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Music and Math Lesson Plan
West Virginia Symphony Orchestra Young People’s Concert Series
Grade Level(s): Third, Fourth, and Fifth
Lesson Title: Every Instrument Has a Place
Focus: (Concept or skills to be emphasized)
Graphing, pictographs, tally marks, classifying objects,
data analysis
Objectives: See end of lesson for objectives and standards achieved.
Background Information:
Symphony orchestras vary in size according to the needs of specific pieces of music. The
composer determines the instrumentation, although the conductor may alter the number of
musicians used, depending upon the performance hall. In the Musical Imagination: Building Respect for Others Young People’s Concert, under the direction of Maestro Grant Cooper,
the orchestra will include many, but not all of the instruments mentioned in Orchestral
Instruments section of the Musical Imagination: Building Respect for Others CD ROM.
Some of the instruments that might be used in the WVSO’s Young People’s Concert will be:
String Family Woodwind Family Brass Family Percussion Family
Violin
Viola
Cello
Double bass
Flute
Oboe
Clarinet
Bassoon
French horn
Trumpet
Trombone
Crash cymbal
Bass drum
Snare drum
Timpani
Triangle
Tambourine
Castanets
PLEASE NOTE: For the purposes of this lesson, the numbers of instruments are within the
usual range of each family. Please tell your students that the actual number of musicians
playing each instrument in the concert will probably differ slightly from the examples
provided in this lesson.
Activities (Procedures):
1. Using the Musical Imagination: Building Respect for Others CD ROM, read about the
instruments of the orchestra with your students, found under the Structure of the
Orchestra in The Performers section. Allow students to listen to each of the instruments
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on the CD ROM so that they become familiar with how they sound. List the families of
instruments (string, woodwind, brass, and percussion) played by symphony orchestras on a
flip-chart, chalkboard, or overhead, and give examples of the instruments that fall within
each family (see sample chart format).
2. Ask each student to name the instrument in the orchestra they would most like to play if
they performed in a symphony
orchestra. If any students are
currently learning to play
instruments found in the
orchestra, be sure to include
those in the list. Help each
student to identify in which
instrument family his or her
choice belongs. Tally the choices
on the chart by instrument
families. Once all of the students have made their choices, ask students to add the total
number of tally marks for each family. Construct a bar graph showing each of the families
and the number of marks each family received. Ask students to come up with a suitable
title for the graph (e.g., Instrument Families We Like Best), and to help you properly label
the graph. From this bar graph, ask students questions such as:
How many people would most like to play an instrument from the _____ instrument
family?
Which instrument family received the most/least votes?
Did more/fewer people like instruments from the _____ (e.g., string) instrument
family than the _____ (e.g., brass) instrument family?
How many more/fewer people chose instruments from the _____ (e.g., woodwind) instrument family than from the _____ (e.g., percussion) instrument family? How
did you find your answer?
Was there another type of graph we could use to show this information? (e.g.,
pictograph)
3. Using pictures of instruments on the Instrument Cutout Sheet (found at the end of this
lesson), place the pictures of the instrument families on a chalkboard or wall, aligned so
that students can help create a pictograph. Cut out pictures of the individual instruments
on the Instrument Cutout Sheet and randomly distribute them among your students
(students will each receive several instruments). Ask students to place the pictures of
their instruments into the proper instrument families (see sample pictograph). Upon
completion of the pictograph, ask students questions about the graph, such as:
How many instruments are in the _____ (e.g., woodwind) instrument family?
Which instrument family has the most/least number of instruments?
String Family Woodwind Family Brass Family Percussion Family
Sample Chart Format
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How many more/fewer instruments are in the _____ (e.g., percussion) instrument
family than the _____ (e.g., brass) instrument family? How did you find your
answer?
4. Conclude this lesson by reviewing the location of the instruments on the Structure of the
Orchestra chart on the WVSO CD ROM and play the audio examples (found under
Instruments in The Performers section) for each instrument. Play audio examples at
random and ask students to identify which instrument was used to create the sound.
Extension Activity: Work with students to discover sub-groups within each family of
instruments. See Lesson 8 - Sound Production and Lesson 9 - Conditions Affecting Timbre of
Sound for additional plans related to the various ways that instruments produce their
characteristic sounds. With this information and students’ observations of how instruments
work, brainstorm ways that instruments could be reclassified. Pictures of instruments from
the Instrument Cutout Sheet (found at the end of this lesson) can be used to make the
groupings, or a chart could be made. The latter method would permit the inclusion of
instruments that are not included in the Instrument Cutout Sheet, such as the English horn,
Tuba, and Xylophone. Some examples of possible ways to classify the sub-groups are shown
below. Note: Instruments marked below with an asterisk do not appear on the Instrument
Cutout Sheet, but information can be found in the Orchestral Instruments section of the
Musical Imagination: Building Respect for Others CD ROM.
String Family
Manners of playing
Held horizontally,
fingered away
from the body
Held vertically,
fingered close to
the body
Violin
Viola
Cello
Double bass
Woodwind Family
Mechanism that sets the air column into motion
Opening
(Aperture)
Single Reed Double Reed
Flute
Piccolo*
Clarinet
Bass clarinet*
Oboe
English horn*
Bassoon
Contrabassoon*
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Brass Family
Mechanism for changing pitch
Valves Slide
Trumpet
French horn
Tuba*
Trombone
Bass
trombone*
Percussion Family
Definite pitch
Vibrating
membrane
Vibrating metal
or wood
Timpani
Glockenspiel*
Xylophone*
Marimba*
Temple
blocks*
Indefinite pitch
Vibrating
membrane
Vibrating
metal or wood
Bass drum
Snare drum
Tambourine Notice that the
tambourine is in
both columns!
Crash
cymbal
Triangle
Castanets
Tambourine
Modifications (Special Needs):
1. Visual and auditory impaired students will need special consideration during this lesson
with seating and materials adaptations.
2. Learning disabled students may benefit by abbreviating this lesson’s content and length.
3. Varying learning styles will be addressed with the variety of activities in this lesson –
tactile, visual and sensory learning styles are utilized.
4. Gifted student needs are provided through the extension activity.
Assessment/Evaluation*:
1. Identify your Formative Evaluation Plan: The teacher will observe student participation
and facilitate questioning to assess understanding of the lesson concepts. The teacher
will observe student classification of correct placement of instruments into families.
The teacher will observe student classification of sub-categories of instruments in the
extension activity.
2. Identify your Summative Evaluation Plan: Teacher observation notes and evaluation of
the completed class tally chart, bar graph, and completed pictograph, will show the
teacher if the concepts introduced were processed by the students. A follow-up to this
lesson can be assumed by the extension activity.
Supplemental Materials and Equipment Needed:
Every Instrument Has a Place Instrument Cutout Sheet
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Masking tape or non-marking adhesive
Resources:
WVSO Musical Imagination: Building Respect for Others CD ROM – Instruments section
References:
Van de Walle, John. Elementary School Mathematics, 5th ed. Allyn and Bacon. Boston, MA.
2004.
© West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, 2010. Supplemental materials may be duplicated for educational purposes only. Page 6 of 13
Pictograph of Instruments in Musical Imagination: Building Respect for Others
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25
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2
1
0
String Family
Woodwind Family
Brass Family
Percussion Family
Sample Pictograph
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National Music Standards Achieved:
Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.
National Mathematics Standards Achieved:
Count with understanding and recognize "how many" in sets of objects
Use multiple models to develop initial understandings of place value and the base-ten number system
Connect number words and numerals to the quantities they represent, using various physical models and
representations
Sort, classify, and order objects by size, number, and other properties
WV Content Standard Objectives:
Third, Fourth and Fifth Grade Music
MU.O.GM3-5.2.01 identify aurally and visually an orchestra, band, and folk instruments
MU.O.GM3-5.2.02 distinguish between an orchestra and a band
Third Grade
M.O.3.5.1 collect data from observation, surveys, and experiments, and construct and label a graph.
M.O.3.5.3 analyze real-world data represented on a graph using age-appropriate questions.
Kentucky Program of Studies
Third-Grade M-P-NC-2
Students will order groups of objects according to quantity.
M-P-NC-5
Students will order and compare numbers from 0-10, using physical models.
M-P-GM-15
Students will compare and order by size (e.g., large/small).
M-P-PS-1
Students will make a graph using manipulatives.
M-P-PS-2
Students will read data displayed on concrete graph.
M-P-PS-3
Students will display data on a pictograph.
M-P-PS-4
Students will read data displayed on pictographs (a display of information using symbols or pictures).
M-P-PS-5
Students will display data on a bar graph.
M-P-PS-6
Students will read and compare data on bar graph.
Fourth-Grade M-4-GM-2
Students will investigate geometric relationship (e.g., similarity, congruence) through manipulatives and
drawings.
M-4-A-1
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Students will compare and contrast number patterns.
M-4-A-5
Students will represent and describe relationships through the use of variables, ordered pairs, lists in tables,
plots on graphs, and patterns.
M-4-PS-2
Students will choose appropriate means to collect and represent data.
M-4-PS-4
Students will pose questions, collect, organize, and display data.
M-4-PS-5
Students will draw conclusions based on data.
Fifth-Grade M-5-PS-2
Students will pose questions; collect, organize, display data; and choose an appropriate way to collect and
represent data.
Ohio Academic Content Standards
Analyzing and Responding
K-4 B. Identify the sounds of a variety of instruments including orchestra, band and classroom instruments.
Math
3-4, A. Apply and justify the use of a variety of problem-solving strategies; e.g., make an organized list, guess
and check.
Patterns, Functions and Algebra Standard
3-4 A. Analyze and extend patterns, and describe the rule in words.
3-4 B. Use patterns to make predictions, identify relationships, and solve problems.
3-4 F. Construct and use a table of values to solve problems associated with mathematical relationships.
Data Analysis and Probability Standard
3-4 B. Read and interpret tables, charts, graphs (bar, picture, line, line plot), and timelines as sources of
information, identify main idea, draw conclusions, and make predictions.
3-4 C. Construct charts, tables and graphs to represent data, including picture graphs, bar graphs, line graphs,
line plots and Venn diagrams.
3-4 D. Read, interpret and construct graphs in which icons represent more than a single unit or intervals
greater than one
Patterns, Functions and Algebra Standard
5-7 A. Describe, extend and determine the rule for patterns and relationships occurring in numeric patterns,
computation, geometry, graphs and other applications.
Mathematical Processes Standard
5-7 H. Use representations to organize and communicate mathematical thinking and problem solutions.
Data Analysis and Probability Standard
5-7 B. Interpret data by looking for patterns and relationships, draw and justify conclusions, and answer
related questions.
5-7 E. Collect, organize, display and interpret data for a specific purpose or need.
*All Assessments are to be at the expected state assessment standard; in West Virginia this is mastery level; in Ohio this is benchmark level; and, in Kentucky, this is academic expectations level.
© West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, 2010. Supplemental materials may be duplicated for educational purposes only. Page 9 of 13
Every Instrument Has a Place Instrument Cutout Sheets
PLEASE NOTE: For the purposes of this lesson, the numbers of instruments are within the usual range of each
family. Please tell your students that the actual number of each instrument used in the concert will probably
differ slightly from the examples provided in this lesson.
The number of instruments from each instrument family used in this lesson is as follows:
Percussion Family String Family Woodwind Family Brass Family
1 Crash cymbal
1 Bass drum
1 Snare drum
1 Timpani
1 Triangle
1 Tambourine
1 Castanet
Total: 7
16 Violins
6 Violas
4 Cellos
2 Double basses
Total: 28
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets
2 Bassoons
Total: 8
4 French horns
2 Trumpets
3 Trombones
Total: 9
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Percussion Family
Crash Cymbal
Bass Drum
Snare Drum
Timpani
Triangle
Tambourine
Castanet
String Family
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
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Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Violin
Viola
Viola
Viola
Viola
Viola
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Viola
Cello
Cello
Cello
Cello
Double Bass
Double Bass
Woodwind Family
Flute
Flute
Oboe
Oboe
Clarinet
Clarinet
Bassoon
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Bassoon
Brass Family
French Horn
French Horn
French Horn
French Horn
Trumpet
Trumpet
Trombone
Trombone
Trombone