13-1 (07)
release dates: March 24-30
TM
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Notes on Instruments
Music Makers
Do you love listening to music? Do
you play a musical instrument?
March is Music In Our Schools
Month. It is sponsored by the National
Association for Music Education, to
promote school music. The Mini Page
celebrates by talking to an expert about
some of the mysteries of making music.
photos by Becky Spray, MENC: The National Association for Music Education
Stringed instruments
Good vibrations
Sound is made when something
moves back and forth very fast, or
vibrates. When something moves in
this way, it creates vibrations.
The vibrations cause tiny particles,
or molecules, in the air to move. When
someone plays music, the air molecules
vibrate at the same rate as the
instrument. When these air molecules
reach your ear, you hear sound.
All musical instruments vibrate. For
example, when you strike the top of a
drum, the drum top bounces back and
forth, or vibrates.
When making music, the musician
controls the vibrations, so he or she
can play certain notes.
When these boys pluck a guitar string,
they make it vibrate. Musicians can make
the music louder by plucking the strings
harder. The harder the strings are plucked,
the bigger the vibrations are.
When a musician plucks or bows violin
strings, the strings start to vibrate. The
material the instrument is made of changes
the sound. The way the instrument is
made changes the sound, too. This is why
different violins sound different.
Volume and pitch
When an instrument creates big
vibrations, the music is loud. When it
creates little vibrations, the music
is soft.
Pitch is how
high or low a
note sounds. The
pitch is determined by how fast the
instrument parts vibrate.
Low, deep notes are created when
there are a low number of vibrations
per second.
High notes are made when there are
a high number of vibrations per second.
In a stringed instrument, the longest
strings create the lowest notes. The
shortest strings create the highest notes.
Musicians can
control how long
a string is by
putting their
fingers on it. For
example, if they press down on the
middle of a string, they create a
shorter string. The shorter string
creates a higher note.
The shape of the instrument helps
determine how the strings sound.
When they vibrate over a hollow area,
they sound different than when they
vibrate over a piece of wood or metal.
Try this experiment:
Take a rubber band.
Stretch it tight over a
box. Put a pencil
between the box and the
rubber band. Pluck it.
Now, try plucking harder. Does it
get louder? Try moving the pencil.
Does the sound get higher or lower?
This is how a stringed instrument
works. The strings act as kind of
complicated rubber bands. In music,
the strings are stretched across the
instrument.
When the strings vibrate across a
sound board*, they get louder.
*A sound board goes across the outside of
the instrument. The board keeps the
strings clear of the instrument when a
musician presses on them.
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
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13-2 (07); release dates: March 24-30
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Notes About Keyboard Instruments
Some instruments make music
when the musician strikes the keys
on a keyboard. Depending on the
instrument, music is created the
same way as it is in traditional
string or wind instruments.
With electronic instruments, music is
created by small computers that imitate
the sounds of traditional instruments.
The pipe organ
photo by Becky Spray, MENC: The National Association for Music Education
The piano
Instruments such as pianos are
played with strings that are struck
by hammers. Strings are stretched
out inside the instruments.
The longest strings play the
lowest notes. The shortest strings
play the highest notes. The thickness
of the strings also affects the pitch.
On the biggest concert grand piano,
the longest strings may be 10 feet.
On a regular home piano, the strings
might be 8 or 9 feet.
Keys on a piano are attached to little
felt-covered hammers. When you strike
a key, the hammer flies up or out and
whacks the steel string inside. This
causes the string to vibrate.
The metal strings in the
piano are so strong and
tight that they put lots of
pressure on the piano.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
In an instrument such as a pipe
organ, the
musician
presses on the
keys. This sends
air through
pipes, in the
same way as air
goes through
other wind
instruments.
The longest pipes in the organ
create the lowest notes. The shortest
pipes create the highest notes. A
pipe organ may have pipes more
than 30 feet long.
In modern pipe organs, fans blow
air through the long pipes.
There is a different pipe for each
note. The number of pipes matches
the number of keys.
Since each pipe plays only one
note, a big pipe organ will have
many sets of pipes. Different sets of
pipes are made in different shapes.
This way, the
organ can
produce many
different types
of sounds.
This student is practicing the piano. The
keys at the far left strike the longest
strings. They make the lowest notes. The
keys at the far right strike the shortest
strings. These make the highest notes.
If strings were attached to wood,
pianos would be very hard to keep in
tune. If you look inside a piano, you
will see that the strings are attached
to metal frames. This makes it
easier to keep the piano in tune.
TM
Mini Spy and her friends are practicing for a concert.
See if you can find: • man in the moon • cheese wedge
• football
• number 3
• heart
• peanut
• ruler
• letter C
• tooth
• ladder
• word MINI
• kite
• letter Z
• bird
• pencil
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Music Makers
TRY ’N
FIND
Words that remind us of musical instruments are hidden in the block
below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See if you
can find: NOTE, PITCH, VIBRATE, STRINGS, VIOLIN, BOW,
SOUND, HIGH, LISTEN, EAR, DRUM, GUITAR, PLUCK, LOUD,
SOFT, WIND, BLOW, MOUTHPIECE, BASSOON, HORN, KEY,
PLAY, PEDAL, SONG, SING, TONE.
V H N I L O I V S G N I R T S
DO YOU LOVE
I P I D D N U O S N E T S I L
MUSIC?
B E K G R N N R O H G G N O S
R D P T H U O L S O F T L S P
A A K L O M M T W I N D O I L
T L L E A N M M E B O W U N U
E E A R Y Y E B L O W V D G C
N O O S S A B R A T I U G G K
H C T I P E C E I P H T U O M
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®
13-3 (07); release dates: March 24-30
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Go dot to dot and color.
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Pepperoni Roll-Ups
You’ll need:
• 1 (8-ounce) package crescent-shaped rolls
• 24 small round slices of pepperoni
• 4 slices of provolone cheese
What to do:
1. Position 2 crescent rolls on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press
seams together to form a rectangle with the dough.
2. Place 6 round slices of pepperoni on rectangle of dough. Top
with a slice of provolone.
3. Roll up end-to-end to form a tube. (Cheese slice may be hanging
over the edges.)
4. Repeat process, ending up with four tubes.
5. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes. Makes 4
servings.
(You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Meet Josh Hutcherson
photo by Bruce Macaulay
© 2007 Regency Entertainment
Josh Hutcherson plays Shane Fahey in the
movie “Firehouse Dog.” Josh, 14, also plays
Jesse in the new movie “Bridge to Terabithia.”
He has acted in the movies “RV,” “Zathura:
A Space Adventure,” “Kicking and Screaming”
and “Little Manhattan.” He was the voice for
a character in the Japanese animated movie,
or anime, “Howl’s Moving Castle.”
He also acted as a model with Tom Hanks, so the animators of
the movie “Polar Express” could film him using a technique called
“motion capture.”
Josh has appeared on many TV shows, including “Eddie’s
Father” and the Animal Planet movie “Miracle Dogs.”
He loves dogs, and his family has a dog and two cats. He lives
with his parents and younger brother in Kentucky. He enjoys
writing songs and playing the guitar. He also plays soccer, bowls,
and competes in triathlons.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
TM
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
LEARN THE STATES…
and each state’s
capital, flower
and bird
• multi-colored
• large (35 x 23 inches)
• perfect for the classroom or a child’s room
To order, send $3.00 plus $2.50 postage and handling for each copy. Send only checks or money orders
payable to: Andrews McMeel Publishing, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS 66206, or call
1-800-591-2097. Information is available online: www.smartwarehousing.com.
Please send _________ copies of The Mini Page Map of the U.S.A. (Item #9937-0) at $5.50 each,
including postage and handling. (Bulk discount information available upon request.)
Name: _____________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ___________________________________________________________________________________
Andrew: What did the baby corn say to the
mama corn?
Michael: “Where’s my popcorn?”
Kevin: How do you fix a broken tomato?
Jamie: With tomato paste!
Liam: What would you get if you crossed a
potato and an onion?
Monty: A potato with watery eyes!
City: ____________________________________________________ State: ____________ Zip: ____________
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®
13-4 (07); release dates: March 24-30
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
More Notes About Instruments
Drums
Wind instruments are made out of
special tubes. Musicians blow into a
mouthpiece connected to the tube.
When the musician blows into the
mouthpiece, air vibrates inside the
tube. One way musicians change the
pitch is by changing how hard they
blow into the instrument.
Try this experiment: Take an
empty plastic pop
bottle. Blow across
the top. What kind of
sound do you get?
Now blow harder.
Did the sound jump
to a higher pitch? That is what
happens when musicians blow on
instruments such as trumpets.
Try changing the size of the
bottle. Do smaller bottles make
different sounds?
Musicians cannot control the pitch
of drum notes as well as they can
with other instruments. They do not
control the notes by the way they
play. On most drums,
they control pitch by how
the drum is set up.
There is a
membrane stretched
across the top of
the drum. When
musicians tighten this, the pitch is
higher. The musician tightens this
before beginning to play so the drum
produces the right sound. One drum,
the kettledrum, has a pedal that allows
the musician to tighten the membrane
in the middle of playing a piece.
photos by Becky Spray, MENC: The National Association for Music Education
Wind instruments
This student performs on a bassoon, a
reed instrument, which is a type of wind
instrument. In reed instruments such as
bassoons or clarinets, the musician
blows into a mouthpiece that holds a
thin reed. (A reed can be made from a
plant stem, from wood, or from plastic.)
The reed vibrates when the musician
blows into the instrument.
Length and pitch
This girl practices her French horn.
When stretched out, the tubing of a
French horn is about 11 feet long. This is
about two to three times longer than the
tubing of a trumpet. The longer tubing
allows the French horn to play at a much
lower pitch.
With wind instruments, the longer
the tube is, the lower the note is. The
shorter the tube, the higher the note.
In order to make very low notes,
musicians need extra-long tubes on
their instruments. But if the tubes of
some instruments were stretched out
long enough, the instruments would
be too long to play easily. You might
need to stand on something 12 feet
tall to play a horn.
So with instruments such as
French horns, the tube is coiled up.
When musicians press down on a
key, they shorten the tube length.
This allows them to make higher
notes. Musicians also control the
pitch by controlling how tight their
lips are on the mouthpiece.
Singing
Try this experiment: Sing a song.
Put your hand lightly against the
front of your neck while you are
singing. Do you feel the vibrations?
People have two vocal cords, or
vocal flaps, inside their throats.
When singers want to sing a high
note, they tighten their vocal cords.
When they want to sing a lower
note, they loosen the vocal cords.
Singers can control the tone* and
notes by controlling the shape of
their mouths and
where they place
their tongues.
*The tone is how
music sounds. For
example, a tone
could be sweet or
excited or shrill.
The Mini Page thanks Mike Blakeslee,
MENC: The National Association for Music
Education, for help with this issue.
To do: Look through your newspaper for
notices and ads about musical
performances in your area.
Next week The Mini Page is about Beatrix
Potter, the author of “The Tale of Peter
Rabbit.”
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
Read all about
music makers
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 13.)
release dates: March 24-30
13-5 (07)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Standards Spotlight:
Music Makers
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
This week’s standard:
• Students listen to, analyze and describe music. (Music)
Activities:
1. Draw a picture of your favorite musical instrument on a large piece of paper. Around your
picture, write words and phrases that describe the instrument. Write a sentence telling why
you like it.
2. Interview several friends and classmates. Ask them what instruments they play or what
instruments they would like to learn to play. Ask them to tell you why they like particular
instruments. What are the most popular instruments?
3. Look in the classified ads in your newspaper to find ads for musical instruments. Categorize
the instruments into four groups: strings, winds/horns, percussion (drums) and keyboards.
Which group had the largest number of instruments for sale?
4. Explain how you can make the pitch higher or lower on three different instruments by
shortening or tightening, or lengthening or loosening, a part of the instrument. What does
this tell you about the vibrations created by the instruments?
5. Use resource books and the Internet to learn more about a specific instrument. Use these
questions to guide your research: What type of instrument is it? What were early versions of
the instrument like? How does the instrument create sound and change pitch? Are there
acoustic and electric versions of the instrument? How are they different? Who are some
famous people who have played this instrument? Now write a paragraph describing and
discussing your instrument.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 13.)
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2007 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Supersport: Kevin Durant
Height: 6-9
Weight: 225
Birthdate: 9-29-88
Hometown: Suitland, Md.
The picture on the University of Texas’ men’s
basketball Web site shows Kevin Durant soaring above
opponents toward the rim.
It’s a fitting photo. The multi-talented Longhorn ranks
high in the eyes of Texas fans, opponents and NBA scouts.
He’s the lone freshman listed among the Naismith
National Player-of-the-Year candidates.
Durant dazzles inside, outside and on the backboards. In the first 27
games, the guard/forward averaged 24.4 points and 11.4 rebounds.
Off the court, Durant enjoys listening to music, especially Lil’ Wayne
and Backyard Band. In lighter moments, he watches “SpongeBob” on TV.
His favorite food is crab legs.
How long Durant will be a Longhorn is a question, however. He could
take his big game to the NBA sooner rather than later, which would suit
Texas opponents just fine.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 13, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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