Curated OER
Meet the Instrument Families
Fourth graders listen to a recording of a string quartet and ask questions about what kinds of instrument they think they are listening to and describe what they think the instruments look like. Then they discuss musical ideas such as...
The Orchestra
The Orchestra: A User's Manual Viola
A terrific resource covering many aspects of the viola. Most explanations are made with video and audio clips of members of the Philharmonia Orchestra. Be sure to check out the players tips and tricks section.
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.
Other
The Viola Web Site
This site provides information for those who are professionals, teachers, or students of the viola.
Other
Pay the Piper: The Violin & the Viola
This informative article on the violin and viola includes the advantages and disadvantages of choosing to play one of these instruments. This website includes information on playing, maintaining, and repairing the violin and viola....
Other
Pay the Piper
A resource for children who want to play a musical instrument, and their parents, this website includes answers to such questions as "Where do you get lessons?" and "How much will a new instrument cost?" Also included are informational...
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...
Vancouver Island University
Ironies of Happy Endings: Introduction to Twelfth Night
Text of a college lecture that introduces William Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night." It provides some background for the play, including information about Pastoral Romance, the characters Viola and Feste, the language of love, and the...
Other
Famous People Who Played the Viola
Famous people who played the viola include Haydn, Jimi Hendrix, and Dudley Herschback, a Harvard professor.
Music Education
Learn About Instruments: Strings
Learn general information about various string instruments, including the viola and cello, and hear audio clips to hear what these instruments sound like when played.
New York Times
New York Times: Crossword Puzzle: Musical Instruments
An interactive and printable crossword puzzle developed by the New York Times Learning Network. The theme of this puzzle is Musical Instruments.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Viola
A description of the viola accompanied by sound files that let you hear what the viola sounds like.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids: Viola
Read about how the viola fits into the string family of musical instruments. Use RealAudio or Windows Media Player to listen to samples of the viola solo and with the orchestra. There are also pictures of the viola. Does it look like...
Curated OER
Viola
Learn general information about various string instruments, including the viola and cello, and hear audio clips to hear what these instruments sound like when played.