Handout
Music Fun

Recorder Fingering Worksheets

For Students K - 8th
High notes and low notes. Sharps and flats. Recorder players perfect their fingering with a series of music worksheets that ask them to practice identifying correct fingering patterns and connecting these patterns to the...
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Clarinet Family

For Students 3rd - 4th
In this music worksheet, students investigate the features and history of the clarinet. Students answer 6 multiple choice questions. No information is provided on the page.
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Do Re Mi With Straws

For Students 9th - 10th
Check out this fun science fair project about the physics of musical sound production. Here you will make musical instruments with drinking straws, one for each note on a one-octave major scale. You will figure out the right lengths for...
Activity
PBS

Pbs Kids: Design Squad: Build: Build an Instrument

For Students K - 1st
This challenge is to build a four-stringed musical instrument that can play a tune on different pitches.
Activity
Museum of Science

Museum of Science and Industry: Online Science: Straw Pipe

For Students 3rd - 8th
Instructions to create a pan pipe made from straws. Also included is music to play songs using the pan pipe and a brief background about sound vibrations.
Article
Other

Henrylim: Harpsichord

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides great detail about the Harpsichord, also includes many color pictures.
Graphic
Other

The Virtual Museum of Music Inventions

For Students 3rd - 8th
The title is misleading, for a reason! The site consists of tips, ideas and plans about instruments and sound. The site also serves as a "museum" for photos and audio/video clips of kids' homemade instruments from around the nation.
Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Orchestra Seating Chart: Baroque, Classical, Romantic

For Students 3rd - 8th
See how the number of orchestra members increased from the Baroque period through the Classical, up to the Romantic. You can print each orchestra seating chart.
Article
Arizona State University

Arizona State University: For Oboe Players: A Brief Intro to the English Horn

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers detailed information on the English Horn and the ways in which it is the same as and different from the oboe.
Graphic
Georgia State University

Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Musical Instruments

For Students 9th - 10th
Homepage for a hypertext about the different families of musical instruments. From this page, users can retrieve information on a the acoustics of a variety of specific instruments: stringed instruments, woodwind instruments, brass...
Website
PBS

Classics for Kids: Musical Instruments

For Students 3rd - 8th
An A-to-Z directory of all the instruments and tools of the orchestra. Each entry includes a description, a picture, and a sound sample.
Website
Other

Steven Sorli: Harpsichord and Lautenwerk Gallery

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Steven Sorli contains a harpsichord gallery and a link to harpsichord maintenance. You will find a number of other links on the page, including the link "Lautenwork Sound Sample" which enables you to listen to what a...
Website
Other

Accordions Worldwide: Accordion Faq

For Students 9th - 10th
This link takes you to the FAQ section of Accordians Worldwide, where your accordion question may well be answered.
Website
Other

Virtual Instrument Museum: Musical Instrument Materials

For Students 9th - 10th
This interesting site is part of the Virtual Instrument Museum and it lists a variety of materials (clay, stone, wood, gourd, skin, and more) and then it lists a number of instruments created from that particular material. Each...
Article
Other

Pay the Piper

For Students 3rd - 8th
A resource for children who want to play a musical instrument, and their parents, this website includes answers to such questions as "Where do you get lessons?" and "How much will a new instrument cost?" Also included are informational...
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Lemelson Center: Spark!lab: Invent a Musical Whirligig

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students can easily create a musical whirligig to study sound production. These instruments are constructed out of everyday materials and allows students to use their imagination to make music.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Water Bottle Membranophone

For Students 9th - 10th
Try making this instrument that incorporates a stretched membrane. As air is blown into the attached bottle, sound vibrations are produced. With the addition of finger holes, different sounds can be made.
Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Tambourine

For Students 3rd - 5th
Use this resource to learn about the percussion family of the orchestra, the tambourine in particular. Learn what it is made of and how it is played. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to listen to the tambourine alone and with the...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Musical Instruments Woodwind Instruments

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about woodwind instruments. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Musical Instruments the Didgeridoo

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about an Australian instrument called a didgeridoo. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Musical Instruments Percussion Instruments

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about percussion instruments. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Musical Instruments String Instruments

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about string instruments. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Musical Instruments the Bugle and Taps

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the bugle and its most recognized song, "Taps." A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Unit Plan
CK-12 Foundation

Ck 12: Physical Science: Musical Instruments

For Students 7th - 9th
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] How musical instruments make sounds, music and change pitch.