ArtsEdge: Brass Instruments and Pitch

This cross-curricular lesson hits music, science, and language arts. Students learn about the brass instruments of the orchestra and learn about why the brass instruments sound different based on the length of the tubing that makes up each instrument and the size of the opening of the tubing. Students then make their own “brass” instruments from various sizes of hose to see for themselves how the length changes the pitch. Find a handout for the procedures used to create a brass instrument and the vocabulary used in discussing acoustics. There is even an assessment rubric to use.

courtesy of Knovation