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Lesson 4

We learn more about the brass instruments

1
discover musical instruments
whole class
2
listen to music
whole class
3
listen to music
whole class

Preparation

Print materials (for the entire series):

Additional materials:

  • Printout M3

Activity 1

Discover musical instruments
Whole class
30 min.
Tablets, iPads or computers (to share between 2 students)
M3 Printout

Download the Fortissimo app onto tablets or iPads or provides students with a link to the web version to use on their computer. Children discover the brass instruments in their own time by going to the 'Instruments' section of the app.

Teacher:

"Open the Fortissimo app and go to the 'Instruments' section at the top of your screen. Then look at the four brass instruments: the trumpet, the horn, the tuba and the trombone. Use the information find in the app to solve the crossword puzzle."

At the end, students share what they have learned about the four brass instruments and compare their crossword puzzle answers.

Activity 2

Listen to music
Whole class
10 min.

Show students the picture of the horn and the trumpet.

Teacher:

"Here you can see two brass instruments: the horn and the trumpet. I'm going to play music performed on both instruments. As you listen, try to recognise which instrument is playing. If you know the answer, pretend to be playing the instrument (the horn or the trumpet)."

Agree which movements should be used for the trumpet and for the horn with the class.

Play the two following audio files a few times in a random order. Each time, check if students are making the correct movement. This exercise can be repeated until everyone can hear the difference between the horn and the trumpet.

A3: Horn

HornA3

A4: Trumpet

TrumpetA4

Activity 3

Listen to music
Whole class
5 min.

Teacher:

"Handel's 'Water Music' features these two brass instruments: the trumpet and the horn. We'll repeat the movement exercise with the trumpet, the horn and the orchestra. When the whole orchestra is playing, simply pretend that you are the conductor. The triangle will help you hear when the instruments change."

A5: 'Water Music', Alla Hornpipe with triangle (play)

G.F. Handel: 'Water Music', Suite 2, Nr. 12 Alla Hornpipe with triangleA5
Solutions A5
  1. Orchestra (slightly longer)
  2. Trumpet
  3. Horn
  4. Orchestra
  5. Horn
  6. Orchestra
  7. Trumpet
  8. Horn
  9. Orchestra (slightly longer)

The sequence repeats itself.

If there's still time...

Watering cans (with a closed tube)

... students can use watering cans to produce sounds like brass instrument players.

Instructions

1. Holding the watering can:
Hold the watering can in your hands and put the spout to your mouth.

2. Position of the lips:
Tighten your lips and only leave a small gap through which you can blow air out. Place your lips on the edge of the spout opening. Avoid closing your lips too tightly.

3. Blowing into the watering can:
Create a steady air flow by blowing relatively strongly. Start with a strong blow to create the first sound. Then gradually change the speed of the air flow to make the sound quieter or louder.

4. Experiment with the lip position and strength:
Change the position of your lips slightly to find the best lip position. Vary the air flow to change the pitch and sound.

5. Practice and experiment:
Try to create different tones and sounds. Be patient!

Teacher:

“Let's listen to Handel’s 'Water Music' again and play along with our watering cans. Only play when the brass instruments such as the trumpet or the horn are playing.”

A5: 'Water Music', Alla Hornpipe with triangle (play)

G.F. Handel: 'Water Music', Suite 2, Nr. 12 Alla Hornpipe with triangleA5

… the class can play the radio game with the watering cans and make music together.

Watering cans (one per child)

Teacher:

"We're going to play the radio game. Imagine a radio that can be turned on and off. I will choose a student to be our conductor and operate the radio. Everyone else will play their watering can. The conductor will need to think of gestures for 'on' (e.g. thumbs up) and 'off' (e.g. thumbs down). Everyone else will wait until the conductor turns the radio on before playing. As soon as the conductor turns the radio off, everyone will stop playing."

One child operates the radio and the others play along.

Skills learned in this lesson:

Students...

...learn about the structure of the different brass instruments.
... listen to the sounds of the different brass instruments and learn to distinguish them from one another.
...make music in a playful way using everyday objects.