From Strings to Brass: teacher key

Music and Instruments, grade 5 edition, written for 5th grade. Strings, reeds, lips and hammers all start the same thing: a vibration. See how each one works, and meet the man who built the first piano.

Read the book. Print this page for the key.

Questions and answers

1. What do vibrations start?
   • Wind
   • Sound (answer)
   • Light
2. Why does a string instrument have a hollow body?
   • It keeps the strings dry
   • It makes the strings thicker
   • It pushes air and makes the sound louder (answer)
3. What does a flute use to make sound?
   • Air blown against an edge (answer)
   • A single reed
   • Two reeds
4. What does a longer tube do in a wind instrument?
   • Makes a higher note
   • Stops the sound
   • Makes a lower note (answer)
5. Who built the first piano in the early 1700s?
   • Chuck Berry
   • Bartolomeo Cristofori (answer)
   • Johann Bach
6. What is the principal first violin called?
   • The concertmaster (answer)
   • The conductor
   • The piccolo

Words

• vibration: fast shake
• pitch: how high
• reed: thin cane
• conductor: orchestra leader
• percussion: hit instruments