Brass Instruments and Pitch

What is the relationship between acoustics and science?

Grades 3-5 Lesson: Brass Instruments and Pitch

Grade Band: 3-5
Arts Subject: Music
Other Subject: Science

SUMMARY
In this 3-5 lesson, students will identify brass family instruments and create a trombone.
Students will use the scientific process to investigate factors that affect the pitch of brass
instruments. They will make predictions and explore how pitch changes based on the length of
the air pipe.

PREPARATION
Learning Objectives
Students will:
● Identify instruments in the brass instrument family.
● Research and gather information about instruments in the brass family.
● Describe the differences in sound when listening to brass instruments.
● Test factors that affect the pitch of brass instruments based on the length of the
tubes or crooks.
● Determine the factors that determine pitch fluctuation of brass instruments.

Standards Alignment
National Core Arts Standards
MU:Cn11.0.3a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts,
other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
MU:Cn11.0.4a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts,
other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.
MU:Cn11.0.5a Demonstrate understanding of relationships between music and the other arts,
other disciplines, varied contexts, and daily life.

Common Core State Standards

ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.7 Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and
the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how
key events occur).
ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7 Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in
charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and
explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text in which it appears.
ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.7 Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating
the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.

Lesson Connection: Brass Instruments and Pitch

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Materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Updated April 2021
ELA-LITERACY.W.3.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and
digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
ELA-LITERACY.W.4.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant
information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a
list of sources.
ELA-LITERACY.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant
information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase information in notes and
finished work, and provide a list of sources.

Next Generation Science Standards

4-PS4-1. Develop a model of waves to describe patterns in terms of amplitude and wavelength
and that waves can cause objects to move.

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them
to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu.
Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google
Slides with students.
● Slide: Brass Instruments
● Instrument Family Characteristics
● Capture Sheet: Brass Instruments
● Scientific Process: Brass Instrument Pitch
● Acoustical Science Vocabulary
● Making a Trombone

Websites
● Instrument Families of the Orchestra
● The Kennedy Center Instrument Spotter’s Guide
● The Kennedy Center Guide to the Orchestra
● DSO Kids Bass Instruments
● Classics for Kids Instrument Families
● Kiddle Brass Instruments

Additional Materials
● Garden hoses
● Funnel
● Ruler
● Brass instrument mouthpiece
● Mouthpiece cleaner

Teacher Background

Lesson Connection: Brass Instruments and Pitch

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Materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Updated April 2021
Teachers should have a general understanding of acoustics, the physics of sound, brass
instruments, and sounds from the orchestra.

Student Prerequisites
Students should have a basic understanding of sound as waves and as energy, some
familiarity with orchestral instruments, and prior experience with science experiments.

Accessibility Notes
Utilize assistive technologies for students with hearing or vision impairments. Modify capture
sheets as needed and allow extra time for task completion.

INSTRUCTION
Engage
1. Review the members of the brass instrument family with the Slide: Brass Instruments.
Share and review the horn, trumpet, trombone, and tuba using the interactive tool, Instrument
Families of the Orchestra, or the Instrument Family Characteristics table.

2. Play instrument listening clips for the brass family from Instrument Families of the
Orchestra. Have students discuss what they hear and compare the sounds of the brass
instruments to those of other instruments.

Build
1. Distribute the Capture Sheet: Brass Instruments. Have students work independently or
collaboratively to research and gather information about the brass instruments.
● The Kennedy Center Instrument Spotter’s Guide: Meet the four families of the orchestra.
● The Kennedy Center Guide to the Orchestra: A guide to understanding all the
instruments and roles of the orchestra.
● DSO Kids Bass Instruments: Hear a variety of instruments played in isolation,
performing familiar tunes, and playing with the full orchestra.
● Classics for Kids Instrument Families: Explore the sounds of brass instruments.
● Kiddle Brass Instruments: Fun facts about brass instruments.

2. Engage students in a discussion. Have students share and compare the information they
gathered from the Capture Sheet: Brass Instruments. Ask the students: What can we conclude
about each instrument’s similarities and differences?

Apply
1. Review the Acoustical Science Vocabulary. Discuss the meaning of the
instrument-specific words air column and mouthpiece with students.
Air Column: space within the air pipe of a brass instrument that experiences vibrations
created by the player’s breath and lips. The tubing of the instrument is lengthened or

Lesson Connection: Brass Instruments and Pitch

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Materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Updated April 2021
 shortened by pressing or releasing its valves. The speed of vibration, combined with the
length of tubing, determines the pitch of the note.

Mouthpiece: a cup-shaped attachment used on brass instruments. The player’s lips

act as a reed within the mouthpiece. The vibration occurs between the player’s lips and
the mouthpiece.

2. Introduce the Scientific Process: Brass Instrument Pitch activity. Review the process of
forming a hypothesis and making a prediction.

3. Have students individually create a hypothesis relating the length of the air column to
the pitch of the instrument when played. Have students create a prediction based on this
hypothesis using the sentence starter: “If our hypothesis is true, then the pitch created should
be higher/lower when the air column is longer/shorter.”

4. Divide students into cooperative groups of four. Assign one student to each of the
following roles:
● Recorder: note taker
● Group Leader: keeps the group on task, moderates conflict, teacher liaison
● Equipment adjuster: makes adjustments to test equipment
● Tester: performs the tests (mouthpieces should be sanitized before and after use)

5. Test the hypotheses within the groups. Groups should discuss the hypotheses and
predictions generated by each group member and choose one of each to use as they proceed
with the experiment. Students will work in small groups completing the experiment, following
the Making a Trombone instrument instructions. Have students fill in the data section of the
Scientific Process: Brass Instrument Pitch handout based on their experiments.

6. Facilitate through the groups to discuss the results and data. When necessary, remind
students of their roles within the cooperative learning groups.

Reflect
1. Engage students in a discussion about their results. Ask the students: What is the
relationship between pitch, frequency, hertz, and the length of the air column? (We measure
frequency, or speed of vibrations in the air, in hertz. A high frequency (fast movement) makes a
high pitch, and a low frequency makes a low pitch. Since a longer air column takes longer for
the air to travel through and thus slows vibration, a longer air column makes a lower pitch. We
changed the length of the air column by making the trombone longer.) How do players of other
brass instruments change the length of their air columns? (By pressing valves that shorten or
lengthen the air column in the instrument.) What is the relationship between acoustics and
science?

Lesson Connection: Brass Instruments and Pitch

Copyright The Kennedy Center. All rights reserved.
Materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Updated April 2021
2. Assess students’ knowledge of bass instrument pitch with the Rubric: Brass
Instrument Pitch.

Credits
Adaptation, Rebecca Haden
Original Writer, Leslie A. Thomas
Editor, JoDee Scissors

Lesson Connection: Brass Instruments and Pitch

Copyright The Kennedy Center. All rights reserved.
Materials may be reproduced for educational purposes.
Updated April 2021