In music class we have been learning about different types of instruments, what they sound like and how they produce their sounds. We have studied the percussion family (instruments that are shaken or tapped to produce their sounds) and played many different percussion instruments - drums, tambourines, bells, shakers, maracas, triangles, and more. We met the various wind instruments, both loud (the brass family) and softer (the woodwind family) and took our turns playing recorders, whistles, and harmonicas. The string family was very popular, and I brought in a ukulele, violin and cello, and on one lucky day, a double bass (!) We were able to discover that the smaller instruments will produce higher sounds, and the larger ones, lower or deeper sounds. They put their hands on the wood and could feel the vibrations made as the cello or double bass produced the lowest notes. I have to say, the double bass was a big hit, and I apologize in advance to those of you who may have to buy a bigger car a few years down the road, to transport your child and the bass!
The children always amaze me with their focused listening skills - as we listened to Benjamin Britten’s Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra, we picked out the sounds of the different types of instruments, and by the end they were able to distinguish between the strings, flutes, brass, and percussion. ~Ms. Susanne
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