Instruments of the orchestra
Instrument Families
By the end of this lesson you
should:
Know what an orchestra is
Understand the layout of an orchestra
Be Able to categorise orchestral
instruments into their instrumental
families
What is an
orchestra?
An orchestra is a large instrumental
ensemble.
A typical orchestra is made up of four
sections
Strings
Brass
Woodwind and
Percussion instruments.
Orchestra’s have grown over the
years.
Did you know that an orchestra could
have up to 100 players playing
together at the same time!
What is an orchestra?
.
In your books copy out these sentences and fill in the missing words
• An orchestra is a
large instrumental
______________
• A typical orchestra
is made up of
______ sections.
• Brass, woodwind,
percussion and
______________
• Ensemble
• 4
• Strings
Instruments of the orchestra
String Family &
The Conductor
By the end of this lesson you should:
Know the names of the string
instruments in an orchestra and the 2
musical terms for how the strings can be
played
Understand the role of a conductor
Be Able to beat time in 2, 3 & 4 time
Conductor
• A conductor is the
leader of an
orchestra.
• One of the main roles
of a conductor is to
help keep everyone
in time with each
other by using hand
gestures.
Instruments of the orchestra Strings
• Stringed
instruments can
be played in a
number of ways
• How many can
you name?
• Violin, viola, cello, double
bass
• Harp
• Guitar, banjo, piano
• Bowed “Arco”
• Plucked “Pizzicato”
or
• Struck
Instruments of the orchestra
Brass Family
By the end of this lesson you should:
Know the names of the brass
instruments in an orchestra
Understand how sounds are produced
from brass instruments
Be Able to
Instruments of the orchestra Brass
• Brass instruments
are long tubes of
curved brass.
• How many can you
name?
• Cornet, trombone,
• Trumpet, tuba, French
horn,
• They are played by blowing air
through a mouthpiece and
making air vibrate through the
tube to make a sound.
• You can make different sounds
by blowing harder or softer into
the mouthpiece.
Instruments of the orchestra
Woodwind Family &
Orchestral layout
By the end of this lesson you should:
Know what the woodwind instruments
are in an orchestra
Understand how sounds are produced
from the different woodwind instruments
Be able to draw the layout of an
orchestra.
Layout of an orchestra
Instruments of the orchestra Woodwind
•
•
• How many can you
name?
• Flute, oboe,
bassoon, clarinet,
A woodwind instrument is
a musical instrument which
produces sound when the player
blows air against a sharp edge or
through a reed.
Most of these instruments are
made of wood but can be made
of other materials, such
as metals or plastics.
Instruments of the orchestra
Percussion Family & Dynamic
Markings
By the end of this lesson you should:
Know the definition of PERCUSSION &
Dynamic markings
Understand the difference between
tuned and untuned percussion
instruments
Be Able to translate the dynamic
markings into full Italian words with their
Englich meaning
Introduction to instruments of the
orchestra - percussion
• Percussive
instruments are
instruments that are
hit by a hand or a
beater
Tuned
Untuned
Xylophone
Vibraphone
Tubular bells
Drums
Shaker
cymbals
• There are two types
of percussion
instruments: tuned
and untuned.
Instruments of the orchestra
Dynamic markings