Lesson Plan
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Meet The Instruments Of The Orchestra

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students identify brass, woodwind, string, and percussion instruments and group them into appropriate families in this technology-based Music lesson plan for 2nd through 5th grades. Each students is required to have a handheld device or...
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Design an Instrument

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students design an instrument. In this sound, vibration and pitch lesson plan, students learn about the characteristics of sound, vibration and pitch.  Students design a guitar using the assembled craft materials and demonstrate how...
Lesson Plan
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Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf"

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study Sergei Prokofiev's "Peter and the Wolf." They explore the characters and the instruments that represent the characters. They create their own version of "Peter and the Wolf" for the purpose of introducing the...
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The Bolero

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students discuss the structure of the musical film "The Bolero."  For this film arts lesson, students watch "The Bolero" before participating in discussion questions and watching a second performance of the same musical. ...
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Woodwind Instruments and Pitch

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore musical pitch. In this cross curriculum musical instruments and "sound" physics instructional activity, students identify and describe common traits of woodwind instruments. Students research "pitch" and what causes...
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Arranging Patriotic Music for Instruments

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students arrange a short piano composition for a group of four to six instruments of their choice. The musical arrangements should be then demonstrated and analyzed by the class as a unit study.
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The Classical Orchestra

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the classical orchestra in this technology-based general music lesson for the high school classroom. Emphasis is placed on the use of the "Microsoft Musical Instruments" software. This lesson can be accomplished in one...
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Music- Found-Object Orchestra

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students construct simple musical instruments. In this music lesson, students read the text Max Found Two Sticks and construct their own instruments from classroom materials.
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Music from the Silk Roads

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore different types of musical instruments. In this musical instrument lesson, students create a replica of a sheng. Students utilize this instrument to understand different types of breathing used in different sounds....
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Musical Role Models

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Pupils identify instruments and their sounds and use them to model their own orchestra. After choosing an instrument to investigate further, they research to become familiar with the sound of the instrument, how the sound is created, and...
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Reviewing Good Playing Habits

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The string section of your school orchestra can get a proper form make-over by incorporating this instructional activity. They reestablish proper playing form, posture, and sound as they compose an essay on how to maintain good playing...
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Families of Instruments

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners identify families of instruments. In this music lesson, students read Berlioz the Bear and identify the families of instruments. Learners sing "Mr. Gus Goes Goofy," and listen for the sounds of the instruments.
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Instrument Research

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders work in pairs and choose one instrument from the orchestra to research. They are introduced to the software and use it to search for their instrument. They then may go onto the website, "DSOkids.com" to find out more about...
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Exploring the Families of Instruments

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate the families of instruments. In this instrument lesson, students discuss how each instrument family makes their sound. Students then make their own instruments. Students write a paragraph about their favorite musical...
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Respecting the Differences of Others

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover the importance of respecting the differences of people around the world in different situations in order to avoid conflict and promote peace. Students compare the sounds of a symphony and the instruments creating...
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Meet Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov!

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students listen to music and review instruments of the orchestra. They explore musical terms, solo, texture and theme of the music and discuss other features of the music. Students research and discuss the life of Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov.
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Instrumental And Orchestral Development

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Learners use the computer software "Sibelius" to investigate the development of the Orchestra and specific instruments throughout human history. This lesson can be used in conjunction with other lessons or as a stand-alone, small group...
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Chinese Instruments

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students explore Chinese instruments. For this Chinese instrument music lesson, students listen to a performance by Liu Fang and describe the sounds they hear. Students classify western and Chinese instruments according to their...
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String Instruments and Pitch

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students make predictions and explore how pitch is altered in string instruments. In this acoustic science lesson, students learn the types and parts of string instruments and create their own. They listen to classical music and identify...
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The Brass Family

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students observe a PowerPoint presentation to explore how brass instruments produce wounds. They observe the teacher demonstrate the proper use of the mouthpiece and slides to produce a tone. With and without the mouthpiece, students...
Lesson Plan
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Meet the Instrument Families

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders listen to a recording of a string quartet and ask questions about what kinds of instrument they think they are listening to and describe what they think the instruments look like. Then they discuss musical ideas such as...
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Just Stringing Along

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students learn the string instruments of the symphony orchestra and recognize their "relatives."
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Grouping Musical Instruments

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students study about musical instruments and group them into these categories: percussion, strings, woodwinds, and brass. After discussing these instruments, they independently complete the worksheet.
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Musical Instruments

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students invent a musical instrument to be played by them. They invent a nonstandard notation for music and compose a short piece to preform for the class using their instrument.