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Lesson Plan
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California Department of Education

Instruments of Change: Making a Simple Stringed Instrument (CTE)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What materials and skills does a person need to build a simple working instrument? With the first of four lessons from the Changing One's Tune: A Music Therapy STEM Integrated Project series, scholars learn about the basic structure of...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
California Department of Education

Tension and Release: Creating Mindful Harmony (CTE)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Perhaps the Doobie Brothers said it best when they sang, "Listen to the Music." With the third of four lessons from the Changing One's Tune: A Music Therapy STEM Integrated Project series, pupils discover the connection between music and...
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Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Sounds of the Silk Road

For Students 6th - 12th
Young explorers may not be able to travel the Silk Road but they can listen to music that was played on instruments of the time and create their own songs with the help of an interesting interactive resource. 
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Interactive
Physics Classroom

Name That Harmonic: Strings

For Students 9th - 12th
Don't string your class along! Physics scholars discover the fascinating forces behind the music of stringed instruments using an interactive. From a series covering sounds and waves, the interactive asks users to identify nodes and...
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Worksheet
Classics for Kids

Instrumental Sounds

For Students 4th - 5th
What sound does a piccolo make? What's the difference between a violin and viola? What family does a timpani belong to? Take a tour through the different sections of an orchestra with an interactive reference tool.
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Worksheet
Classics for Kids

Fun With Musical Words

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Is concertmaster another term for conductor, or is he or she another person entirely? Learn the specifics of the role of concertmaster with an activity focused on classical music. After learners define the term, they select a piece of...
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Worksheet
Classics for Kids

Listen to the Music

For Students K - 3rd Standards
Different pieces of music can elicit different emotions from audience members. A quick tempo can make you feel happy, while a largo piece may bring out a melancholy temperament. Elementary musicians learn more about the instruments and...
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Worksheet
Classics for Kids

A Composer Leads the Way

For Students 4th - 5th
What song is playing? A music activity focuses on composers throughout history, their famous works, and the instruments in each piece. As pupils complete the worksheet they play a short game to review music theory terms.
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Worksheet
Classics for Kids

Instruments Have a Family

For Students K - 3rd Standards
Are the instruments in Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in the same family as those in George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue? Elementary musicians work on their music theory and their instrumental ear as they listen to clips of famous...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music- Found-Object Orchestra

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students construct simple musical instruments. In this music lesson, students read the text Max Found Two Sticks and construct their own instruments from classroom materials.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Acoustical Science

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore musical instruments and the pitches and tones they make. In this acoustical science lesson, students create their own string instruments and explore how pitch is altered.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

String Instruments and Pitch

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet the Instrument Families

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders listen to a recording of a string quartet and ask questions about what kinds of instrument they think they are listening to and describe what they think the instruments look like. Then they discuss musical ideas such as...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Musical Instruments

For Teachers 4th - 5th
For this musical instruments worksheet, students identify and locate 20 various types of musical instruments in a word search. First, they locate brass and percussion instruments. Then, students locate string and woodwind instruments.
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Website
The Orchestra

The Orchestra: A User's Manual Violins

For Students 9th - 10th
A wonderful resource covering many aspects of the violin. Most explanations are made with video and audio clips of members of the Philharmonic Orchestra. Be sure to check out the players tips and tricks section.
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Website
The Orchestra

The Orchestra: A User's Manual Viola

For Students 9th - 10th
A terrific resource covering many aspects of the viola. Most explanations are made with video and audio clips of members of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Be sure to check out the players tips and tricks section.
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Website
The Orchestra

The Orchestra: A User's Manual Cello

For Students 9th - 10th
A fantastic resource covering many aspects of the cello. Most explanations are made with video and audio clips of members of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Be sure to check out the players tips and tricks section.
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Website
The Orchestra

The Orchestra: A User's Manual Double Bass

For Students 9th - 10th
An excellent resource covering many aspects of the double bass. Most explanations are made with video and audio clips of members of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Be sure to check out the players tips and tricks section.
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Website
The Orchestra

The Orchestra: A User's Manual String Ranges

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn the ranges of all of the string instruments. The chart shows the written pitch and the sounding pitch. There are also comments about some of the instruments ranges.
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Website
Other

International Cello Society

For Students 9th - 10th
A website devoted to the cello. Site appears to be very "open" to the non-member. Teachers and students will want to visit the Forum and Tips pages. Also, check out the MP3's!
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Interactive
Quia

Quia: Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction "Musical Hangman"

For Students 3rd - 8th
Test your knowledge of instruments of the orchestra with this interactive hangman game. Click on letters to guess the mystery word!
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Website
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids

For Students 3rd - 8th
This interactive site offers students resource for learning about composers, their works, the logistics of orchestra seating, the functions of different instruments, and the like.
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Handout
Dallas Symphony Orchestra

Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Orchestra Seating Chart: Baroque, Classical, Romantic

For Students 3rd - 8th
See how the number of orchestra members increased from the Baroque period through the Classical, up to the Romantic. You can print each orchestra seating chart.
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eBook
Other

University of Vermont: The String Pedagogy Notebook

For Students 9th - 10th
A great resource for teachers, students, and performers of string instruments. Very indepth "how-to" descriptions, care information, procedural movies, and more.