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.
Interactive
PBS

Classics for Kids: Instruments of the Orchestra

For Students 3rd - 6th
See and hear the instruments of the orchestra.
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Music for Kids: Listen, Play, Learn

For Students 1st - 9th
On this site, students learn about brass, string, and woodwind musical instruments. Listen to tunes, discover artists, and find out how music and notes work.
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...
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Instrument Families

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] Discover which musical instruments fit into which categories. A comprehensive listing of instruments with pictures is included in the flipchart.
Article
University of New South Wales (Australia)

University of New South Wales: Introduction to Acoustics of Brass Instruments

For Students 9th - 10th
Discover the acoustical properties of brass instruments from this well researched site provided by the University of New South Wales. Everything from lip control to bell shape is discussed as it applies to frequencies and harmonics.
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Orchestra Instruments

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart describes the various instrument families and the instruments that fit in each family. Sound files are attached to the instruments so that students can hear what each sounds like.
Graphic
Curated OER

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...
Graphic
Curated OER

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...
Article
OpenStax

Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: Orchestral Instruments

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a brief introduction to the various instruments on the modern orchestra. It is broken into sections based on the instrument families. Each instrument is briefly defined.
Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: French Horn, Brass Instrument

For Students 3rd - 5th
Visit this resource to find out how the French horn is played. Read more about the brass family. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to hear the French horn on its own, or with the orchestra.
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Music for Kids: Brass Instruments

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about various musical brass instruments like the trumpet, trombone, and tuba on this website. Also discussed are styles of music and how they work.
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Music for Kids: How Brass Instruments Work

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about how brass instruments work. Musical notes made with slides, valves, and bells.
Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Tuba

For Students 3rd - 5th
Read about the brass family, and the tuba in particular. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to listen to the tuba by itself and with the orchestra.
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
Other

Pay the Piper: The Trumpet & the Cornet

For Students 9th - 10th
This website, intended for young students wishing to play a musical instrument, discusses the "pros and cons" of playing the trumpet or cornet. The site provides background information on these brass instruments.
Article
Text Project

Text Project: Fyi for Kids: Horns: The Sound of the Wind [Pdf]

For Students 2nd - 5th
This FYI for Kids (Volume 2, Issue 7) article is about horn musical instruments. It explains how they work, materials they have been made from, what they are used for, and even how students can make a simple one for themselves.
Article
Arizona State University

Arizona State University: Natural Horn & Its Technique

For Students 9th - 10th
Arizona State's descriptions of the horn are broken up by illustrations of the horn, players, and music. There is a big discussion of crooks (not the kind that go to jail), but the kind that are made when you bend metal! The author notes...
Website
BBC

Bbc Orchestras: Guide to the Orchestra

For Students Pre-K - 1st
Enjoy learning about the different instruments of the orchestra with this well designed website. Divided into the various families, you can read about the instruments as well as listen to them.
Handout
Other

Western High School Band: Tuba

For Students 9th - 10th
A quick overview of the tuba, its functions and history.
Graphic
Curated OER

Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Clip Art Etc: Cornu

For Students 9th - 10th
Roman Cornu. Brass instrument used by the Roman Armies to give orders in battle.
Website
OpenStax

Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: An Example Intermediate Horn Home Practice

For Students 9th - 10th
If you are a French horn player, you may get a good idea of how to practice from this resource. It provides general ideas of what your practice routine should include.
Graphic
Curated OER

Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Clip Art Etc: Cornu

For Students 9th - 10th
A wind instrument, anciently made of horn, but afterwards of brass. Like the tuba, it differed from the tibia in being a larger and more powerful instrument, and from the tuba itself, in being curved nearly in the shape of a C, with a...
Graphic
Curated OER

Pay the Piper: The Trumpet & the Cornet

For Students 9th - 10th
This website, intended for young students wishing to play a musical instrument, discusses the "pros and cons" of playing the trumpet or cornet. The site provides background information on these brass instruments.