4th Grade Pre-Band Home Learning For the Week of April 6th-9th Mrs. Dragomir, Teacher Objective: Students will review instruments of the four instrument families used in band and orchestra ensembles and be able to identify key similarities and differences between them. Example: Instrument Family of Instrument Ensemble: a group of musicians Clarinet Woodwind Band & Orchestra Trumpet Brass Band & Orchestra Snare Drum Percussion Band & Orchestra Violin Strings Orchestra Only All band instrumentalists can also be regular members of an orchestra except for saxophonists (woodwind) and baritone/euphonium players (brass). Concert Band ensembles are comprised mostly of wind instruments (instruments that use air to make sound), while Orchestras are comprised of mostly stringed instruments (instruments that make sound by bowing or plucking strings). Clarinets are to Band as Violins are to Orchestra. Listening Assignment: “Molly On The Shore” by Percy Grainger Band – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gqm4nFt17I Orchestra – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvdgppmPEug Interactive Assignment: https://listeningadventures.carnegiehall.org/game.aspx - Start a “New Game”. Read the text, watch the storyline, play through the instrument family lock-box game. We will continue from “Woodwind Pond” next week. - To stop and start playing at any time: click the hour-glass icon on the right-hand corner to quit. Click “Local Game” and then “Continue!” to start again. - To play the lock-box game again, click on the green lock icon located on the “Safari Map”. Conclusion: Band ensembles feature primarily woodwind and brass instruments with the diversified sound of the percussion family. Orchestra ensembles feature primarily the string family with relatively small sections of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. The Key Similarity – Both the band and the orchestra create sounds by using instruments of the four families. The Key Difference – The number of instruments from each family within the ensemble. Question of the Week: What other ensembles can you find Clarinets? Trumpets? Write down your answers and check in our next lesson! .