Musical Instruments and Their Place in Our Schools
At some Primary Schools they offer lessons for their
students to learn an instrument. The instruments available are often varied and
range from woodwind to strings. The students are able to borrow the school
instruments during their lessons and are able to take them home to practice.
When the student is confident enough and wants to continue with their lessons
then their parent often take them to an instrument shop and buys them their
very own instrument. The school instrument is then returned allowing another
child the opportunity to learn and love music. There are different types of
instruments available:
Woodwind – These instruments are played by the use of
fingers covering strategic holes in certain sequences that form the notes. The
student will blow into the top of the instrument where the reed will vibrate to
create the sound, some of these instruments have one reed, where as others have
two. Woodwind instruments are the clarinet, the saxophone, the oboe, the
bassoon, the flute and the recorder. The recorder is often the first instrument
that a child will experience with class lesson to see which children display a
talent for music and which want to learn other instruments.
Brass – These instruments are made of brass which gives then
their name and are also blown into to produce the sound. There are three valves
that are pressed to create the notes. Another branch of Brass instruments are
used with a slide which is moved to certain positions to create the notes. Brass
instruments include the trombone, the trumpet, the horn, the tuba, the cornet,
the flugelhorn, sousaphone, mellophone and the bugle. The valves are pressed at half steps to create
the notes and combinations of different notes can be played at the same time.
String – The string family of instruments are played with a
bow that slides across the strings and the fingers are placed in certain
combinations at the top of the instrument on the strings themselves to create
the notes played. The instrument can also be plucked with the fingers to create
the notes. String instruments include the violin, the viola, the cello, the
double bass the guitar and the harp. The guitar and the harp are the only
instruments in this family that are played with the fingers only and not a bow.
Percussion - Percussion instruments have five different
types of sound production. Each instrument within these five categories share the
same sound production: Idiophone –
Bells, singing bowls, cymbals, celesta, bock a da bock, hi hat, marimba, slit
drum, triangle, xylophone, wood block, vibraslap, cabasa and guiro. All of
these instruments play music when they are struck; the sounds are produced
through the entire body of them via vibration. Membranophone – Conga, bongos, tom tom, snare drum, bass drum and
djembe. All of these instruments play music when the skin of the membrane is
struck with a stick. Chordophone –
Piano, Harpsichord, Onavillu and hammered dulcimer. Aerophone – Whips, siren and pistols. Electrophone – Computers and theremin.
