Pitch Activities

Pitch is the high and low sounds we hear in music. These activities are designed for you to identify the pitches you see and hear. In some cases, you may respond by playing the pitch on your instrument and trying to match the best you can.

Dango Brothers

Use the arrows to match the second pitch to the first pitch. When you think they are matching, click the check button. If they truly match, you will get a smiley face. If you are close, you will get a "hmm" face, and a "ahh" face if you are way off. Let's see how well you do. Click the picture to begin.

Name That Pitch

Click on picture to get started

Push your knowledge on identifying pitches. When you click on the picture, a note will display on one of the lines or spaces of the treble or bass clef staff. You will have an answer key below, which you will use to pick what you think is the best answer.

Match The Pitch

Using the Bandmate Chromatic Tuner, pick a pitch to play on your instrument and see how quickly you can get it to match the tuner. If it takes time before you get the pitch you were trying to play to the tuner, either check your fingerings/slide positions, or try changing your embouchure (mouth position) a little. If you can get it almost instantly, great! Try another pitch. As a group you can go around individually and see how quickly it takes the whole group to match the pitch.

Perfect Pitch Quiz

Listen to the pitch and see if you can identify which pitch (letter) it is. This is a great way to train your ear to really listen to the pitch. Click the picture to begin.

Pitch Spelling BEe

Students will select from the table of contents to show a slide with pitches. Students will then identify each pitch by clicking on a letter on the bottom of the slide. If incorrect, there will be an arrow button to take you back; if correct, it will display the letter. When all pitches on the slide have been identified, it will spell a word. See how many you can get!

Pitch Spelling Bee

By the Numbers (Group Activity)

This activity requires at least two people. In band, we have learned to play a scale of pitches on our instrument, not only by letters but by scale degrees, also known as "by the numbers" (1 = Bb, 2 = C, 3 = D, 4 = Eb, 5 = F; or 1 = C, 2 = D, 3 = E, 4 = F, 5 = G).

In this game, the teacher or one student will show a number on their hands. Students will respond by playing the correct pitch on their instrument as quickly as possible and hold it. The person showing the numbers will move to a new number when the majority of the group playing matches the pitch that is supposed to be played. The goal is to move as quickly between pitches as possible.

Pass The Measure (Group activity)

Students will pick a song out of the band book. Students on the right of their row will play measure 1. A new measure will be played by the student directly to their left and continue down the row (i.e. student 2 measure 2, student 3 measure 3, etc.). If students pause between measures or play the wrong measure, the class starts over. The goal is for the class to play without stopping midway through the song.

* Extension 1 * Have one student start and see if the song can meander through the class; the song may need to be repeated to get through to every student.

* Extension 2 * Turn “Pass The Measure” to “Pass The Note” where students take turns playing one note each without pausing in between.

Pitch Detective (Group activity)

A student is selected to be the detective and steps out of the room. Then a student is selected to be the free spirit. The free spirit chooses a pitch to play, while everyone else is playing another pitch. Everyone starts to play and hold their pitch while the detective then comes back into the room and listens for the free spirit that is playing the "wrong" pitch. The detective goes around guessing who the free spirit is; for every student they guess that student stops playing, The detective will get about ten seconds to choose each time. When the free spirit is found, they stop playing and stand up. The goal is to have as few students as possible stop playing.

Page updated

Report abuse