illustrations of our cast of ocean characters for colouring and cut-outs, as well as activity guides and teacher resources.

 

Listen here

You can stream a high-quality version by clicking this link.

You can download an MP3 version by clicking this link.

You can also find Adventures of Kelp Creature on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube Podcasts!

 

Art Materials and Teacher Resources

Below you can find various printable resources for the classroom or at home learning! Have fun:

 

• Art Materials (Black and White)
• Art Materials (Coloured)
• Activity Guide
• Music Teacher Resource Guide
• Science Teacher Resource Guide

 

 

Learn more about other ocean conservation and education projects at Ocean.org

 

 

 

Credits

Alexander Richards on sopranino and alto saxophones

Shannon Lewis on flute

Vaughan Cooke on French horn

Shruti Madhusudan on sitar

Melissa Goodchild on clarinet

Alex Chen as composer, lyricist, voice of Kelp Creature, and pianist

Salish Sea field recordings from Jude Abrams (of “Welcoming Whales”)

Dramaturgical work from Jonathan Nash

Visual artwork from Lis Xu

additional sounds sourced from

Fishsounds.net – Wilson, B., Batty, R. S., Dill, L. M. 2003. Pacific and Atlantic Herring Produce Burst Pulse Sounds. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 271(Suppl_3): S95-S97.

Freesounds.org – Augdog’s Crab.wav

Orcasound.net