THE ORCHESTRA AND ITS INSTRUMENTS

UNIT PLAN—2nd Grade

Mr. Alexander Meek

 OBJECTIVES
 Students will visually recognize the instruments of the orchestra, identifying distinct
physical factors of each family in the process.
 Students will aurally distinguish between the instruments of the orchestra.
 Students will demonstrate the importance of orchestral music in today’s society.

PRE-ASSESSMENT
SEQUENCE:
This will take place over the course of two class periods.
1. A short class discussion will be held regarding the basics of the orchestra
a. “What is an orchestra?”
b. “Do the musicians usually sing or play instruments?”
c. “Where might you hear orchestral music being played?”
2. Ss will be invited to move to the side of the room that corresponds with their answer
(yes/no)
a. “Do the musicians sing or play instruments?”
b. “Do orchestras hold concerts?”
c. “Is orchestral music used in movies/TV shows?”
3. Ss will be handed a worksheet
a. One side has four instrument pictures (clarinet, trumpet, timpani (or drum), and
bass) w/ 3 MC answers per question
b. One side has three aural identification questions w/ 3 MC answer per question
(violin, flute, trombone)
4. The Composer is Dead by Lemony Snickett—read pgs. 1-5 moderately slow, until 2:00 in
the CD
a. Introduce book (relate back to Prokofiev)
b. Read the intro
c. Talk about instrument groups
d. Outline premise
 LESSON PLAN #1
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
 Compose and answer a question about string instruments.
 Differentiate between the physical aspects of high- and low-pitched string instruments
using a Venn diagram.
 Differentiate between the aural aspects of high- and low-pitched string instruments
with two mistakes or less.
MATERIALS: Solfa Street, 60 copies of Instruments of the Orchestra chart, The Composer is
Dead, Venn diagram on board
SEQUENCE:
1. The Composer is Dead
a. String section reading
i. Ss write one question they have about string instruments
2. Violin/viola activity
a. Present as “high strings”
b. Demo video
3. Cello/bass activity
a. Present as “low strings”
b. Demo video
4. Differentiation activity
a. Smaller things make higher sounds (vibrations)—learned in science
b. Venn diagram
i. Give characteristics, have Ss come up and point to which side of the Venn
diagram they belong on (small vs. big, high vs. low,
c. Venn diagram race
i. Ask questions about characteristics, have Ss move to the side of the room
that corresponds with the correct instrument (right side = high strings,
left = low strings)—PLAY VIDEO EXAMPLES
d. Have Ss write one thing they learned about string instruments
e. Answer unanswered questions if time
 LESSON PLAN #2
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
 Differentiate between the visual components of clarinet and flute by identifying two
distinct characteristics.
 Create their own instrument using the characteristics found in the flute and clarinet.
MATERIALS: book, CD, flute video, colored pencils, clarinet, saxophone
SEQUENCE:
1. The Composer is Dead
a. Review strings/story
i. What instrument group did we talk about last? Who can give me one
instrument?
b. Read first half of woodwind portion
c. Play flute video
i. Point out open headjoint, keys, holding sideways
d. Clarinet demonstration
i. Play either last page of Saint-Saehns or V II
ii. Play either Rhapsody in Blue or Views of the Blues
iii. Point out reed and mouthpiece, holding down

Transition: Now it’s time to make our very own woodwind instruments…
2. Instrument creation centers (3)
a. MOUTHPIECE STATION
i. Ss decide whether or not they want a reed on their instrument
b. BODY STATION
i. Ss decide if they want to hold instrument down or to the side
c. NAMING STATION
i. Ss decide what they want to name their instrument
 LESSON PLAN #3
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
 Visually identify and distinguish between an oboe and bassoon.
 Aurally identify and distinguish between a flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon.
MATERIALS: student instrument papers, pictures of the four woodwind instruments,
oboe/bassoon videos, instrument sound clips
SEQUENCE:
1. The Composer is Dead
a. Review what happened last class (WW, flute, clarinet)
b. Re-read instrument dialogue, ask Ss to point out new instruments
(oboe/bassoons)
c. Pass out instrument papers
d. Oboe video (looks/sounds)
i. Point out differences from clarinet
ii. Snake charmer
e. Bassoon video (looks/sounds)
i. Lowest member of the woodwind family
ii. Duck call
f. Ss to write one thing about each WW instrument that is unique to that inst
2. Four Corners (aural differentiation game)
a. Four instruments on different corners of the room, tiptoe run to the side they
think it is
b. Add a fifth one from the string family
 LESSON PLAN #4
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
 Visually identify and replicate instruments of the brass family with two mistakes or less.
 Aurally distinguish between different instrument families with two mistakes or less.
MATERIALS: TCID, CD, brass videos, teacher brass instrument, aural ID worksheets
SEQUENCE:
1. The Composer is Dead—BRASS PORTION
a. Did you notice any instrument names/funny words?
2. Brass (trumpet, trombone, and tuba)
a. Trumpet: small, highest of the brass
b. Trombone: medium voice, slide
c. Tuba: lowest, biggest of the family
3. T demonstration on brass instrument
4. Activity
a. Spread them around the room
b. “Show me what it looks like to play the ____”
i. Fill in the blank with the three brass instr, other WW/strings
c. Play sound clips, have them replicate what instrument is being played
5. Aural ID assessment
a. Hand out worksheet
i. Each number has three options: WW, Brass, or Strings
ii. As instrument plays, they circle which family it belongs to
iii. They can write the instrument name if they know it
 LESSON PLAN #5
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
 Identify various percussion instruments with three mistakes or less.
 Describe three or more unique components of percussion instruments.
 Develop an ostinato to play underneath a known song.
 Solo over an ostinato and known song using do and so (students who are comfortable
with this may add known pitches re and mi).
 Visually identify instruments of the orchestra in relation to their families with one
mistake or less.
SEQUENCE:
1. The Composer is Dead—PERCUSSION
2. Instrument videos
a. Marimba/keyboards, timpani, auxiliary
b. One thing about how it looks, one thing about how it sounds
c. Orff instr demonstration by T and one S
3. Percussion circle (Solfege names taped over absolute note names)
a. Have a circle of hand drums, bongos, and auxiliary instruments around two bass
xylophones
b. Establish ostinato to I Have Lost the Closet Key—tap on bodies, then on instr
i. Bongos/hand drums rhythm:    
ii. Auxiliary rhythm: Z I Z I
iii. Structure: Sing w/ ostinato, solo w/ ostinato
c. Practice signing with ostinato, invite one S to join T on bass xylophone
d. S and T play open fifth (G and D) on steady beat
e. T models a solo for Ss (G and D on improv rhythm)
f. Run through again, this time S soloing
g. Repeat, replacing Ss and inviting to add more notes (G, A, B, D) as deemed
appropriate
4. Visual ID Assessment
a. “Color these Instruments” worksheet
i. Ss will color the instrument corresponding to which family it belongs
ii. Yellow = WW, green = strings, etc.
iii. Write name of instrument if you know it
 LESSON PLAN #6
OBJECTIVES: Students will…
 Identify three relevant places where orchestral music is heard or played.
 Discuss the relevance of orchestral music in their lives.
MATERIALS: TCID, CD, various video clips, creative writing worksheet
SEQUENCE:
1. Finish The Composer is Dead
2. Talk about where the students have heard orchestra music
a. Lead towards concerts, movies, etc.
3. Video clips of relevant uses
a. Concert recording
b. How to Train Your Dragon
c. Small ensemble in a restaurant
d. Random video with orchestral backing, to show that the music can go with any
activity
4. Creative Assessment
a. Have students identify three places where they think they would hear orchestral
music
b. Have Ss think of a character (themselves, parents, an animal, etc.)
c. Write a short story (minimum four sentences) that introduces the character, and
takes them on a journey to visit the three places to hear orchestral music