Instruments of the Orchestra!!!

I've been wanting to design this material for quite some time, and it's finally done! It took me a while to find the components I needed to make an audio/visual exercise where the children matched an audio clip of the instrument to a photo of that instrument. You can download this material by clicking on the "View My Files" box.net button in the side bar. I will also be sharing a tutorial on how to make the CD/card book shown below:



The catalyst in this endeavor was ordering the following CD from Montessori Services. "Peter Ustinov reads The Orchestra" provided me with clips of each instrument organized by instrument families: strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, and special instruments. Previously I had contacted various symphony orchestras to ask if they could provide the clips that I needed, but to no avail.

I highly encourage you to order the entire CD, and if you are a parent, to get the book that accompanies it. For those of you who can't afford it or live outside the United States, I have uploaded to Box.net (see sidebar) the five excerpts you will need for this exercise. Please download these only if you really can't afford the CD.

Once you have the CD, burn copies of each "song," from numbers 5-9, on a separate CD. Does this make sense? For example, you will have "The String Family" on one CD, "The Brass Family" on another, etc.

Also, print off the Word file available at Box.net that contains the accompanying 3-part cards of photos of the instruments. Both the aforementioned files are in the folder "Instruments of the Orchestra." I suggest printing the cards on hefty cardstock. For this particular audio/visual exercise, you will need the cards without labels. (The control cards and labels are also included in the file. To store them, I'm planning on making the modified card duvet with the same instrument fabric.) On the back of each picture card, you will need to write the instrument family to which it belongs, and the number of the order in which it is heard on the CD. This serves as the control of error. For example, the clarinet card would have on the back:

The Woodwind Family - 5

When the child finishes, she can turn over the picture cards and check if the numbers are in order. The family name is important because the children can do a sorting exercise with the cards as well. Write up labels for each of the families. The child places the labels on the top of a rug and mixes up all the photo cards, sorting them into their families under the labels. The family name is the control of error for this exercise.

Here's how to make the CD book. I used a "fat quarter" of instrument fabric I ordered a while back at Craft Connection and 3/4 yard of golden silk dupion. (Elegant!) Unfortunately, the golden silk doesn't photograph well on the clunker of a camera, but what does?

Cut one outer fabric (the instruments) and one liner fabric to 43cm x 35cm. Then cut 5 strips of the liner fabric to 9cm x 35 cm.

On each of the strips, fold a long edge 1/4 in toward the wrong side of the fabric and press. Fold over once more (1/4 in) and press. On 4 strips, fold over the opposite long edge 1/4 in and press toward the wrong side. The one strip that is left without a fold is the bottom strip, which will be caught within the seam and finished when you attach the liner to the outer fabric.

Stitch each strip along the double folded edge. Press each strip after stitching.

Arrange the five strips, stitched side up, on the large piece of liner fabric. Check to see that five CDs and the cards fit.
Pin the top strip about 9cm down from the top. Sew along three sides, leaving the finished seam unattached. Make sure you catch the 1/4 in fold on the bottom in your stitching. This leaves a nice finished edge on the bottom that won't unravel. Press. Attach the next strip in the same manner, pressing after each strip.
With right sides facing, pin inner pocket lining to outer fabric. Using a 1/2 in seam, stitch pieces together. At the top of the book, machine baste the seam. This will eventually be ripped open for turning.
Trim corners and edges and press open the top, machine-basted area. Use a seam ripper to open. Turn the whole thing inside out and press once again.

Fold in half with the pockets facing out. Using pins, mark the center of the book. Starting from the bottom, stitch a seam to the top, using the pins as guides. Be sure that the open, pressed edge is folded toward the inside, and caught in this middle seam.

Cut 2 pieces of cardboard for a snug fit. Insert, and hand stitch closed.


That's it! It's pretty simple to make. I will put some cute music note closures on it when my husband gets back from the US with all of the goodies I ordered from Reprodepot and Craft Connection. You could put a snap closure on this or a bow closure - whatever floats your boat.

Hope you enjoy!

Meg