Lesson: INSTRUMENT IDENTIFICATION

TEKS: 117.12, 15, 18 (B) 1A, 1B, 5A MENC: standards 6

Preface:

It has taken more than five hundred years for the many instruments of the orchestra to find their final shape and form. Think about it, some instruments are as old as Blackbeard the pirate and the Taj Majal in India!

Exercise 1: Match the Instrument to the Sound

Before we introduce each instrument, let’s test your knowledge.

1. Using the handout included in this packetand the instrument audio samples frombelow, have the students match thecorrect instrument to the sound played.

2. Once finished, assess the studentsperformance and prior knowledge.

Exercise 1 Instruments:

Instrument 1

Instrument 2

Instrument 3

Instrument 4

Instrument 5

Instrument 6

Objective: Students will identify different instruments of the orchestra by sight and sound.

Materials: Selected audio files found under each subheading. Optional worksheet

References: London Philharmonic for kids

Instruments and Tone Color:

Music is similar to a painting. Each note, or color, is carefully selected by the composer to create the most beautiful final product for the audience. In each of the pieces you will hear during the concert, the composers colored their music with the sounds of each individual instruments. As audience members, we get to experience this musical painting as a whole, but we can appreciate each color also! To truly know what to listen for, it is important to know the sound of each instrument.

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Strings Preface: Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass and Harp make up the string family. All string instruments are made of wood and have strings stretched over them. These instruments are played with a ‘bow’ - a long stick with horsehair stretched from one end to another. The end of the bow that musicians hold in their hands is called the ‘frog.’ Musicians use the frog to control the tension of the horsehair! String instruments can be played by strumming or plucking, also called pizzicato, the strings.

Exercise 1: The Family Play the sound sample of the string instrument

family, Adagio for Strings; Leonard Bernstein

and discuss with the class the differences

in tone (The quality or character of a sound. The

unique difference between voices of the same

instrument; the color or mood of the voice ) and

range (total amount of notes an instrument is

capable of producing ).

Exercise 2: The String Section VIOLIN The violin is the smallest member of the string family. Because its strings are the shortest, it produces the highest sound. There are more violins in the orchestra than any other single instrument!

VIOLA The viola is an important member of the orchestra, but is not often heard by itself. Because it is bigger than the violin, with longer strings, it makes a rich warm sound that is lower in pitch. CELLO The cello plays even lower than the viola—a whole octave lower. And it’s more than twice the size! Cellists rest the cello on the floor using an endpin since it would be impossible to hold a cello like a violin! BASS The double bass is the orchestra’s foundation. These big, deep instruments add weight to the orchestra sound. They are the largest stringed instruments, standing more than six feet tall. HARP The harp is one of the oldest instruments in existence, thought to have been around for more than four thousand years. The modern harp has 47 strings and seven pedals, which control the pitches of the strings.

There is a large size difference between the violin and cello. This

size difference makes it impossible to hold the cello like a violin.

OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: A more interactive way to quiz students on their instrument knowledge is to create Musical Instrument Fortune Tellers. Your students will know how to make the fortune teller paper creations! 1. Color each of the four top sections a separate color,

and label each section for the four instrument families. 2. In the inside, after an instrument is chosen, write

down the name of any instrument. 3. Finally, under the instrument label, write questions

such as “what is the largest woodwind instrument?” as well as the answer, “The bassoon.”

Some people consider the harp a member of the

percussion family because a harpist can strike

the strings to produce sound. What family do

you think it should be in and why?

Exercise: 3 The Instruments

After listening to each instrument’s sound sample, linked in Exercise 2, discuss the following questions: 1) What string instrument can play the highest

note? (violin) 2) What string instrument makes up the most members of the orchestra? (violin) 1) What string instruments use an end pin? (cello

and bass)

Woodwinds Preface: The woodwind members of the orchestra are the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. There can be two, three, or four, of any of these woodwinds in an orchestra, playing at the same time. All of the modern woodwinds are played by blowing into them and creating different notes by placing your fingers on the keys, or buttons, that cover various holes. Exercise 1: The Family Play the sound sample of the woodwind instrument

family playing together, and discuss with the

class the difference in tone and range.

Exercise 2: The Woodwind Section FLUTE Originally, flutes were made of wood, which is why they are considered a woodwind. However, flutes used today are made out of metal and do not use a reed. The sound is produced when the player blows across a hole in the side of the instrument. The piccolo is a smaller kind of flute that produces an even higher sound. OBOE The oboe is the instrument that the orchestra tunes to, which you hear before every concert starts. It looks very similar to the clarinet, but it has a very small ‘double’ reed that sticks out from the end. In this piece, the oboe is playing with a harpsichord which is an ancestor of the piano! CLARINET The clarinet uses only a single reed to make its sound. Although it has a very smooth, mellow tone, the clarinet has a very wide range (low notes to high notes) and is often featured in solos. There are many sizes of clarinets, including bass and contrabass. BASSOON The bassoon, like the oboe, is a double reed and is by far the biggest and lowest sounding woodwind. If

you were to unfold a bassoon, it would be almost nine feet tall! You can usually see the tops of bassoons over the string section. The bigger, lower sounding brother of the bassoon is the Contrabassoon. In this music piece, the bassoon starts at about 0:40; it’s the lowest sound in the piece. Can you hear it?

The saxophone is one

woodwind that is always

found in bands and wind

ensembles, but very

rarely plays in the

orchestra!

The woodwinds sit in two rows in the middle of the orchestra! This allows them to hear

each other and allows their sound to travel throughout the orchestra.

Exercise: 3 The Instruments

After listening to each instrument’s sound sample, linked in Exercise 2, discuss the following questions: 1) What woodwind instrument can play the highest

note? (Flute) 2) What woodwind instruments are played with a

reed? (Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon) 3) What is the only woodwind instrument that does

not use a reed? (Flute)

Brass Preface: The orchestral brass instruments are made of metal, although the metal can be silver instead of brass. Brass instruments produce sound by ‘buzzing’ the lips against the mouth piece; the rest of the instrument amplifies and refines the sound. There are two ways to change pitch on a brass instrument, using slides or valves in combination with changing the shape of the lips against the mouthpiece. Exercise 1: The Family Play the sound example of a brass family Pavane Pour Une Infante defunte; Lorin Maazel, and discuss with the class the difference in tone and range.

Exercise 2: The Brass Section TRUMPET The trumpet is the smallest, highest-sounding brass instrument. Because of its small size and shape, it has a very clear, direct sound. The military uses a form of trumpet called the bugle which has no valves and requires the player to rely upon the shape of his mouth to create different pitches. FRENCH HORN The French Horn, or horn, has a velvety, round and deep tone color. It has the largest range of all the brass instruments. The horn’s unique sound has been a favorite of composers for centuries, so it is no surprise that it is used for solos often. TROMBONE The trombone is the only brass instrument without valves that you will find in the orchestra. To change pitch, the trombone uses a piece of tubing called the slide. The slide makes the instrument shorter or longer, making the pitch higher and lower. What other instruments are playing with the trombones in this piece of music? TUBA The tuba is the largest, lowest-sounding brass instrument. It has a much mellower, distant sound than the trombone. The tuba, like the double bass and the bassoon, is crucial in an orchestra because it provides the lowest notes for the brass section. Can you tell when the tuba plays in this music? Raise your hand when you hear it, and put it down when the tuba is no longer playing! Exercise 3: The Instruments After listening to each instrument’s sound sample, linked in Exercise 2, discuss the following questions: 1) Which brass instrument can play the highest

notes? (Trumpet) 2) Which brass instrument can play the lowest

note? (Tuba) 3) Which brass instrument uses a slide to change

notes, instead of using valves or keys? (Trombone)

Bassoon and Contrabassoon

(left to right) Alto clarinet, bass clarinet,

contra-bass clarinet, sub-contrabass

clarinet

General Rule of All Instruments: Longer (bigger)

instruments have lower pitches. Shorter (smaller)

instruments have higher pitches!

Percussion Preface: The percussion family is huge! It includes any instrument that produces sounds when struck, scraped, or shaken. A percussionist in an orchestra may play as many as a dozen different instruments in one concert! Exercise 1: The Family Play the sound example of the percussion instrument family This is a Percussion

Ensemble; it is possible to make music only with

percussion instruments! Can you think of another

time when music was made only with percussion

instruments?

Exercise 2 The Percussion Section PITCHED PERCUSSION

The following common percussion instruments can

produce different notes (pitches). The only drum in

this group is the timpani because each drum is

tuned to a different note.

BELLS (glockenspiel)

A set of flat metal bars tuned like a piano and

played with hard mallets.

CHIMES

A set of tubular bells hit with a hammer.

TIMPANI

Sometimes called kettle drums because they are

shaped like kettles. Timpani are very important

because they underline important, big chords.

XYLOPHONE

The xylophone, like the bells, is tuned like a piano.

The xylophone is different from the bells because it

is made of many wooden bars.

PIANO

The piano is a large stringed instrument played with

a keyboard. A ‘hammer’ strikes the strings when

the player hits the keys and makes the strings

inside the piano vibrate.

Vic Firth, an international percussion stick

company, was founded by Vic Firth when he

began playing with the Boston Symphony

Orchestra and believed that a higher quality stick

could drastically improve the sound quality for the

orchestral percussionist. The Vic Firth company

has produced a series of videos that detail the

proper playing and maintenance of percussion

instruments. Playing percussion is more than

simply hitting an instrument, there are small

changes that a percussionist can make that result

in a large change in sound. If you have access to

YouTube, you are welcome to utilize the Vic Firth

videos to demonstrate the proper way to play each

of the percussion instruments.

TEACHER NOTE:

UNPITCHED PERCUSSION

The following are common percussion

instruments that do not provide different

pitches.

CYMBALS

Cymbals are thin metal disks that are clashed

together or struck with sticks. They come in

many sizes.

SNARE DRUM

The ‘snare’ is a set of wires strung across the

bottom of the drum that vibrate when the drum

is played.

TRIANGLE

The triangle is a steel rod bent in the shape of a

triangle and hit with a mallet.

TAM-TAM

The tam-tam is a large circular metal plate,

usually suspended from a frame, which is

struck with a heavy mallet.

Exercise 3: The Instruments After listening to each instrument’s sound sample, linked in Exercise 2, discuss the Following questions: 1) What famous percussion instrument is also

a type of string instrument? (Piano) 2) What is another name for the kettle drums?

(Timpani) 3) What are some things you could use as

percussion instruments? (open discussion)

ACTIVITY VARIATION:

Materials: Worksheet included in this packet and audio

files from Exercise 2 in every instrument family.

Instructions:

1) Play a sound file from one of the instruments in

Exercise 2 without telling students which instrument

you are playing.

2) Have students write down which instrument they think

was played and what family that instrument belongs

to.

3) When you have played ten different instrument sound

files, have the students check their work against what

you played.

4) Discuss the instruments and instrument families with

your students.

We encourage you to utilize other resources to

educate your students on the different orchestral

instruments and their families. We know that

some classes will enjoy more challenging

information and activities. The Philharmonia

Orchestra in London has a fantastic resource for

your students to explore online the different

Instruments and families in a more in depth

manner. This resource provides information on

the history of each instrument, playing techniques,

and tips for players and future players!

Please click here to access this resource.

TEACHER NOTE:

Objective: Students will use their pre-acquired knowledge of instruments to demonstrate how sound is made. Students will use simple materials to make simple instruments.

TEKS: 117.12, 15, 18 (B) 1A, 2A, 3B, 4A, 4B MENC: standards 2, 8

Materials: Varies from instrument to instrument, see below.

CHOOSE YOUR INSTRUMENT

5 -NOTE WATER XYLOPHONE (PERCUSSION) Materials: • (5) 20 oz. Sobe juice bottles • Tap water (you can choose to color it, if preferable)

Measuring cup

Metal Spoon Instructions: 1. Fill each bottle with the approximate amount of water: 1. 19 oz, 570 mL 2. 13 oz, 390 mL 3. 11 oz, 330 mL 5. 8 oz, 240 mL 6. 6 oz, 180 mL 2. Check to make sure relative tuning is accurate. 3. Label each bottle accordingly (1,2,3,5,6)). 4. Fill each bottle with a different food coloring.

You have not created a ‘pentatonic’ , or five note major scale, with the notes F, G, A, C, D. You can play a number of songs with these notes, try these exam-ples: Rain, rain, go away: (5 3, 5 5 3, 5 5 3 6 5 5 3) Camptown ladies: (5 5 3 5 6 5 3, 3 2 3 2) Mary had a little lamb: (3 2 1 2 3 3 3, 2 2 2, 3 5 5) The sound is produced by the vibrations in the glass bottle when struck by the spoon. Notice that the less water you have, the higher the sound, and the more water you have the lower the sound.

THE AEROPHONE (BRASS) Materials: • Plastic Water Bottle • Scissors (Careful supervision) • Duct Tape • Large Sheets of Paper (Construction paper if possible)

Instructions: 1. Cut the bottle straight across at the middle. 2. Duct Tape the paper into a rounded, tube form at the end of the cut section of the bottle. 3. ‘Buzz’ into the end of the bottle like a trumpet or trombone, using your lips to change pitch. Think about doing a “raspberry” into the instrument to achieve the ‘buzz.’ The sound is produced by the buzzing of the lips vibrating against the narrow, plastic bottle opening. When you tighten your lips the sound gets higher, and when your lips are more flabby, the sound gets lower.

Activity Variation: There are many ways to discuss the science of music by varying the length of an instrument or the speed at which vibrations happen. In the orchestra, all instruments vary their tone by increasing or decreasing the length of the instrument or changing the speed at which the musicians lips or strings vibrate! A great way to demonstrate this is to take a rubber band and increase and decrease its length while students “strum” the band. Music is all about vibration and length!

Teacher Worksheet 1

OBJECTIVE: Students will distinguish different instruments of the orchestra by sound.

TEKS: 117.12 (B) 1A, 1B, 6A

117.15,18, (B) 1A, 1B, 6A, 6B

Materials: Student Worksheet, Teacher Worksheet, Music files from links

Before we begin, let’s test your knowledge of the instruments! Listen to the instrument sound files

played by your teacher and write down the name of the instrument playing and the family (brass, string,

woodwinds, or percussion) that each instrument belongs to.

Remember, some instruments sound similar, like the violin and the viola or the trumpet and the

trombone. Try to listen for the different, special features, like high notes and low notes of each

instrument.

TEACHERS: Randomly choose ten of the instrument samples and record there order here for your

reference:

1) __________________________________________________________________

2) __________________________________________________________________

3) __________________________________________________________________

4) __________________________________________________________________

5) __________________________________________________________________

6) __________________________________________________________________

7) __________________________________________________________________

8) __________________________________________________________________

9) ___________________________________________________________________

10) __________________________________________________________________

The four families of the orchestra are very different, aren’t they? On a separate sheet of paper, list the

four different instrument families and the instruments that belong to them. Next to each instrument,

write a short description of how the instrument sounds to you, and to you only. Look at this paper again

after you hear our concert and see if you still have the same opinion of the instruments sound!

NAME: ________________________________________ Date: ____________________________

THE INSTRUMENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

Before we begin, let’s test your knowledge of the instruments! Listen to the instrument sound files played by your teacher and write down the name of the instrument playing and the family (brass, strings, woodwinds, or percussion) each instrument belongs to. Remember, some instruments sound similar, like the violin and the viola or the trumpet and trombone. Try to listen for the different, special features, like high notes and low notes of that instrument. Be sure to use complete sentences! Example: The trumpet which belongs to the brass family. 1) _________________________________________________________________________ 2) _________________________________________________________________________ 3) _________________________________________________________________________ 4) _________________________________________________________________________ 5) _________________________________________________________________________ 6) _________________________________________________________________________ 7) _________________________________________________________________________ 8) _________________________________________________________________________ 9) _________________________________________________________________________ 10)_________________________________________________________________________

The four families of the orchestra are very different, aren’t they? On a separate sheet of paper, list the four different instrument families and the instruments that belong to them. Next to each instrument, write a short description of how the instrument sounds to you, and only to you.

Directions: Draw a line connecting the sound clip heard with the correct instrument!

Sound #1

Sound #2

Sound #3

Sound #4

Sound #5

Sound #6