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The Gamelan: An Orchestra Tuned as One Set

6th grade nonfiction passage about gamelan orchestra: 216 words, six questions, an answer key and vocabulary.

6th grade nonfiction gamelan orchestra 216 words

The Gamelan: An Orchestra Tuned as One Set

In parts of Indonesia, especially on the islands of Java and Bali, music is often played by a gamelan. This is an orchestra made mostly of percussion instruments, such as gongs, drums, and rows of metal bars that are struck with mallets. The sound is shimmering, layered, and full of ringing tones.

A gamelan is different from an orchestra of violins and trumpets in one way. Its instruments are made and tuned together as a single set. A violin from one maker can usually play with a violin from another. But a gong from one gamelan may not match another gamelan, because each set has its own tuning. So the instruments in a set belong together, and many gamelans have their own names.

Players often sit on the floor, each one close to an instrument. No one person leads with a baton like a conductor. Often a drummer gives signals that tell everyone when to speed up, slow down, or end. Big hanging gongs mark the ends of long musical phrases, like the punctuation at the end of a sentence.

A gamelan may play for a village celebration, for a dance, or for a shadow puppet show. The players listen closely to one another, because the music is made by the whole group working in step.

Questions

  1. What kinds of instruments make up most of a gamelan? in the text

  2. On which islands is gamelan music often played? in the text

  3. How are the instruments in a gamelan made? in the text

  4. Who gives the signals about when to speed up or end? in the text

  5. Why might a gong from one gamelan not fit another? think about it

  6. Why do gamelan players need to listen closely to each other? think about it

Words to know

gamelan
an Indonesian orchestra of gongs, drums and metal bars
percussion
instruments that you hit or shake to make sound
mallet
a small hammer with a soft head used to play instruments
tuning
the set of notes an instrument is adjusted to play
conductor
a person who leads a group of musicians
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One passage, three levels

The same topic and facts written three ways, so a mixed class can read and talk about one text. Each group’s sheet shows only a shape; the key says which is which.

● Easier · 194 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 4.7

In parts of Indonesia, such as Java and Bali, people play music in a gamelan. A gamelan is an orchestra of mostly percussion. It has gongs, drums, and rows of metal bars. Players hit the bars with mallets. The sound is shimmering and full of ringing tones.

A gamelan is not like an orchestra of violins and trumpets. Its instruments are made and tuned together as one set. A violin from one maker can usually play with a violin from another. But a gong from one gamelan may not match another gamelan. Each set has its own tuning. So the instruments in a set belong together. Many sets have their own names.

Players often sit on the floor, close to their instruments. No one waves a baton. Often a drummer gives signals. They tell everyone when to speed up, slow down, or end. Big hanging gongs mark the end of long phrases. They are like the period at the end of a sentence.

A gamelan may play for a village party, a dance, or a shadow puppet show. The players listen to each other. The music works when the whole group stays in step.

▲ This passage · 216 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 7.9

In parts of Indonesia, especially on the islands of Java and Bali, music is often played by a gamelan. This is an orchestra made mostly of percussion instruments, such as gongs, drums, and rows of metal bars that are struck with mallets. The sound is shimmering, layered, and full of ringing tones.

A gamelan is different from an orchestra of violins and trumpets in one way. Its instruments are made and tuned together as a single set. A violin from one maker can usually play with a violin from another. But a gong from one gamelan may not match another gamelan, because each set has its own tuning. So the instruments in a set belong together, and many gamelans have their own names.

Players often sit on the floor, each one close to an instrument. No one person leads with a baton like a conductor. Often a drummer gives signals that tell everyone when to speed up, slow down, or end. Big hanging gongs mark the ends of long musical phrases, like the punctuation at the end of a sentence.

A gamelan may play for a village celebration, for a dance, or for a shadow puppet show. The players listen closely to one another, because the music is made by the whole group working in step.

■ Harder · 237 words · Flesch-Kincaid grade 10.4

In certain regions of Indonesia, particularly on the islands of Java and Bali, music is frequently performed by a gamelan. This is an orchestra composed mostly of percussion instruments, including gongs, drums, and rows of metal bars that are struck with mallets. Its sound is shimmering and layered, and it is filled with ringing tones.

A gamelan differs from an orchestra of violins and trumpets in one significant respect. Its instruments are crafted and tuned together as a single set. A violin from one maker can usually play alongside a violin from another maker, but a gong belonging to one gamelan may not match the notes of a different gamelan, because every set has its own tuning. For this reason the instruments in a set belong together, and many gamelans are even given individual names.

Players often sit on the floor, each one positioned close to an instrument. No single person leads with a baton in the manner of a conductor. Instead, a drummer will often give signals that tell everyone when to speed up, slow down, or finish. Large hanging gongs mark the ends of long musical phrases, much like the punctuation at the end of a sentence.

A gamelan might perform for a village celebration, for a dance, or for a shadow puppet show. The players must listen attentively to one another, because the music is created by the entire group working together in step.

Download as one PDF

How to use it

  1. Press Read it big (or B) to put the text on the projector, or Full screen (F) to fill the whole screen.
  2. Ask the questions one at a time and use Show answer when the class has decided. A shows or hides every answer.
  3. Print student copy for the class, or Print with answers for yourself.

Ideas for class

  • Before reading, put gamelan, percussion, mallet, tuning and conductor on the board with their meanings from the Words to know section and have students predict what the text will be about.
  • Read it aloud once while students follow along, then have them reread it alone or with a partner. At a calm 100 words a minute it takes about 2 minutes to read aloud.
  • Use the Read it big button (or B) to put the text on the projector, and Show answer on one question at a time so the class commits to an answer first.
  • Question 5 asks the reader to infer. Ask students to point to the words in the passage that led them to their answer.
  • Ask students to write one question the passage did not answer, then look for the answer in a book or on a classroom screen.
  • Print the student copy for independent work and keep the answer-key copy for yourself.

Related

Questions

What reading level is "The Gamelan: An Orchestra Tuned as One Set"?

It was written for 6th grade. It has 216 words and works out to a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of about 7.9. That is a formula's estimate from sentence length and syllables, and it is not a Lexile or a guided reading level, so check it against your students.

What do the questions ask?

There are six. 4 ask for something the text says directly and 2 ask the reader to work something out from clues. Each has an answer in the key, and the answers are written as a teacher would accept them, not as the only possible wording.

How long does it take to read?

About 2 minutes read aloud at 100 words a minute. For a one-minute fluency check, paste it into the fluency timer and use the word count.

Can I print it?

Yes. Print student copy gives the passage, the questions with lines to write on, and the word meanings. Print with answers gives the same page with the answers filled in. Both are made in your browser.

Is this passage from a published book?

No. It was written for Peabody Teach, so there is no book to buy and no login to read it.

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