Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching the Instruments of the Orchestra to Young Students using the San Francisco Symphony Kids’ Website

For Teachers 1st
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. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Meet the Instruments of the Orchestra

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students examine the characteristics of the four families of instruments. They read an eBook, unscramble instruments and categorize them in the correct families, take a quiz, and explore the San Francisco Symphony website.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Musical Instrument Families

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using graphics, and an easy-to-understand format, this resource outlines the different kinds of instruments and their characteristics. This presentation could be used as an introduction to instruments for students getting ready to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Role of the Opera Orchestra

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students listen to and examine a recording of the opera Don Pasquale and study the various musical instruments in an orchestra. They discuss the difference between a symphony orchestra and an opera orchestra. Finally they play the music...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Instruments of the Orchestra Race

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students receive a musical instrument of the orchestra and the family it belongs to. They run when the teacher calls either the instrument or the family.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ultimate Instrument!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify the four instrument families of the symphony orchestra. They listen to the instruments and compare the similarities and differences of each of the four families. They design and create an instrument that belongs to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Orchestra: Exploring the Instruments

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore the instruments of the orchestra. In this music appreciation lesson plan, students discover the four families of instruments and research each of them using selected Internet sources.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction To The Orchestra

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners listen to a book, "Meet the Orchestra." They observe a PowerPoint presentation, listen to the sounds in "Peter and the Wolf" and then match illustrations of instruments to their specific sound. Students identify instrument...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Instruments of the Orchestra- Flute and Oboe

For Teachers K - 5th
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.
Lesson Plan
SoundTree

When The Saints Go Marching In: A Lesson for Middle School Keyboard Lab Students

For Teachers 6th - 8th
After listening to a variety of interpretations of "When the Saints Go Marching In," partners compose and then perform their own renditions of this classic before joining a full-class jam session.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music: Instruments of the Orchestra

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Pupils identify various musical instruments and explain their roles in an orchestra. Following a Powerpoint presentation, students discuss what they have discovered in small groups. Then, each groups devises four questions based on the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orchestra: Focus on Rhythm and Arranging

For Teachers 9th - 12th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

MUSICAL ELEMENTS OF THE LITTLE PRINCE

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students demonstrate knowledge of musical instruments and the families of the orchestra. They acknowledge different voice types found in opera. Students interpret emotional expressions through listening. They compose sounds to express...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Star Spangled Banner: For Orchestra

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers practice playing "The Star Spangled Banner" while focusing on phrasing. They work with the instructor to mark the lyrics and music, then play the song using the phrasing indicated. Several...
Lesson Plan
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

The Lion and More

For Teachers 5th
Melody, rhythm, tempo, and dynamics; get out those recorders it's time to play music! Your class will work on playing two lion-themed pieces that exemplify two different styles, folk and waltz. They'll discuss the elements of music and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Introduction To The Instruments Of The Orchestra

For Teachers 1st - 6th
Students explore a variety of instruments to discover their sound. After watching an orchestra play, students discover the categories of instruments such as woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion. In teams, they listen to music and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THE TRAVELS OF BABAR: An Adventure in Scale : The Instruments of the Orchestra

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students classify the classes of instruments of the orchestra: strings, brass, woodwinds and percussion. They aurally and visually identify the instruments of the orchestra. Students become actively engaged in live performances by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folk Songs, Instruments of the Orchestra

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders study Folk Songs and instruments of the orchestra in these lessons. They recognize the difference between folk songs and classical music.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Design an Instrument

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners design an instrument. For this sound, vibration and pitch lesson, students learn about the characteristics of sound, vibration and pitch.  Learners design a guitar using the assembled craft materials and demonstrate how...
Lesson Plan
Hawaiʻi State Department of Education

Instruments from Various Cultures

For Teachers 2nd
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,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music- Found-Object Orchestra

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

Music from the Silk Roads

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore different types of musical instruments. In this musical instrument instructional activity, students create a replica of a sheng. Students utilize this instrument to understand different types of breathing used in...
Lesson Plan
LABScI

Acoustics: The Sound Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If the delay between a sound and its echo is less than 1/10th of a second, the human ear can’t distinguish it. Through the use of a Slinky, rubber band guitar, and straws, scholars explore where sound comes from and how it travels....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Be Sharp and Never Flat

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
An outstanding lesson on music awaits your young composers! They learn about patterns found in music, the different sections of an orchestra, and see the differences between musicians and a composer. Excellent streamed videos and good...