Curated OER
Illustration # 5: Phone Number Melodies
Fourth graders create their own melodies by making up a phone number with the numbers of the C major scale (the number 9 will be played by double the C at an octave. Students are encouraged to end their piece with V, I progression in...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Investigating Sound: A Lesson in Length and Pitch
In this classroom guided inquiry lesson, students will rotate through five stations of various sound instruments to look at how length affects pitch. The five sound stations include: straw flutes, xylophone, water phone, palm pipes, and...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Physics of Sound: How Does Length Affect Pitch?
Students investigate how pitch varies with the length of instrument in this activity. Activity includes procedure and background information.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids
This interactive site offers students resource for learning about composers, their works, the logistics of orchestra seating, the functions of different instruments, and the like.
PBS
Classics for Kids: Musical Instruments
An A-to-Z directory of all the instruments and tools of the orchestra. Each entry includes a description, a picture, and a sound sample.
Quia
Quia: Dear Mr. Henshaw: Parts of a Friendly Letter
A fill-in-the-blank music game on percussion instruments. The student is able to check their answer after each of the 10 questions.
Other
Vic Firth: Educator's Resource Library
This website is a cornucopia of resources for percussion instruction. There are videos, audiocasts, podcasts, interviews with talented percussionists. Please check out this website is you are interested in any aspect of percussion.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Xylophone
The xylophone is a percussion instrument that is tuned and has a keyboard shape. Use this resource to learn more about it and the other instruments in the percussion family. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to hear the xylophone by...
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Listening Library
At this resource listen to a selection of audio clips that feature the works of a full range of composers and a full orchestra of instruments. Scroll down an alphabetical list to find the composer or instrument you want, then choose the...
LM Digital Media
Kids World Fun: Patrick Found a Something [Pdf]
Patrick finds a xylophone, but he doesn't know what it is or what it does. Read this story to see what he does.
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.