When I asked what instruments MTMS offers, I was amazed at the variety. Variety not just in instruments, but in the families. What do I mean by families? Well, each instrument fits into a family or classification (although some fall into more than one), depending on how they are played. And that also decides where you sit if you play in an orchestra or what type of group you play in (for example you can play with a group of strings). It’s kind of neat they way they’re arranged and classified. So here are the families with a description and what is offered at MTMS.
Strings
So named because they are played by vibrating strings. (I know, logical, right?) They are differentiated by size. The sound of the instrument changes with the size of the instrument with the smaller instruments being higher pitched. Some older pieces of music were written specifically for stringed orchestras. As you can see from the list that piano is included here and then again on percussion because it has both strings and hammers.
Instruments offered at MTMS
violin
violia
cello
upright bass
guitar
ukulele
bass guitar
harp
piano
Woodwinds
Woodwinds have two distinctions (with one minor exception). They all have reeds and keys. The reed is what produces the vibration to give the sound. The keys change the sounds, but also challenge the player to get the fingers in the right order. Since a saxophone uses a reed, it is classified as a woodwind. The one exception is the flute which does not have a reed and only uses wind and keys to produce sound (not unlike blowing over the top of a bottle). Higher pitched woodwinds (flutes and oboes) generally play the melody, which lower-pitched (bassoon) generally play the harmonic parts.
Instruments offered at MTMS
flute
clarinet
saxophone
harmonica
recorder
According to Ms. Tuesday, “Recorder is a great starter woodwind instrument for kids who are interested in flute or clarinet but whose arms are too short to play them yet.”
Brass
The brass mainly plays a supporting role and provides depth to an orchestra. These instruments are named for their shiny material they are made out of. These instruments use a slide to change notes or their very few keys (normally no more than three). The notes can also be changed by changing the shape of the player’s lips. The sound is produced by the musician vibrating his or her lips against the mouthpiece. “Taps” is probably the song most people are familiar with and is played by the musician changing the shape of his or her lips.
Instruments offered at MTMS
trumpet
trombone
euphonium/baritone
tuba
Percussion
Do you love the banging and crashing in music? That’s the percussion. These are the instruments that must be shaken or struck to produce music. Although drums weren’t always part of the orchestra, apparently composers liked the sound since more and more percussion has been added over the years. Percussion isn’t just drums, but also includes instruments like cymbals, maracas, or marimba.
Instruments offered at MTMS
piano
snare
drumset
mallet percussion (for example bells, marimba)
In the past, the school has also offered French horn (brass), mandolin, banjo (stings), and oboe (woodwinds), but currently have no instructors. They’ve never had a request for bassoon (woodwinds).
