Submitted by Patty O., Arkansas
Idea posted March 24, 2005
We have been talking about instruments in 5th grade, as they will be choosing instruments this spring for 6th grade. I put the names of instruments on cards (one instrument per card) and, as the students came into class, taped the cards to their backs. (This is an old idea, but it sure got them interested.) They could only ask "yes" or "no" questions of the students around them to ascertain what instrument was on their back. They could only ask one student one question. It was so wonderful to hear them asking things like, "Does mine have a reed?," "Is mine a high sound?," "Do you have to buzz into mine to make a sound?," etc. After each student figured out their instrument, they came to me. I removed the card if it was correct and handed it back to them. They sat down.
Next, when all students had guessed their instrument, I pulled up the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Kids site. (This is a wonderful site!) I went to the orchestra charts. The first chart to appear is the "Baroque Orchestra." We had talked about the development of the orchestra and how it started out small with not much variety of instruments. They were to look on the computer screen and see if their instrument was included in the picture. If their instrument was included, they were to find their position in the orchestra. If it was not included, they sat back down on the risers. (Those who stood in position were few!)
Then I clicked to the "Classical Orchestra" and repeated the exercise. On this site, as you click into the next time period, the instruments move across the screen into their new positions. Excellent! Some who were standing had to move their places, and others that had not been included in the Baroque seating chart, now had a spot. We checked it over, went on to the "Romantic Orchestra," and did the same procedure. That's when I started hearing comments like "Man, I just stay in the same place!," "When is my instrument going to play?," "Do I always have to sit next to the trumpet?." We then moved on to the "Modern Orchestra." With each period change, I played a small example of a piece I knew they would recognize from that time period to put it in perspective for them. At the end, the only ones NOT in the orchestra were the saxophone and the guitar. So we discussed that and other issues, like, "Who was up there the whole time?," "Who never moved?," "Where would a soloist stand?," "Is there a reason for where you sit?," "What was the biggest group?," etc. It was really fun for them to move around and have to figure things out. They had trouble translating what they saw on the screen to what was actually their position on the floor, as they had to turn the chart around. It was a good exercise! They were so engaged in this "game." I was really impressed by their observations!