Unit 8 – Instruments of the Orchestra
This chapter aims at introducing some musical instruments of the orchestra. Each instrument found in this chapter is accompanied by its respective sound, available on the CD. Thus by the end of this chapter, students should be able to recognise the sound of some instruments, classify them according to the family to which they belong and
be familiar with their sound and timbre. The activities offer gradual learning, starting from an introduction to a number of instruments in Year 1, up to a wider range of instruments in Year 3.
Activity 1 – The Instruments
Four instruments will be introduced, one from each family:
String instrument: Violin
Brass instrument: Trumpet
Woodwind instrument: Flute
Percussion instrument: Drums
The students will learn some basic characteristics about each instrument and identify the instrument from the image. The children will be asked to colour the instruments in the handout provided.
Activity 2 – The Sounds of the Instruments
The teacher plays excerpts of each instruments playing alone (from previous activity) whilst displaying a picure of the instrument so that the children familiarise themselves with the sound produced and make associations.
As an activity, the teacher plays excerpts in a random order one by one, this time without displaying any pictures. The children are asked to identify the instrument. The teacher will then display the picture of the instument being played.