5th Grade Beginning Strings

Violin is the smallest and highest sounding of the instruments in the string family.  It is made of wood and has four metal strings that vibrate when played.  The violin is small enough to fit on the musician's shoulder, and is usually played with a tool called a bow, which is a curved wooden stick along which horsehair is stretched.  The violin reads notes on the treble clef staff.  Click on the violin video to learn more about this instrument.

Viola is very similar to the violin, but is a little bit bigger.  It makes many of the same sounds as the violin, but is slightly lower in pitch.  It is also made of wood and also has four metal strings that vibrate when played.  Like the violin, the viola will also fit on the musician's shoulder and is typically played with a bow.  The viola reads notes on an alto clef staff.  Click the video to learn more about the viola.

Cello is the largest and lowest sounding of the three instruments in Beginning Strings.  It is made of wood and has four metal strings that vibrate to make sound.  The cello is too big to fit on the shoulder, and is played with the musician sitting down in a chair.  Just like the violin and viola, the cello is also played with a bow.  The cello reads notes on a bass clef staff.  Watch the cello video to learn more about it.