Homepage for a hypertext about the different families of musical instruments. From this page, users can retrieve information on a the acoustics of a variety of specific instruments: stringed instruments, woodwind instruments, brass...

[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about percussion instruments. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.

Students will enjoy learning about pitch as they construct their own percussion instruments. They will predict and explore how pitches can change based on the materials used and how the instruments are made.

An A-to-Z directory of all the instruments and tools of the orchestra. Each entry includes a description, a picture, and a sound sample.

The emigration of various cultures into the U.S. gives birth to many many instruments such as the piano, guitar and oboe. Discover the history behind these instruments.

Contains information on the harp. Students learn about the history and qualities of the instrument and can listen to audio excerpts of the harp being played.

Learn general information on different percussion instruments such as the snare drum and cymbals and hear sound clips of these instruments being played.

A very in-depth site concerning ancient music instruments. Organized into various groups such as organ, strings, percussion and others, this site details many of the instruments found in ancient music.

This resource classifies Renaissance instruments in the following categories: winds, plucked strings, bowed strings, keyboard, and percussion.

An interactive and printable crossword puzzle developed by the New York Times Learning Network. The theme of this puzzle is Musical Instruments.

This site contains links to articles that explain how musical instruments work, describes vocal mechanics, and the three main vocal groups.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart describes the various instrument families and the instruments that fit in each family. Sound files are attached to the instruments so that students can hear what each sounds like.

Learn about the different groups of musical instruments. Book includes audio narration in 6 additional languages with text in English.

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.

A basic article on percussion instruments lists several examples of percussion instruments, provides a distinction between membranophones and idiophones, and lists instruments that are tuned vs. ones that are not.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Discover which musical instruments fit into which categories. A comprehensive listing of instruments with pictures is included in the flipchart.

This website is a cornucopia of resources for percussion instruction. There are videos, audiocasts, podcasts, interviews with talented percussionists. Please check out this website is you are interested in any aspect of percussion.

This brief article provides general information on the tambourine and references for further reading.

A nice, factual encyclopedia entry from Wikipedia on the timpani. Discusses its origins, how it is played, how it is tuned, and its significance in an orchestra. Links are provided throughout the article for additional information.

Read about keyboard instruments and the piano in particular. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to hear the piano alone and with the orchestra.

In this lesson plan, students will use music as an impetus for stating and supporting opinions. They will compose an opinion poster based on a narrative about a train using percussion instruments. This will involve group work which can...

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart is intended to introduce fifth grade students to the science of musical instruments. Concepts covered include wind, percussion, and string instruments. Also, the relationship between...

This site is provided for by Michigan Reach Out. Students experiment with the variables of force, pitch and volume after making a drum.

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.