Orchestral Instruments Teacher Resources

Membranophones? Aerophones? How about strings? Percussion? You need not be a music instructor to benefit from a packet of 24 worksheets that introduce aspiring musicians to the various instrument families.

Orchestral instruments are the focus of this introductory presentation. Learners identify individual instruments on slide two and then read about the characteristics of six other instruments typically used in orchestral pieces. 

Using the San Francisco Children's Orchestra web site, first graders build listening and instrument identification skills. Each child wears head phones, listens to ID, and finds various instruments on the included worksheet. 

Is your class familiar with the tale of Peter and the Wolf? If they are, they will have fun testing themselves on how well they can identify each character by listening to the piece. This presentation acts as a quiz where the class works...

In this music learning exercise, high schoolers find the words related to the musical instruments of an orchestra. The Answers are found at the bottom of the page.

Students demonstrate understanding that orchestral instruments are grouped into families based on their similarities and differences. Students take turns describing similarities and differences between themselves and other members of...

Students make predictions and explore how pitch is altered in string instruments. In this acoustic science lesson, students learn the types and parts of string instruments and create their own. They listen to classical music and identify...

High schoolers listen to "The William Tell Overture," identify instruments, sounds and other characteristics of the music. They compare and contrast orchestra music to large band music. Students discuss the musical composition and how...

Second graders study the four families of orchestral instruments and patriotic songs in this unit of lessons.

Students name the different families in an orchestra, name many of the instruments in each family, listen to an orchestral recording to identify the flute and oboe and listen to the melody of a piece.

High school orchestra is a great place to play music, like The Star Spangled Banner. Upper graders create new rhythms to the old song and perform them with the class. They rehearse their updated versions of the song using their...

Peter and the Wolf is a wonderful piece that introduces learners to classical music, builds listening skills, and creates a bridge from song to imagination. Each slide shows a picture of one of the characters from the story and a group...

A wonderful presentation explains a musical fairy tale. Perfect for an independent work station or as a link to send home for homework, this slideshow comes equipped with full audio. Each character, theme, and instrument from the piece...

Eighth graders listen to Beethoven's Symphony Number Five and identify the instruments playing. They observe the score and discuss the movements, and at what time each instrument plays. Students choose an instrument and transcribe the...

After a review of orchestral instruments and instrument families, learners make their own. They listen to the song "Simple Gifts" and identify the instruments heard in the piece. Then they draw an instrument of their own invention,...

After brainstorming a list of characteristics of Western orchestral instruments, learners explore those made in Africa. They discuss how the diverse African geography has influenced how musical instruments are constructed and used. This...

Fourth graders study and experiment with sound production. In this sound production activity, 4th graders discuss sound and vibrations. Students write a paragraph explaining how music is made. Students make a homemade instrument and...

Budding musicians practice keeping rhythm, playing  Orff instruments, and following musical orchestration. They work as a team to play the song "Roll on, Columbia" while keeping time. There are specific instructions for each type of...

While there is no sheet music to accompany this lesson plan, it does have some ideas for teaching orchestration to younger learners. Third graders clap and call back and forth between each other to understand how they should play their...

Using Orff instruments and orchestration, learners practice playing various parts of the song, "My Horse Ain't Hungry." This lesson is specifically for the xylophone and glockenspiel, and includes some samples of sheet music.

Mirroring is the teaching technique used to instruct learners in this music lesson. They mirror the patted rhythm as it is done by the teacher, they work to create a rocking sound with the way they create rhythm and play their Orff...

Playing percussive instruments is fun! It also helps kids understand music instruction, rhythm, and playing together. The class uses Orff instruments to practice, then performs the song, "Achshav." The songs for this and other lessons...

A structured 6th grade music lesson - who could ask for more? Students practice reading music notation, playing their parts, and playing together as a group. This lesson is intended for use with Orff instruments and the...

Say, sing, and clap out the rhythm to the musical pattern provided in this Orff arrangement. Instructions lead your class in a structured music lesson, focused on rhythm, timing, and playing Orff instruments.