Read Works
Read Works: Musical Instruments Percussion Instruments
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about percussion instruments. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: Percussion Fast and Cheap
Here are some great ideas to assist you in helping your students make their own percussion instruments with little or no money.
OpenStax
Open Stax: Catherine Schmidt Jones: Talking Drums
Engage your students in a lesson about talking drums. Included are various activities that allow the students to experience the concept of the talking drum.
Other
Percussive Arts Society
This is the organization every percussionist should join. Their web site contains percussion news, information, and playing tips.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Instrument Families of the Orchestra: Percussion
In this lesson, young scholars will learn to identify the percussion instruments in an orchestra by sight and sound. Students will also learn to group the percussion instruments into pitched and unpitched instruments.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Working the Battery!
This lesson plan focuses on teaching the final percussion number in a band performance. Learners practice the technique of marching while playing instruments. The lesson plan also focuses on rhythmic interpretation, timing, and...
California State University
Island Maracas
A great multicultural art lesson that also connects visual art to music. Students create a set of paper mache maracas emphasizing rhythm and expression in the painting details. Upon completion students will have the opportunity to try...
Other
The Abc's of Chord Voicings
The concept of chord voicings for keyboard instruments is illustrated by this site. Material could also relate to pianists who would like to learn voicing. MIDI files are included for added demonstration
Music Education
Learn About Instruments: The Percussion
Learn general information on different percussion instruments such as the snare drum and cymbals and hear sound clips of these instruments being played.
Other
Rhythm Web: Coffee Can Drums
Learn how to make a percussion instrument using a coffee can. This site provides instructions for making the coffee can drum. You can also listen to audio clips of coffee can drums being played in various ways.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Cymbals
Learn about the ways to play the cymbals and how they contribute to the sound of the orchestra. Use RealAudio to listen to cymbals alone and with the orchestra. Pictures of the instrument are also provided.
John F. Kennedy Center
The Kennedy Center: Percussion Instruments and Pitch
Learners will enjoy learning about pitch as they construct their own percussion instruments. They will predict and explore how pitches can change based on the materials used and how the instruments are made.
Mocomi & Anibrain Digital Technologies
Mocomi: Types of Musical Instruments
Provides a list of musical instruments and how they work.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Percussion
A basic article on percussion instruments lists several examples of percussion instruments, provides a distinction between membranophones and idiophones, and lists instruments that are tuned vs. ones that are not.
Other
Rhythm Web: Clave Patterns
Learn and practice typical rhythm patterns for the claves. The rhythms are written out in block patterns and are accompanied by midi examples.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Guiro
Use this resource to learn about the percussion family of the orchestra and the guiro. This instrument is untuned and comes from South and Central America.