BeginBand

Free!

BeginBand provides information for novice musicians who are interested in joining a school band or orchestra. From its homepage, BeginBand provides an overview of the website. Users can then click the different options on the left side of the screen to navigate the website’s content. The “Why Join a Band” section offers reasons for users to join a band. The “Articles and Information” section provides general information about joining a band and answers to frequently asked questions. The “Sound Clips” button lets users click a commonly used instrument and hear a recording of it being played. The “About BeginBand” and “Contact Us” provides general information about the website and a form for emailing the website’s developers. On the right side column, it lists instruments by family, and users can click an instrument’s family or name to access information about it.

Instructional Ideas

1. To support students in identifying instruments by sound, teachers can turn off their monitor and play an instrument for the entire class to hear. When students recognize the instrument, they can raise their hand and state its name. If the students are correct, teachers can ask them to describe the sound the instrument makes, what the sound reminds them of, and/or when they think that that instrument would be played outside of an orchestra.
2. Students can research an instrument or a family of instruments to create an infographic. When locating information for their infographic, students can use this website. Once finished, students can share their infographic by posting it to a class website.
3. Teachers can assign students a frequently asked question. To complete this activity, students will first need to read and summarize the information. Next, they can critique the information by explaining if they agree, disagree, and/or have additional information to offer about the question. Students can then share their work in small groups, to the whole class, or by posting it to a class website.

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