The String Family Lapbook Unit - Homeschool Blogger

Orchestra Series:
The String Instrument Lapbook Unit
Unit Posted At:
• The String Family Lapbook Unit http://www.squidoo.com/stringfamilyunit
• Joyful Songs http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/joyfulmusic/
Lapbook Components:
• Some of these have more than one way to document the same information – just pick what works best
for you!
• The String Instrument Family: Cover Page
• String Instrument Vocabulary: Flap Book
• String Instruments in the Bible – Flashcards & Pocket, Notebook Pages , Poster / Puzzle
• History of Stringed Musical Instruments: Notebook Pages and Mini Book
• String Instrument Notebook Page – use with any part of the unit.
• Characteristics of the String Family: Notebook Page and Mini Book
• String Instruments through Time & Place: Book
• Orchestral String Instruments: Violin, Viola, Cello, Bass, and Harp Matchbooks
• Non-Orchestral String Instruments: Tab Book
• Rubber Band String Instrument: Accordion Book
• Experience Vibration Experiment: Accordion Book
• Music & Science: Notebook Pages
• My Musical Instrument Creation: Notebook Pages
• Who was Stradivarius?: Tri-Fold Book
• Stringed Instruments Construction
• String Instrument Matching Game
• Stringo Bingo Game
• Instruments of the Orchestra: Tab Book
• Computer Websites
• Book Resources
Bible:
• There are a tremendous amount of Bible verses that involve the playing of stringed instruments!
• The lapbook parts contain a sampling of these verses on flashcards, blank cards to write your own, a
pocket to store the cards in the lapbook, 3 notebook pages for copywork and /or memorization, and a
poster.
• The poster may cut up into a puzzle to help memorization. I cut just a few pieces for my little guy, and
let the older kids cut theirs however they want. They like to play with them and switch with each other
for more practice.
String Instrument Vocabulary:
• Suggested terms for study: banjo, bass, bow, bridge, cello, clef, family, fiddle, fingerboard, guitar, harp,
harmony, instrument, lute, lyre, mandolin, melody, neck, octave, orchestra, parts, peg, pick, pitch, pluck,
resonance, resonating box, sound holes, strings, symphony, tailpiece, treble, tuning pegs, ukulele,
vibration, viola, violin

History of Stringed Musical Instruments: Notebook Pages & Mini Book
• The New York Philharmonic’s Kidzone is awesome! Use this site to study the history of stringed
instruments. Enter the “Locker Room”, walk the person to the left in the string storage room, click on
the word “strings” and each instrument picture to learn of our modern instrument’s predecessors. The
harp is found in the “percussion” locker section. http://www.nyphilkids.org/lockerroom/main.phtml
Characteristics of the String Family: Notebook Page or Mini Book
• All members of the string family have strings on them.
• The strings are made of steel, nylon, or animal gut.
• The bowstrings are made of horsehair.
• Most string instruments are played by rubbing the bow across the strings, or plucking the strings with
the fingers or a pick.
• String instruments wooden bodies are arched and hollow inside.
• Long necks exist on most stringed instruments.
• The strings are attached tightly to pegs at the top and the bottom tailpiece grid.
• The left hand fingers push on different strings and locations on the strings to make varying pitches.
• The right hand moves the bow across the strings or plucks the strings with the fingers.
• Wood pieces are glued together instead of nailed.
• Many layers of varnish are applied to the outside of string instruments.
String Instrument Parts:
• body, bow, bridge, clamp, fingerboard, frog, horsehairs, neck, peg box, pegs, sound holes, strings,
tailpiece, tuning pegs, others!
• Go to the Enchanted Learning Website to find printables of string instrument diagrams to label. Fold and
place in your lapbook or notebook.
Orchestral String Instrument Matchbooks:
• Violin, Viola, Cello, String Bass, and Harp
• Cut on solid lines, fold on dotted lines; glue covers on top; fold bottom of matchbook up.
Violin:
• The violin is the smallest member of the orchestral string family.
• It has the highest pitch ‘soprano’ of orchestral string instruments.
• Orchestras include more violins than any other instrument – about 30 per orchestra.
• Violins in an orchestra play two different parts, the 1 st part is mostly melody, and the 2 nd part can be
melody, but many times is harmony.
• The violin is 24 inches long and has 4 strings.
• It has a 29-inch long bow.
• Music is written in the treble clef for violins.
• The violin is held with the chin and shoulder.
• The left hand fingers push on different strings and locations on the strings to make varying pitches.
• The right hand moves the bow across the strings or plucks the strings with the fingers.
Viola:
• The viola looks like violin but is a little larger.
• It has a slightly lower pitch than violin (by five7 half steps or a ‘perfect’ 5th).
• There are 10 – 14 violas in a standard orchestra.
• It is 27 inches long and has 4 strings.

• The bow is 29 inches long and stronger than the violin’s.
• The viola’s strings are thicker than violin.
• Music is written in the alto clef for violas.
• It is held between the chin and shoulder.
• The left hand fingers push on different strings and locations to make varying pitches.
• The right hand moves the bow across the strings or plucks the strings with fingers.
Cello:
• The cello is the same shape as the violin and viola but is larger.
• It sounds lower (tenor) than the viola, but higher than the bass.
• The larger body gives the instrument a deeper resonance.
• The cello neck is shorter than violin’s neck.
• The cello has a long adjustable peg at the bottom to help place the cello in the proper spot for players.
• 8-12 cellos are in a standard orchestra.
• The cello is about 4 feet long and has 4 strings.
• The bow is thicker than a viola bow and is 28 inched long.
• Music is written in the bass clef for cellos.
• Cellists sit in a chair to play with the instrument held between the legs. The neck of the cello rests on the
left shoulder.
• The left hand fingers push on different strings and locations to make varying pitches.
• The right hand moves the bow across the strings or plucks the strings with fingers.
String Bass (Also referred to as Bass and Double Bass):
• The string bass is the biggest and lowest (bass) orchestral string instrument.
• It has very harmonic and rhythmic parts to play.
• The bass’ deepness gives strength to hold the orchestra together.
• 6-8 cellos are found in a standard orchestra.
• The bass is 6 + feet long from the top to the bottom peg.
• The bass usually has 4 strings, but may have 5 for more pitches.
• Its body is shaped differently than violin, viola, and cello.
• The bow is 26-27 inches long.
• The bow is thicker and heavier than the other bows.
• Music is written in the bass clef for string basses. It sounds one octave below the cello.
• Play standing up or sitting on a high stool.
• Instrument leans against the body with the peg on floor and the neck by left shoulder
• The left hand fingers push on different strings and locations on the strings to make varying pitches.
• The right hand moves the bow across the strings or plucks them with the fingers.
Harp:
• The harp has a 6½ octave range.
• It is about 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide.
• Some types of harps are the pedal harp, folk harp, lever harp, and multi-course harp.
• The pedal harp is the most common harp for orchestra. It has 47 different sized strings set in a curved
wood frame.
• Strings may be made of copper, animal gut, or nylon.
• The tones of each string can be pitched a half step higher or lower with the use of 7 pedals at the bottom.
• A harpist must sit and reach the arms around the harp.
• The strings of a harp are always plucked, not bowed like its family members.

• One story about the creation of the harp tells of a hunter who heard a nice sound from his hunting bow
when it vibrated. He tried other sizes of bows and noticed the pitch differences. He helped to create the
first harps.
Non - Orchestral String Instrument Tab Book:
Lyre:
• A lyre is an instrument from long ago similar to a small harp.
• Lyre http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkC1ohl2Knk&feature=related
Lute: Recording http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/instrument.asp?id=6
• Lute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K63Z_abB314&feature=related
• A lute is a pear shaped instrument.
• The strings are set in pairs.
• It is an ancestor of the guitar.
• The player’s fingers plucked the lute.
Banjo:
• Recording http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/instrument.asp?id=1
• Banjo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbNlqXHVyoM
• The banjo has a very long neck and round body shape.
• The five strings are usually plucked.
Sitar:
• Sitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erLZ-zW9Ti4
• The sitar is a stringed instrument from the country of India.
• It has a long neck and a body like a pear.
• Ancient sitar mostly contained 3 strings.
• Modern sitars have 4-7 strings.
• When there are numerous strings, some are used for melody and some are to create a drone effect.
• Sitars sometimes have additional strings. “Sympathic strings are strings located underneath the main
strings on an instrument. They are not played directly, but vibrate "in sympathy" as the main strings are
played.” (Classics for Kids http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/instrument.asp?id=73)
Zither:
• Zither http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1FlDdNLkD4
• A zither is a world folk instrument.
• It contains between 30 to 40 strings.
• The body is a flat soundboard upon which the strings are tightly placed.
• Zither strings are plucked with the fingers or a thumbpick.
Autoharp:
• Autoharp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwpnFjlTSwU
• The autoharp is a traditional American folk instrument.
• Similar to a zither, it has strings pulled over a thin sound box.
• An autoharp has small buttons to push so that only desired strings will be played.
Dulcimer:
• Recording http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/instrument.asp?id=4
• Dulcimer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxjpYHhfRyI&feature=fvw

• A dulcimer is also a stringed instrument that has a wooden base and strings.
• Tiny hammers tap the strings to make the pitches..
Guitar:
• How a Guitar is Made & History http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XfBRdxzshI
• The guitar is a six stringed instrument with a long neck.
• Its body is curved and hollow.
• Guitarists play by strumming or plucking with the fingers or a pick.
Mandolin:
• Mandolin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fi0qjJy-20k
• Mandolin History http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/briefhistory.html
• A mandolin is similar to a lute.
• It has 8 strings instrument.
• The neck is shorter than some other string instruments.
Ukulele:
• Ukulele http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78nr8QMaUbI
• The ukulele originated in Hawaii.
• It is similar to a guitar, but smaller.
• It usually has four strings.
• Its figure eight body is made of wood.
Other:
• Medieval Strings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezOqhfpMbFE&feature=related
• Medieval Harp http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvaRMZPROSo&feature=related
• Epinette http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t81Tr3F7oqo&feature=related
Sound & Pitch ~ The Science of Music:
• “Different notes are made by using your finger to press a string against the fingerboard. When the string
vibrates at its full length, from the bridge to the peg box, the lowest sound is produced. When the
vibrating length is shortened by pressing a finger on a string against the finger board, a higher sound is
created because then the string is smaller (shorter).”
http://www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/instrumentlab/strings.html
• Rubber Band String Instrument Accordion Book http://www.nyphilkids.org/lab/make_rubberguitar.html
• Experience Vibration Experiment Accordion Book http://www.dsokids.com/2001/dso.asp?PageID=99
• Music & Science Notebook Pages
• Take pictures of your instruments, or compose a piece of music with them for fun!
• vibrations cause sounds – strings vibrate, sound produced
• “resonating box” because hollow
Hands-On Activities: My Musical Instrument Creation
• Have fun making these homemade string instruments and playing them. These uniquely named
instruments are based on real world instruments that look and sound interesting! Try making them with
different materials or sizes to experiment with the different sounds you can make. Create other new
string instruments with things you have around the house. Which ones sound the best?
• Take pictures of the process of making them, and your final product to put into your lapbook or
notebook. (See notebook pages.)
• “Styro-Cello” http://www.nyphilkids.org/lab/make_styrocello.html

• ‘Tube-Encheh’ http://www.nyphilkids.org/lab/make_tube-ancheh.html \
• “Berimbao” http://www.nyphilkids.org/lab/make_berimbao.html
Stradivari:
• Who was Stradivari? Tri-Fold Book
• Stradivarius Information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stradivarius
• Stradivari http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_Stradivari
• Movie about Stradivarius violins http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy1LD2oxVjU&feature=related
How It’s Made:
• These wonderful videos are very simple but informative. They feature instrument construction and
history.
• How It’s Made – Violin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcJfbjcUDoo&feature=related
• How It’s Made – Electric Violin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKxZfGmR3vE&feature=related
• How It’s Made – Banjo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkRwhhTWtkA&feature=related
• How It’s Made – Electric Guitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwN4l0L9Sn8
• How It’s Made – Guitar Strings http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U-vZLZKgJc
• How It’s Made - Guitar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XfBRdxzshI
• How It’s Made – Carbon Fiber Cello (Parts 1) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_gI3chGtww
• How It’s Made – Carbon Fiber Cello (Part 2) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-A7K4TPT2k
Construction:
• String Instrument Construction Mini Book
• Construction Information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:String_instrument_construction
• Construction Techniques http://liutaiomottola.com/construction.htm
• Which types of wood would you use to build a violin and other string instruments?
• How will different wood change the sound?
• How is the wood cut and shaped?
• Research about how the wood is attached (glue, no nails).
• Why and how do they varnish string instruments?
• Find out about the various shapes and how they affect the sound.
• What is the soft stuff on the bow that rubs the strings made of? Did you say horsehair?
• Research what a resonating box is. Try to make one from various objects you have.
• What is the purpose of the “f” holes?
• What materials are used to make the strings?
• How are the strings attached?
• Try to think of a way to make a homemade string instrument. What equipment do you want to try? How
will you make the body? What are your strings made of? How will you fasten the strings? How will the
instrument be tuned? Explore with several different materials. Compare the sounds with ones your
family or friends make. Enjoy the process of creating something unique!!
Orchestra Websites ~ Kids Sections about String Instruments:
• Instrument Storage Room & Instrument Lab at New York Philharmonic Kidzone
http://www.nyphilkids.org/lockerroom/main.phtml
• Families of the Orchestra at Dallas Symphony Orchestra
http://www.dsokids.com/2001/instrumentchart.htm

• Guide to the Symphony Orchestra http://www.mathcs.duq.edu/~iben/strings.htm
History & Description of all instruments as a family and separate instruments (click on left).
• Instrument Families at San Francisco Symphony
http://www.sfskids.org/templates/instorchframe.asp?pageid=3
Click on strings – see pictures and close-ups, hear small samples, read basic facts.
• Instruments at Classics for Kids http://www.classicsforkids.com/music/orchestra.asp
• Our Instruments at Nashville Symphony Orchestra Kids http://www.nashvillesymphony.org/nsokids/
• Sounds from the Orchestra at Energy in the Air http://library.thinkquest.org/5116/
Click on ‘orchestra’ or on an instrument picture to learn more about it and hear samples.
• String Section at Arts Alive http://www.artsalive.ca/en/mus/instrumentlab/strings.html
• String Section at Play Music http://www.playmusic.org/string/index.html
• Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra at Carnegie Hall
http://www.weillmusicinstitute.org/listeningadventures/ypgto/ypgto-gamelogon/index.jsp
Online Games:
• Harp Lesson Video http://www.nyphilkids.org/games/main.phtml?
Click on ‘videos’ then ‘Allen Harp’ to watch a short video of a first harp lesson.
• Instrument Frenzy http://www.nyphilkids.org/games/main.phtml?
Help Maestro 2000 put all the instruments back into the correct family!
• Instruments of the Orchestra Instrument Sound Match http://www.thirteen.org/publicarts/orchestra/
Listen to a sound sample and choose the correct instrument from five pictures. When correct,
information on that instrument is given.
• Make an Online Instrument http://www.nyphilkids.org/games/main.phtml?
Create your own instrument clicking and dragging pieces together to make it unique.
• Music Match Instruments http://www.nyphilkids.org/games/main.phtml?
Play a concentration type matching game with instruments.
• Music Quest Backstage Adventure http://www.nyphilkids.org/games/main.phtml?
Become an “intern” at the New York Philharmonic and learn to play instruments and more as you
‘meet’ people backstage at Avery Fisher Hall!
• String Section at Play Music http://www.playmusic.org/string/index.html
Help put the broken virtual violin back together!
Other Lapbook, Notebook, and Worksheet Materials:
• Joyful Songs Music Resources
Instrument Families of the Orchestra Tab Book
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/uploads/j/Joyfulmusic90/98177.pdf
String Family Mini Books http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/uploads/j/Joyfulmusic90/92667.pdf
• String Lapbook Components at Homeschool Share
Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass, and Harp Mini Books
• String Family Tab Book
• Instrument Worksheets at TLS Books http://www.tlsbooks.com/musicworksheets.htm
‘My Musical Instrument Book’ ~ A page for each instrument family, a puzzle, word search, and
instrument sort page in a cute tab book.
String Family Word Find & Picture Match ~ String Instrument Printing Practice ~ String Family Name
Match
• Instrument Playground ~ String Family (St. Louis Symphony Orchestra)
12 Page Document containing information on instrument families, orchestra seating, string family
instruments (pictures, description, how to play), the conductor, Powell Hall, and music vocabulary.

• String Family Flashcards http://www.montessorimaterials.org/mus.htm
String Family Games:
• String Instrument Card Game – use for flashcards, matching games (match identical cards or name with
picture), Go Fish, and others.
• Stringo Bingo – Answer the questions about the instruments to fill your bingo board.
Graphics Used in this Unit:
• WMF Clipart http://www.wmfclipart.com/clipart/free-clipart-Music-Instruments.html
“Music-Instruments Clipart - Below is the collection of free Music-Instruments clipart collected from various internet
Music-Instruments free clipart sites and free Music-Instruments newsgroups, with permissions. All these free Music-
Instruments free clip arts are in public domain, royalty free and can be freely used by anybody.”
• Graphics from http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/sitemap/musicalinstruments.htm
“Educational Use. A maximum of fifty (50) clipart items may be used in any non-commercial, educational project (report,
presentation, display, website, etc.) without special permission. The use of more than fifty clipart items in a single project
requires written permission from the Florida Center for Instructional Technology (FCIT) at USF.”
The Orchestra Series: (Added summer and fall 2009)
• Orchestra: String Family Lapbook Unit http://www.squidoo.com/stringfamilyunit
• Orchestra: Percussion Family Lapbook Unit http://www.squidoo.com/percussionfamilyunit
• Orchestra: Woodwind Family Lapbook Unit http://www.squidoo.com/woodwindfamilyunit
• Orchestra: Brass Family Lapbook Unit http://www.squidoo.com/brassfamilyunit
• Orchestra Lapbook Unit http://www.squidoo.com/orchestraunit