The
Orchestra
What is an Orchestra?
An orchestra is a large instrumental ensemble made up of
instruments from the woodwind, brass, string and percussion
families. Orchestras have their roots in Ancient Egypt, but
modern orchestras did not develop until the late 1500s. An
orchestra is also sometimes called a symphony orchestra or a
philharmonic. An orchestra is usually led by a conductor.
What is a Conductor?
A conductor is the man or woman who directs an orchestra. The
conductor chooses the music that the orchestra will play, leads them in
rehearsals, and directs them during performances. He or she directs them
by using a baton to keep time and interpret the music.
The Instruments
Flute
About the flute:
 Did you hear the flute playing with Nikkiteen?
 Flutes are a member of the woodwind family.
 Aside from the singing voice, flutes are the oldest known musical
instruments.
 A flute is played by blowing across the opening on the head joint. Have
you ever blown across a bottle and heard a whistling sound? A bottle is
technically a type of flute!
 The flute is the second highest orchestral instrument. Do you know
what the first is? It's a piccolo!
Clarinet
About the clarinet:
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Did you hear the clarinet playing when Super the Safety Weevil sang?
The clarinet is a member of the woodwind family.
In Italian, clarinet means “little trumpet.”
There are more types of clarinets than any other woodwind instrument
(There are 12!)
 The clarinet is played by blowing on a reed to make it vibrate against a
mouth piece.
 Did you know that all music is caused by vibrations?
Trumpet
About the trumpet:
 Did you hear the trumpet playing when Pickle sang?
 The trumpet is a member of the brass family.
 To play a trumpet, like all brass instruments, you buzz your lips into a
mouth piece sending air through the instrument.
 The trumpet is the highest sounding brass instrument.
 Modern trumpets have three valves used to change notes, but earlier
trumpets had no valves, so trumpeters had to just buzz their lips faster or
slower to change the pitch!
 Trumpets date back to 1500 BC. Wow! (old, but still not as old as the flute)
Tuba
About the tuba:
 Did you hear the tuba with Rob and Venda Beast?
 The tuba is a member of the brass family.
 The tuba is the largest brass instrument. If you stretched the tubing out it
would be 18ft long!
 The tuba plays lower than any other orchestral instrument.
 The tuba is one of the most recently invented instruments, developed
around 1835.
 Unlike most other instruments, most orchestras have only 1 tuba player.
Violin
About the violin:
 Did you hear the violin when Nutri Beast sang?
 The violin is the highest pitched, smallest member of the string family.
 The violin has 4 strings and can be played with a bow or by plucking the
strings with your finger.
 One single violin is made from 2 different types of wood, usually spruce
and maple.
 Did you know that the violin is called a fiddle if it's played in a country or
folk style?
 The violin is one of the most common solo instruments.
Viola
About the viola:
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Did you hear the viola with Rob and Venda Beast?
What family of instruments do you think the viola is in? Strings!
Violas are slightly larger than violins.
The viola uses thicker strings than a violin.
The viola plays lower than the violin but higher than the cello.
The viola is most commonly used in orchestral music.
Cello
About the cello:
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Did you hear the cello playing when Weak Beast sang?
The cello is the second largest member of the string family.
The cello is played resting between your knees.
A person who plays the cello is called a cellist.
One of the most famous cellists in the world is a man named Yo Yo Ma.
The cello has basically the same range of notes as the trombone.
Piano
About the piano:
 Did you hear the piano in the opening song?
 Despite what many people think, the piano is a member of the percussion
family, not the string family.
 Do you know how many keys a piano has? 88!
 The piano is not used in all orchestral music, and often when it is used, it is
played as a solo instrument.
 A piece of music written for solo piano with orchestra is called a piano
concerto.
 The piano is the most versatile instrument because so many notes can be
played at one time.
 Do you know what the word versatile means? It means something is capable of doing many
different things.
Drum Set
About the drum set:
 Did you hear the drum set during Super Sugar Winkies song?
 The drum set is a member of the percussion family.
 The drum set is used in nearly all genres of music, including classical!
 The drum set is made up of a snare drum, a bass drum, cymbals, a
high hat, and tom toms.
 Most orchestras use the drum set when they play "pops" music. Do
you know what "pops" is short for? It is short for “popular.”
 When playing a drum set, drummers sit on a chair that has no back.