Plot Summary:An owl teaches his class full of birds about melody. It's all around in nature. Only birds and man can sing; man \"sings\" even when he speaks. We see a quick survey of the stages of life, as captured by songs: the alphabet song for primary school, Here Comes the Bride, The Old Gray Mare, etc. Some inspirations for song are outlined in song: love, sailing, trains, the West, motherhood, etc., but \"we never sing about brains.\" Finally, an example of how a simple melody can be expanded into a symphony: an elaborate version of the simple tune that opened the lesson.
Professor Owl talks about the importance of melody in life, which he claims is only present in two animals: birds and humans. His interest lies in the latter, as he follows the human life cycle and illustrates different places you can find melody. This was the first American animated 3-D film; here it is only offered in 2-D.