Our MusicSTAR consultant is Catherine Le Brun sharing her engagement and passion for music with kids. .  Website - FoundationMusicPro

The piano is an acoustic, percussion instrument. The sound is made by playing the keys which connect to the hammers which strike the strings. 

The piano was developed from the earlier keyboards, harpsichord and clavichord for example, by the Italian instrument maker, Bartolomeo Cristofori in the early 1700s. 

The piano keyboard has 52 white notes and 36 black notes (sharps and flats) arranged in the repetitive alphabetical pattern of  A B C D E F G over eight sequences.

The piano can be both a solo and ensemble instrument. 

The piano diagram has the white notes C, D, E, F, G, A & B, and the black sharp/flat notes C#(Db), D#(Eb), F#(Gb), G#(Ab), A#(Bb). One group involves three white notes with two black notes whilst the group involves four white notes with three black notes

Guitar

The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that usually has six strings. The sound is projected either acoustically, using a hollow wooden, or plastic and wood box, or amplified through electrical pick-ups and a speaker. Acoustic guitars produce a bright sound while electric guitars generate a metal sound. 6-string guitars are tuned to the pitch levels: E A D G B E from lowest (E2) to highest (E4). 

Bass Guitar

The bass guitar is an electric stringed instrument, usually with four strings tuned to the pitch levels: E A D G (an octave lower than the electric guitar tuning). The five-stringed electric bass guitar has an additional lower string tuned: B E A D G. Musical sound is produced by playing with the fingers or the thumb, by plucking, slapping, popping, strumming, tapping, thumping or using a plectrum (a pick). 

Drum Kit

A drum kit a collection of drums and other percussion instruments, typically cymbals, which are set up on stands to be played by a single player, with drum sticks held in both hands, and the feet operating pedals that control the hi-hat cymbals and the beater for the bass drum 

Here is a list of the drum kit parts

Bass drum- played by a pedal operated by the right foot, which moves a felt-covered beater 

hi-hats- (two cymbals mounted on a stand), played with sticks, opened and closed with foot pedal (can produce sound with foot only) 

snare drum- mounted on a stand, placed between the player's knees and played with drum sticks (wooden or brush sticks) 

crash cymbal- cymbal mounted on a stand that produces a loud, sharp "crash" 

ride cymbal- cymbal mounted on a stand maintains a steady rhythmic pattern, sometimes called a ride pattern 

tom-toms- two mini drums that sit on top of the bass drum

floor tom- sits on the left of the drum kit and provides an extra beat or rhythm

Great Drum Link - https://drumhelper.com/blog/music-and-mindfulness-for-stress-reduction/

Trumpet

The trumpet is an instrument belonging to the brass family. ...  The trumpet is constructed mainly of brass tubing moulded into a spiral-like structure  The trumpet produces a bright, loud sound. 

The shape is actually a complex series of metals which is smaller at the mouthpiece receiver and larger just before the flare of the bell begins. It was important to carefully design these shapes to ensure the tone of the instrument is kept. In comparison, the cornet and flugelhorn have similar shapes and produce a more mellow tone

Saxophone

The saxophone is a woodwind instrument. 'Saxes' are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece, very similar to the clarinet. The saxophone is often found in stage bands, big bands, military bands and jazz bands. Saxophones are made in three sizes: alto, tenor and baritone. They are particularly popular in jazz and dance bands. 

The saxophone is very popular in its intended music type of military bands as well as, being most commonly associated with types of popular music, big bands and particularly jazz music. Many festivals use saxophones and jazz music to add excitement and entertainment to the crowd and it is also very good music to dance to.

Trombone

The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate. 

Tuba

The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced by moving air past the lips, causing them to vibrate or "buzz" into a large cupped mouthpiece 

French Horn

The French horn is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B♭ is the horn most often used by players in professional orchestras and bands 

Violin

The violin is a string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths: G  D  A  E. It is the smallest and highest-pitched member of the string family. The violin is played with a bow moved across the strings; the player holds the violin under their chin, positioned on a chin-rest. Violin players also pluck the strings (pizzicato). Violins playing in a folk music or country music ensemble are known as fiddlers.

The sound of a violin can be sweet, soft, expressive or exciting and brilliant.

When it is played, It is held under the chin, resting on the shoulder. The violin has a lovely tone that can be soft and expressive or exciting and brilliant. Another name for the violin is also the fiddle. This is why a person who plays the violin is called a violinist or fiddler.

Cello (‘violoncello') 

The Cello is actually the abbreviation of violoncello. The reason for its name is because of its similarity to the violin. The cello is a bowed string instrument, which is played while seated. Its weight is supported mainly by its endpin or spike, which rests on the floor. It is then steadied on the lower bout between the knees of the seated player and on the upper bout against the upper chest. The neck of the cello is above the player's left shoulder, and the C-String tuning peg is just behind the left ear. 

The cello is a medium-low pitched instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths: C  G  D  A. Music for the cello is written predominantly in the bass clef and occasionally in the tenor clef for higher range notes. The cello is regularly used as a solo instrument, in a string ensemble playing a bass or tenor melody and in an orchestra in various roles. The cellist uses a bow and finger picking techniques. The cello produces a rich, warm, expressive sound. 

To play the notes, the bow is drawn horizontally across the strings. Changing notes is all controlled from the top hand on the strings. This person who plays a cello is called a cellist. The cello is used as a solo instrument, in chamber music, and as a member of the string section of an orchestra 

Flute

The flute is a woodwind instrument which is played by blowing across the open mouthpiece while pressing down the patterns of keys to cover, or uncover, the air holes. Early flutes were made from wood and bamboo, with air holes, covered by the fingers, to change the pitch of each musical note. A flute player is called a flautist. Flutes are popular solo instruments but are also found in orchestras and concert bands, woodwind ensembles, folk music and jazz groups. Flutes can sound airy, light and bright and soulful. 

The flute basically produces its sound from the flow of air against an edge and is a common component of a band or orchestra. Unlike today's modern flute, Early times saw flutes made from wood or bamboo.

Clarinet

The clarinet is an instrument belonging to the woodwind family. It has a single-reed mouthpiece, a straight cylindrical bore and a flared bell. A range of clarinets are made to play in different keys; the most popular is the Bb clarinet. Clarinets have a warm, rich tone which makes them ideal as solo instruments. They are also included in orchestras, concert bands, jazz and other instrumental ensembles.  

Oboe

The oboe is a double-reed woodwind instrument. They are usually made from wood however some are crafted from synthetic materials. The oboe has metal keys to cover the air holes, a conical bore and a flared mouthpiece. Oboists are used mainly in symphony orchestras, concert bands and chamber ensembles and as soloists. The oboe produces a rich, bright and penetrating sound; it can sound pastoral, majestic and stately.

Bagpipes

Bagpipes are woodwind instruments using enclosed reeds fed from a constant bag of air which the piper blows into to produce the sound. A set of bagpipes consists of an air supply, a bag, a chanter (on which the piper creates the melody using the finger-holes) and at least one drone (a continuous low note). The tone colour is bright and brassy. Bagpipes are played mainly in pipe bands, feature occasionally in rock bands and are featured as solo instruments by 'a lone piper'. 

Banjo

The banjo is a four-, five- or six-stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity as a resonator, called the head. 

The banjo is frequently associated with country, folk, Irish traditional, and bluegrass music. Historically, the banjo occupied a central place in African American traditional music, before becoming popular in the minstrel shows of the 19th century. The banjo, with the fiddle, is a mainstay of American old-time music. It is also very frequently used in Traditional Jazz. 

Mandolin

A mandolin is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is usually plucked with a plectrum or "pick". It commonly has four courses of doubled metal strings tuned in unison (8 strings), It is the soprano member of a family that includes the mandola, octave mandolin, mandocello and mandobass. 

Dobro

The word Dobro is, in popular usage, the generic term for a wood-bodied, single cone resonator guitar. It is also an American brand of resonator guitar, currently owned by the Gibson Guitar Corporation 

The tuning is an open chord and instead of playing it like a normal guitar, it is sat on the lap and requires a tone bar and finger picks.

Pedal Steel Guitar