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© 2014 Universal Uclick

from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick

The string family These instruments are made from wood, with four strings of sheep gut, nylon or wire. They are tuned by turning pegs at the top and stroked by bows made of wood and strung with horsehair.Violin Smallest of the strings … higher pitch than other strings … has a warm, singing sound … held under the chin.Viola Slightly larger than violin … has thicker strings and a lower, deeper pitch … held under the chin.Cello Has rich, mellow tones that are thought to be closest to the sound of the human voice … so large that the player sits with the instrumenttucked between his or her knees.Double bass Has deep and powerful tones … pronounced base … the player must stand or sit on a stool to play this tall instrument … also called the contrabass.

The brass family Made of metal tubing curled indifferent shapes and lengths … the longer the tube, the lower the tone.Trumpet Has a bold, high-pitched tone … three valves can be pushed to change the length of the tube and give a wider range of sounds.Tuba Has powerful, deep sounds that canbe funny or scary … the largest of the brasses, it has the lowest tone … 18 to 35 feet of tubing ends in a flaring bell.Trombone Has a grand and lovely tone that can be soft or loud … is the loudest instrument in the orchestra … has no valves but a slide that is moved back and forth to give different pitches.French horn A 12- to 17-foot tube wound aroundand around … ends in a big bell … pressing valves changes pitch.

Orchestra Instruments

Making Beautiful Music

Anorchestraisagroupofmusicianswhoplaytogether.Thereareabout100musiciansinasymphonyorchestra.Asymphonyorchestrausuallyplayspiecesofclassicalmusic. Theinstrumentsinanorchestracanbedividedintofour“families”: .strings .brass .woodwinds .percussion TheMiniPagespokewithexpertsattheNationalSymphonyOrchestrainWashington,D.C.,tofindoutmoreabouttheseinstruments.

Christoph Eschenbach is the conductor and music director of the National Symphony Orchestra. With hand and arm movements, the conductor keeps the musicians together and signals when different musicians should play or change their volume.

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S C P E R C U S S I O N D G O D A O C Y R I A H E S R O H R N L T N O N M U S I C I A N C I F V E D N O S G N I R T S H W S L C L U C H A M M E R S E D K A W I L C E P I P E S A S O I T O Q S A T R M W D J R T O N E O L V U M O T Y X K B R W Z M D T N E M U R T S N I A

Words that remind us of orchestra instruments are hidden in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: BRASS, CALFSKIN, CONCERT, CONDUCTOR, HAMMERS, HORSEHAIR, INSTRUMENT, MALLET, METAL, MUSIC, MUSICIAN, ORCHESTRA, PERCUSSION, PIPES, REED, STRINGS, SYMPHONY, WOOD, WOODWINDS.

Orchestra Instrumentsfrom The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick

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Woodwinds are hollow tubes played by blowing into them. The tone is changed by pressing keys over holes in the instrument. Originally made of wood, today woodwinds can be made of wood or metal. Flute Two feet long … bright, birdlike tones … player blows acrossthe tube, just like blowing over thetop of a bottle.Piccolo Half the length of a flute … sounds the highest note in the orchestra … brilliant, piercing tone.

Bass clarinet Twice as long as the clarinet … plays lower tones … has a curved neck and a bell-shaped end … has a sad sound.Bassoon Eight-foot-long tube that doubles back on itself … has a double reed attached to a long pipe … can makelyrical or comical sounds.Contrabassoon About twice as long as a bassoon,with the tube being folded over four to six times … plays the lowest note in the orchestra.

The Woodwind FamilyOboe Two-foot-long wooden tube thatwidens into a bell … has a mouthpiece made of two pieces of cane fastened together (called a double reed) … has a smooth and beautiful tone.English horn A longer, lower-keyed oboe with a pear-shaped end … has a soft, dreamy, sad sound.Clarinet Same length as the flute … has a single reed attached to a mouthpiece.

Ready Resourcesfrom The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick

The Mini Page provides ideas for websites, books or other resources that will help you learn more about this week’s topics.On the Web:• kennedy-center.org/nso/mtm/ShowMusicians/3• kennedy-center.org/nso/MTM/Video/0• classicsforkids.com/music/orchestra.aspAt the library:

• “The Story of the Orchestra” by Robert Levine• “Those Amazing Musical Instruments!” by

Genevieve Helsby

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Mini SpyMini Spy and her friends are practicing for the

school band concert. See if you can find: q man in the moonq pencil q letter D q kite q toothq peanut q letter E q ladder q number 3q box q letter A q ruler q heartq letter Z q football q letter H q cheese

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Mary: Why was the piano player asked to join the baseball team?

Mack: Because he had perfect pitch!

All the following jokes have something in common. Can you guess the common theme or category?

Maddie: My dad can play the piano by ear.Mark: So? My father fiddles with his

whiskers!

TM MightyFunny’s Mini Jokes

Matt: What has lots of keys, a trunk and four legs?

Mickey: A piano up a tree!


Meet Ana GerhardAna Gerhard is a concert pianist who

has written books about classical music for kids. Each book includes a CD of classical music. The first in the series is “Listen to the Birds: An Introduction to Classical Music.” It includes examples of classical music, each with songs about birds. It has recently been turned into an educational music show in Mexico with actors, puppets and musicians.

Ana’s most recent book and CD, “Simply Fantastic,” introduces kids to classical music

through magical beings featured in music.Ana grew up in Mexico and studied piano there. She teaches piano

and hosts radio and TV programs to teach kids about classical music. She has produced puppet shows of classical operas and ballets.

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What to do:1. Combine first five ingredients in a medium bowl. Mix well.2. Stir in cooked spinach.3. Stir in hard-boiled eggs. Mix well.4. Pour mixture into a greased, microwave-safe casserole dish. Microwave on medium for 4 to 5 minutes or until done. Let stand for 2 minutes. Serves 4.You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.

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Rookie Cookie’s RecipeGreen Eggs (No Ham)

You’ll need:• 2 eggs, beaten• 1 1/2 cups light sour cream• 2 tablespoons flour• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained

• 6 hard-boiled eggs, chopped

Standards Spotlight: Making Beautiful Music

Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer activities that will help your students reach them.This week’s standard:• Students understand the ways stories, music and artistic creations serve as

expressions of culture. (Social Studies: Culture)Activities:1. Draw a picture of yourself playing a musical instrument. Paste newspaper

words that describe music around the border of your picture. 2. With a friend, race through the newspaper and circle names or pictures of

musical instruments.3. In the newspaper, find three places where you could buy an instrument or take

lessons. Which instrument would you like to learn? Why?4. Which instruments (a) are struck, (b) use bows, (c) use valves, and (d) have

hollow tubes?5. Pick three musical instruments. Find newspaper pictures that go with the

sounds of those instruments.(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)

®from The Mini Page © 2014 Universal Uclick

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Percussion instruments are made from several materials. They are played by tapping, striking, shaking or beating to keep rhythm and add tone color.Bass drum Like a huge toy drum … has calfskin stretched over both ends … makes a deep, booming sound.Snare drum A little bigger than a toy drum … makes a crisp sound … has metal strings (snares) on the bottom that rattle.Timpani Also called a kettledrum .… big copper bowl with calfskin stretched across the top … foot pedals adjust the skin to make different pitches.

Harp A stringed instrument that is plucked with the fingers … has 47 strings, from 5 inches to more than 5 feet long … can sound delicate and angelic … takes strong hands to play it.Piano Has 88 keys that are connected totiny felt hammers that strike metalstrings … both a percussion and astring instrument.

Triangle Made of steel … struck with a small steel rod to make a tinkling sound.Chimes Set of 12 to 18 metal pipes hung in a metal frame … pipes sound like church bells when struck with a hammer.

The Percussion Family

Xylophone A double row of small wooden barsof different lengths that sound notes when struck … has a bright, sharp sound. A glockenspiel looks like a smallxylophone but has steel bars.Gongs Made of brass … struck with a large, soft mallet.Cymbals Made of brass … crashed together.

The Mini Page StaffBetty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist

The Mini Page thanks Carole Wysocki, director of the National Symphony Orchestra Education Program at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for help with this issue.

Lookthroughyournewspaperforeventsfeaturingorchestras.

A special orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra is in its 83rd season. During the year, the musicians will perform more than 100 concerts and activities, many designed for young audiences. The orchestra has traveled to nine countries to perform in the last two years. When the 96 musicians travel, they usually go by plane. The instruments go in special cargo planes, although some musicians pack up and take their smaller instruments with them.

Next week, The Mini Page is all about the D.A.R.E. program.

making beautiful music - nieonline serving newspaper in...

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