PowerPoint Video Lesson Script

Slide 1:
Hello everyone! Today I am so excited to teach you about some incredible musical instruments.
Slide 2:
Just as a reminder, the orchestra is a group of musicians or "music players," who play music
together. It is like a rock band, but it usually includes a lot more instruments than a band
would! Orchestras may even have 44 instruments playing all at once!
In the orchestra, there are four categories or "families," and each instrument belongs to one of
these families. Even instruments we won't talk about today fit into one of these families!
Slide 3:
These families are: Strings, Percussion, Brass, Woodwinds
Instruments are put into these categories because they share similarities or "characteristics."
These characteristics are determined by how the instrument is built, the sounds it makes, and
how it is played.
Slide 4:
The first family we will talk about is the string family!
There are 8 main instruments in the String Family!
The violin, cello, bass, viola, and harp- these are the ones that typically found in an orchestra.
While the Bass Guitar, Guitar and Ukulele are usually played in other types of music, like pop or
rock, or what you might listen to on the radio.
Instruments in the string family are made of a wooden body and strings. The strings produce
the sound!
There are many more string instruments, but these 8 are the most common!
Slide 5:
v The first string instrument I will tell you about is the violin! The violin plays the highest
pitches of all the instruments in the string family.
v If you would like to hear the sound of the violin, or any sounds of the instruments we
will talk about in this presentation, you can save the PowerPoint and click the big play
button on each slide to be taken to a video with an example.
Slide 6:
v Next, we have the Viola. Violas are very similar to violins, but they are slightly larger
than the violin and play lower pitches than the violin
v Just like a violin, A bow is moved across the strings used to create the sound.
Slide 7:
v Next, we have the Cello.
v It is larger and lower than the viola and violin and is unique because it must be played in
the seated position.
Slide 8:
v Basses are the largest instrument in the string family and plays the lowest pitches. You
will find that large instruments typically play lower, deeper, sounds, while smaller
instruments typically play higher sounds.
v This instrument is so large it must be played standing up!
Slide 9:
v The harp is one of the oldest instruments in the world, and like the cello, is played sitting
down!
v There are many more incredible string instruments to explore, but these 5 are the most
common in the orchestra!
Slide 10:
For your first assignment, please go to the assignments page on the website and take the quiz
on string instruments and submit it, don’t forget to type your name into the box! And
remember, this is just practice, so try your best and have fun!
Slide 11:
The next family we will discuss is the Percussion Family.
There are 8 main instruments in the percussion family and today we will talk about 5 of them.
Percussion instruments are characterized by being hit, shaken, or scraped to create sound.
The 8 main instruments in the percussion family are: Timpani, Snare Drum, Bass Drum, Triangle,
Xylophone, Cymbals, Piano
Slide 12:
 v The Timpani is a percussion instrument and is sometimes called Kettledrums.
v This instrument can play more than just rhythm- it plays pitches!
Slide 13:
v The Snare Drum is a percussion instrument that plays short and sharp sounds.
v This instrument is used in more than just classical music and is commonly used in other
music genres.
Slide 14:
v The Bass Drum is a percussion instrument that uses many different beaters. Beaters are
what we use to strike the drum with in order to create the sound.
v Because this instrument uses many different beaters, it can play many different textures
of sound!
Slide 15:
v The Triangle is a percussion instrument made of metal.
v This instrument was first created in the 1500’s!
Slide 16:
v The Xylophone is a percussion instrument made of wooden bars that are struck by a
mallet.
v This instrument can play more than just rhythm- it plays pitches!
Slide 17:
For your second assignment, please go to the assignments page on the website and take the
quiz on percussion instruments and submit it, don’t forget to type your name into the box! And
remember, this is just practice, so try your best and have fun!
Slide 18:
The next instrument family we will discuss is called the Brass Family.
Brass instruments get their sound from the vibration or buzzing of the players lips.
You would probably recognize the sound of these instruments in a marching band!
The instruments we will discuss are: Trombone, Tuba, Trumpet, French Horn
Slide 19:
v The Trombone is a brass instrument.
 v This instrument is unique because it uses a metal slide to change pitches!
Slide 20:
v This is the tuba.
v This instrument is large and is held upright when played.
Slide 21:
v Next, we have the trumpet.
v The Trumpet is a brass instrument with a vibrant and focused sound.
v This instrument can be traced back to 1500 B.C.!
Slide 22:
v The last brass instrument we will talk about is The French Horn
v It has the most variation of sound of all the brass instruments.
v This instrument is said to connect the sounds of the brass and woodwind families!
Slide 23:
For your third assignment, please go to the assignments page on the website and take the quiz
on brass instruments and submit it!
Slide 24:
Next, we will talk about the Woodwind instruments!
Woodwind instruments are unique because they are played using a wooden mouthpiece, or
“reed” which is what gives it its name.
The instruments we will discuss are: Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Oboe, Bassoon.
Slide 25:
v First, we have The Piccolo.
v This instrument is the highest pitched in the woodwind family, and in the entire
orchestra!
Slide 26:
v Next, we have the flute. The flute is a woodwind instrument is the only woodwind
instrument that is played without using a reed.
v The flute requires more air to sound than any other instrument in the orchestra!
Slide 27:
 v This is the clarinet.
v This instrument is known for its warm sound and is a favorite of composers for solos.
Slide 28:
v This is an oboe, and it is known for its clear sound.
v This sound of this instrument is so clear and powerful, that it is used to tune the
orchestra.
Slide 29:
v This is the bassoon.
v This instrument is often called the clown of the orchestra due to its deep detached
sound!
v You must be on the taller side to play this large instrument!
Slide 30:
For your fourth assignment, please go to the assignments page on the website and take the
quiz on Woodwind instruments and submit it, don’t forget to type your name into the box!
Slide 31:
Now explore all the links on the music notes to play some games that will help you learn more
about the instrument families! You can also find this link on the website, on the “Home” page.