2015 Term 3, Week 1: Instruments of the Orchestra - strings

Instruments of the orchestra:
STRINGS
This week we  are looking at stringed instruments.  Here's a short video demonstrating how each of the stringed instruments in an orchestra look and sound when they are played.

 Now, can you name the parts on the violin below?

In the orchestra, most stringed instruments are played with a bow, but strings can be plucked or strum, too.

This is called Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3 by Johann Sebastian Bach.  It's also known as Air on the G String.

  Bach is one of known  of the greatest composers of all time.  He was born in Germany in 1685 and died in 1750.  His family was very musical for many generations  - over 300 years. His parents died when he was young and he was brought up by his older brother who played the organ in a church.

Bach once had to spend a month in jail because he tried to quit his job composing and playing for a duke. While he was in jail he wrote forty-six pieces of music - many of which are still performed today.  Even though he composed a lot of music, he was not famous in his life time, and it was not until almost 100 years after his death that his work became known, and he was recognised as a genius.


Bach had twenty children. Five were named Johann, two were called Johanna, and four became famous composers.

 Here are some more stringed instruments.

This young Russian girl, called Alisa Sadikova, is playing the harp. She is 11 years old in this video.

Check out this clip of the 2 Cellos playing a piece called Thunderstruck.  I wonder why everyone is dressed on old-fashioned clothes?  Do you think Bach could have imagined the cello being played like this?  This is another piece played by the 2 Cellos called Benedictus (from The Armed Man by Carl Jenkins - we looked at some of his work earlier this year.) How is this different  to the previous piece by 2 Cellos?

Here's a quiz about stringed instruments.  How many answers do you know?
And another  stringed instrument quiz where you get a second chance if you get the wrong answer.

Juniors:
 We are learning to recite a poem together, then we will add some music to it.

Here's  some information about turtles.
This is a short video showing how turtles hatch from their eggs.
And then they head out to sea.
This is a join-in song about the life cycle of the sea turtle.
This is an Aborigine Turtle Dance.  What music can you hear? What instruments are being played, and how do they play them?  How do  the dancers show the turtle movements? 

And another turtle dance - literally. No turtles were harmed in the making of this video.