Free Music Sources for Educational Videos

Dec 21, 2023

I'm currently looking for fun, trolling sound effects to incorporate into my teaching videos. However, I don't know anywhere that provides such fun sound effects. If you know, please help me, all opinions are appreciated.

4 Replies
Bianca Woods

That sounds like a fun idea! You might want to check out Uppbeat's sound library. I've used their music and sound effects in several e-learning projects and have been quite happy with them.

Not every file is free on that site, but there are a lot of free options.

EDIT: I originally had this in my post, but Judy brought up some excellent comments about the terms of service below. So I'm cutting this part out, but leaving it here so the thread makes sense.

"And if you do end up getting attached to a few of their paid options, a budget-friendly option is to subscribe for just a month, download the files you need, and then cancel your subscription before it renews for the next month. That said, it's a pretty cheap subscription if you end up wanting new sound effect and music files frequently."

Judy Nollet

Here's some clarification re: using Uppbeat files. As per the Terms of Service:

  • If you have a Free account, you need to give appropriate credit.
  • If you have a paid account, you can only use those downloaded items while you have an active paid license. In other words, you can't pay for one month, download a bunch of files, cancel your subscription, and still use the files you downloaded.

Here's the link to the full TOS: https://uppbeat.io/user-agreement

It's always good to check the TOS for sites that provide sounds, images, and/or other resources. "Free" stuff often comes with strings attached. And paid stuff often has limits sets.

Bianca Woods

Thanks Judy! That's good checking and I appreciate that you brought up those details. I've made a change to my original post to take that into account.

If I'm reading the TOS right, I think you can do the thing I mentioned of just signing up for a month as long as you use the audio files AND distribute what you create with them for the first time while you have an active subscription. You just can't stockpile their files and use them in future projects after 



But I'm definitely not a copyright lawyer, so if you think I'm wrong in that interpretation, I'm all ears!

Judy Nollet

Bianca, I'm not a lawyer, either, but I agree with your clarified interpretation. It's similar to signing up for a streaming service for a month. You can binge watch their shows during that time, but when the subscription ends, you can't watch anymore.

FYI: It occurred to me to check the TOS, because eLearningArt.com has a similar licensing policy for the characters and backgrounds. And it's understandable to include such a clause, because, unlike streaming services, there's nothing but the threat of potential legal action to prevent someone from using downloaded resources. (Well, that and, hopefully, one's own moral compass.)