Perfect Pitch

Overview

Batter up! This multimedia exploration introduces students to the most enduring all-stars of the orchestra: the instruments.

Suggested Use

With Perfect Pitch, orchestral music is as fun as a day at the ballpark. Students will meet the "players"—that have brought orchestral music to audiences since the Baroque era. Perfect Pitch includes music clips and important "stats" about different instruments. Students can mix and match instrument sounds to create a winning orchestral team, then test their orchestra know-how with an interactive quiz.

Guide students through Perfect Pitch with the ARTSEDGE lesson "Playing in the Orchestral Team" in which students will write a creative story based on research conducted on Perfect Pitch. Or examine orchestral music within a historical context with the ARTSEDGE lesson, "How Romantic! Parallels in Music and History," and connect the changes in orchestra instrumentation in the 19th and early 20th centuries to changes in social and cultural values in Europe and the U.S.

Alternatively, or in addition to the lesson plans mentioned above, you could engage students with the following activities or discussion questions as they explore Perfect Pitch:

• Encourage students to make a baseball card for a real instrument that is not on the site or design an imaginary musical instrument. They could draw the instrument or glue a photograph of the instrument on the front of the card and include the instrument's "stats" on the back, using the categories in the "Meet the Players" section of the site as a model.
• Practice students' reading comprehension skills by asking them to explore "Meet the Players" then take the interactive quiz in the "Play Ball!" section of the site. Will they play like power-hitters?
• Have students compare and contrast the pitches produced by different instruments and explore the relationship of sound waves to pitch. See the ARTSEDGE unit "Acoustical Science" for activities that integrate science and music.
• Delve deeper into the historical context during the years when an instrument was included in the orchestra. Have students pick an instrument in "Meet the Players" and conduct independent research online about each of the "Historical Connections" listed under "Fun Facts." Instruct students to write a paragraph about each "Historical Connection."
• Have students explore the "Create a Lineup" section and listen to clips of typical arrangements of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern music. Encourage students to read about the different musical parts in each era to learn the different ways composers arranged music over time. Compare and contrast the music as a group then allow students to create their own musical "lineup."
• What new instruments are in orchestras today? Attend a concert of contemporary music or review program notes from a contemporary concert. Discuss which instruments have been included in orchestras since the Baroque era and which instruments are "rookies" that began to appear in orchestras in the 21st century.

For more ideas on how to bring music into your classroom, see the ARTSEDGE Spotlight, "Consider Classical Music."

Technical Requirements

This interactive requires the Flash Player 8 (or more recent). Speakers are needed for audio (headphones are recommended for use in group settings like libraries or computer labs).