Music: Instruments: Families and Their Sounds
Classifying instruments and describing how they make sound
Music: Instruments: Families and Their Sounds
Classifying instruments and describing how they make sound
Music - Grade 4-5
- 1
The four main instrument families in an orchestra are strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Write the name of one instrument from each family.
Think about how each instrument makes its sound.
One possible answer is violin for strings, flute for woodwinds, trumpet for brass, and snare drum for percussion. - 2
A violin makes sound when its strings vibrate. Name two ways a violin player can make the strings vibrate.
A violin player can make the strings vibrate by drawing a bow across them or by plucking them with a finger. - 3
Circle the instrument that belongs to the brass family: clarinet, trombone, cello, xylophone. Explain your choice.
Brass instruments use buzzing lips, not reeds or strings.
The trombone belongs to the brass family because it is made of metal and the player buzzes their lips into a mouthpiece to make sound. - 4
A clarinet and an oboe are both woodwind instruments, but they use different reeds. How does a reed help make sound?
A reed helps make sound by vibrating when the player blows air across or through it. Those vibrations start the sound inside the instrument. - 5
Look at a picture of an orchestra. The violins, violas, cellos, and basses sit together near the front. Which instrument family is this group, and why are they grouped together?
Look for instruments with wooden bodies, strings, and bows.
This group is the string family. They are grouped together because they all make sound with vibrating strings and often play related musical parts. - 6
A flute is made of metal, but it is still in the woodwind family. Explain why.
A flute is in the woodwind family because woodwind instruments are grouped by how they make sound. A flute makes sound when air is blown across an opening, not by buzzing lips like a brass instrument. - 7
Choose the best description for a trumpet's sound: soft and airy, bright and bold, low and scratchy, or clicking and wooden. Explain your answer.
Think about fanfares or parade music.
A trumpet is usually described as bright and bold because it has a clear, strong tone that can stand out in a band or orchestra. - 8
A student hits a triangle, shakes a maraca, and taps a tambourine. What instrument family do these instruments belong to, and what do they have in common?
These instruments belong to the percussion family. They have in common that they make sound when they are struck, shaken, or scraped. - 9
Classify each instrument as strings, woodwinds, brass, or percussion: harp, bassoon, French horn, timpani.
Ask how each instrument starts its sound.
The harp is a string instrument, the bassoon is a woodwind instrument, the French horn is a brass instrument, and the timpani is a percussion instrument. - 10
A cello is larger than a violin. How does its size affect its pitch?
A cello usually plays lower pitches than a violin because its strings are longer and its body is larger, which helps produce deeper sounds. - 11
Some percussion instruments have definite pitch, and some have indefinite pitch. Is a xylophone usually definite pitch or indefinite pitch? Explain.
If an instrument can play a melody with named notes, it usually has definite pitch.
A xylophone usually has definite pitch because each bar plays a specific note, such as C, D, or E. - 12
Compare a tuba and a trumpet. They are both brass instruments. Name one way they are alike and one way they are different.
A tuba and a trumpet are alike because both use buzzing lips and valves to make notes. They are different because the tuba is much larger and usually plays lower pitches than the trumpet. - 13
A saxophone is made of brass, but it is classified as a woodwind. What part of the saxophone helps explain its family?
Look at the mouthpiece, not only the material.
The saxophone is classified as a woodwind because it uses a single reed on its mouthpiece. The reed vibrates when the player blows air. - 14
A composer wants a gentle, flowing sound that can play smooth melodies. Which instrument might be a good choice: flute, bass drum, cymbals, or triangle? Explain.
The flute might be a good choice because it can play smooth melodies and often has a gentle, flowing tone. - 15
Fill in the missing family names: Instruments that use vibrating strings belong to the blank family. Instruments that use buzzing lips in a mouthpiece belong to the blank family. Instruments that are struck, shaken, or scraped belong to the blank family.
Match each family to the action that begins the sound.
Instruments that use vibrating strings belong to the string family. Instruments that use buzzing lips in a mouthpiece belong to the brass family. Instruments that are struck, shaken, or scraped belong to the percussion family.