Choose an Instrument
Which instrument is right for you?
Should you play the trombone? Violin? Clarinet? Click the buttons below to see videos of what each instrument looks and sounds like. Explore each link until you find the ones you like!
Violin/Viola
Smallest instruments of the orchestra
Highest pitched instruments
Famous violinists & violists: Itzhak Perlman, Hillary Hahn, Black Violin (one plays violin & the other viola)
Cello
Played sitting down
Has thicker strings to produce a lower sound
Famous cellists: Yo-Yo Ma, Pablo Casals, Mstislav Rostropovich
Bass
Biggest instrument in the orchestra
Lowest pitched instrument
Famous bassists: Linda McKnight, Salvatore Macchia, Leon Bosch
Flute
plays very high notes
made of metal
Famous flutists: James Galway, Nestor Torres, Jasmine Choi
Clarinet
plays high and low notes
uses a reed
Famous clarinetists: Sabine Meyer, Benny Goodman, Anat Cohen
Trumpet
highest brass instrument
makes sound from buzzing lips
Famous trumpeters: Louis Armstrong, Arturo Sandoval, Wynton Marsalis, Saskia Laroo
Trombone
uses a slide to change pitch
can play high and low notes
Famous trombonists: Bill Watrous, Wycliffe Gordon, Annie Whitehead
Euphonium/Tuba
one of the largest instruments
plays bass lines
Famous tubists: Kenneth Amis, Carol Jantsch, David Fedderly
Full Band and Orchestra
This is what it sounds like when all of the instruments play together! Can you hear your favorite?