Music:

This week we will be exploring woodwind and brass instruments. Choose one or two of these activities to explore throughout the week:

• WATCH - Watch these videos to hear what the saxophone, clarinet, and trumpet sound like! Can you think of any other instruments that you blow air into to play?
• Percussion instruments are played by hitting or shaking them. Brass instruments are made of metal (usually a yellow or gold color) and you play them by blowing into them. Woodwind instruments are usually made of wood or have wooden parts. You can find lots of these different instruments in a marching band! You might see a marching band in a parade or at a football game. Have you ever seen a marching band?
  • WATCH - When the Band Comes Marching In - Can you tell which instruments are percussion instruments? Which instruments are brass instruments? Which instruments are woodwind instruments?
• LISTEN - Listen to Dance of the Reed Flutes by Peter Tchaicovsky. As you listen, think about the following:
  • Do you HEAR the flutes?
  • Can you find the STEADY BEAT? Can you tap your knees to the steady beat? Tap your shoulders? Tiptoe?
  • What is another way you can MOVE to the music?

Happy exploring!

Music:

This week we will be exploring woodwind and brass instruments. Choose one or two of these activities to explore throughout the week:

• LEARN - Watch BrainPOP: Brass Instruments and BrainPOP: Woodwind Instruments to learn about these instrument families. How are these instruments similar? How are they different?
  • EXPLORE - You can read more about woodwind and brass instruments by visiting the DSO Kids instrument page.
• LISTEN - Listen to Dance of the Reed Flutes by Peter Tchaicovsky. As you listen, think about the following:
  • Do you hear the flutes?
  • Can you find the STEADY BEAT? Can you tap your knees to the steady beat? Tap your shoulders? Tiptoe?
  • What is another way you can MOVE to the music?
• LISTEN - Listen to the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini. You may have heard this music before!
  • Listen for the trumpets that play at the very beginning of the music.
  • This music comes from an opera about the legend of William Tell, an expert with a bow and arrow who lived in the mountains of Switzerland. In the story, William Tell helps free Switzerland from a mean ruler named Gessler by winning challenges with his bow and arrow. This overture is also known as "March of the Swiss Soldiers.” Many people think the rhythms in this piece of music sound more like galloping horses than marching soldiers! Can you HEAR the galloping horses? What else does this music make you think of?
  • For an extra challenge, watch the video and try to clap or tap along with the bouncing worm and apple conductor!

Happy exploring!

Music:

This week we will be exploring woodwind and brass instruments. Choose one or two of these activities to explore throughout the week:

• LEARN - Watch BrainPOP: Brass Instruments and BrainPOP: Woodwind Instruments to learn about these instrument families. How are these instruments similar? How are they different?
  • EXPLORE - You can read more about woodwind and brass instruments by visiting the DSO Kids instrument page.
• LISTEN - Listen to one or more of the performances below. Can you hear the different instruments?
  • Link's Awakening Medley - Woodwind
  • Flight of the Bumblebee - Brass
• WATCH - How Do Brass Instruments Make Sound?
• WATCH - How Do Woodwind Instruments Make Sound?
• IMAGINE - Students are able to take lessons on woodwind, percussion, and brass instruments starting in fourth grade. After exploring the woodwind and brass instruments through one or more of the above activities, choose an instrument and imagine what it would be like to play it.
  • How would it feel to play that instrument?
  • What music would you like to play?
  • Who would you like to play your instrument for?
  • Think about if you would like to play a woodwind or percussion instrument when you are in fourth grade and which one you would choose!

Happy exploring!

Music:

This week we will be exploring woodwind and brass instruments. Choose one or two of these activities to explore throughout the week:

We’ve reviewed instruments in the percussion, and string families. This week we will be focused on the brass and woodwind families.

• LEARN - Take time to look at the following sites and review the names of Brass Instruments and Woodwind Instruments.
• LISTEN - Take a few minutes to listen to the different brass instruments you might see in a band or orchestra: Trumpet, Trombone, French Horn, Tuba.
• LISTEN - Now take a moment and listen to instruments in the woodwind family: Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Oboe.
• WATCH - A combination of woodwind instruments used to play the following songs you may know!
  • Ghostbusters
  • The Entertainer (Ice Cream Truck Song)
• WATCH - A combination of brass instruments used to play the following songs you may know!
  • Star Wars Medley: Peabody Imperial Brass
  • Star Spangled Banner
• WATCH and THINK - Watch the Film Symphony Orchestra play The Avengers Theme! Now that we have reviewed each instrument family, think about if you are able to name the instruments you see being used during this performance? What instruments do you see?

Happy exploring!

Music:

This week we will be exploring woodwind and brass instruments. Choose one or two of these activities to explore throughout the week:

• WATCH - Brass Instruments. Which brass instrument is your favorite?
• WATCH - Woodwind Instruments. Which woodwind instrument is your favorite?
  • Can you hear the difference between the woodwind and brass instruments? Which sounds brighter? Which sounds more mellow?
• WATCH - The BBC National Orchestra focusing on the Brass Family. Did you enjoy listening to all of the brass instruments playing together at the same time? You can see that some brass instruments are played by using a slide, as in the trombone, and some are played by pressing down on valves, as in the trumpet.
• WATCH - The BBC National Orchestra focusing on the Woodwind Family. Woodwinds are played in various ways also. The oboe and bassoon use a double reed to produce a sound. The clarinet and saxophone use a mouthpiece that holds a single reed. And the flute and piccolo are blown across a tone hole, similar to blowing across the top of a glass/plastic bottle to produce sound.

Happy exploring!

Music:

This week we will be exploring woodwind and brass instruments. Choose one or two of these activities to explore throughout the week:

• WATCH - Brass Instruments. Which brass instrument is your favorite?
• WATCH - Woodwind Instruments. Which woodwind instrument is your favorite?
  • Can you hear the difference between the woodwind and brass instruments? Which sounds brighter? Which sounds more mellow?
• WATCH - The BBC National Orchestra focusing on the Brass Family. Did you enjoy listening to all of the brass instruments playing together at the same time? You can see that some brass instruments are played by using a slide, as in the trombone, and some are played by pressing down on valves, as in the trumpet.
• WATCH - The BBC National Orchestra focusing on the Woodwind Family. Woodwinds are played in various ways also. The oboe and bassoon use a double reed to produce a sound. The clarinet and saxophone use a mouthpiece that holds a single reed. The flute and piccolo are blown across a tone hole; similar to blowing across the top of a glass/plastic bottle to produce sound.
• WATCH - Enjoy watching this video of the brass instruments playing Flight of the Bumblebee performed by the Canadian Brass. Wait for the surprise ending! Have fun!

Happy exploring!

Take your music learning further with these great resources:

• TED ED - [LINK] Here’s a playlist of all the TED ED talks about music on YouTube. These are best used by upper elementary and high school students.
• Mario Paint Composer - [LINK] This site enables students to create their own 8-bit music that sounds like it’s from an actual Super Nintendo video game. Students can also download their song as an mp3 to keep or to share. A great music writing site for all ages.
• Folk Ways - [LINK] A great site for upper elementary to high school students interested in world music!
• DSO Kids - [LINK] Dallas Symphony Orchestra website for students of all ages. It has pages for different composers and instruments including video and audio clips. Also has activities for students including coloring pages, practice tips, and ideas for making your own instrument.
• Classics for Kids - [LINK] Classical music for elementary music. Site includes music and information on composers, quizzes, games, and activities students can do at home.
• Brain Pop - [LINK] Great video resources about musical genres, making music, and MORE! Great for elementary - middle school.
• Teoria - [LINK] Ear training and theory resources for more advanced students.
• Rhythm Randomizer - [LINK] Here students can practice reading rhythms. Students can choose different note and rest values and the site will randomly generate new sight-reading exercises.