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Making Sense of our Senses

This informative digital text about senses is for teachers to read aloud to students. The text explains how our five main senses (hearing, sight, smell, taste and sense of touch) work. The resource includes a teaching sequence related to the Big Six components of literacy development (oral language, phonological awareness, ...

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Water-Bottle Membranophone

This activity invites students to make a membranophone, an instrument that produces sound from a vibrating stretched membrane. The activity includes a list of tools and materials required, assembly instructions, what to do and notice, an explanation for the underlying science of what students observe and suggestions for ...

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Organ Pipe

This activity invites students to make a model organ pipe and explore how to amplify a tuning fork by holding it over the pipe and changing the length of the pipe. They investigate how at certain pipe lengths, the pitch made by the tuning fork sounds very loud as it resonates with the air column in the pipe. The activity ...

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Can you clap the cymbal part from Carmen?

Get your clapping hands ready and join the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra as they play some music from the opera Carmen, by composer Bizet. Follow along with host Paul Rissmann and see if you can keep up with the orchestra! How does this piece of music make you feel? Why do you think it has that effect?

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What a colourful exhibition!

As the orchestra plays a piece of music called "The Ballet of the Chickens in their Shells", lots of artworks are flashed up on the screen.These pictures were sent in for the concert from schools around Australia. If the music inspries you, perhaps you could make your own artwork.

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BTN: A journey into world music

From Japanese drumming to African choirs, there is a wide world of music to be enjoyed beyond mainstream pop music in Australia. Music from one culture will often sound very different to music from another, using varied musical styles and instruments. Come along on a musical journey and explore the increasingly popular ...

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What's that mystery instrument?

Watch this video to learn about a spooky sounding instrument called the theremin. How is it played? Listen as it joins the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra to play music from the TV show Dr Who. Do you like the sounds it makes? Why or why not?

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Come and meet the instruments video

Come and meet the orchestra! The musicians are wearing 4 different colours to show which section they belong to. Can you name the 4 sections of the orchestra? What are the names of some of the instruments in each section?

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What is a vibraphone?

Have you heard of the vibraphone? Learn all about this percussion instrument in this animation. What is it made of? How is it similar to other percussion instruments?

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Lights out!

Host Paul Rissmann describes a scene where Mussorgsky finds himself all of a sudden in the dark. How does the music add to the scariness of this story?

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Play School: How do people make sounds on musical instruments?

Do you like music? There are lots of different sorts of music and plenty of instruments to play it on. In this clip, watch and listen as an orchestra of young people perform well-known pieces of music. See if you can identify any of the instruments being played.

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TSO Songbook Part 2: In the garden

In the Garden is a version of a 19th century Russian folk song. The melody is quite well known and has used in compositions by Stravinsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. This version was commissioned for the TSO and this resource includes Garden Variety an additional standalone piece inspired melody. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra ...

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TSO Songbook Part 2: Tafta Hindi

Tafta Hindi is a version of a folk song that is well known in Arabic-speaking countries of the Eastern Mediterranean region. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra have created a range of resources to explore and perform the song (in English) in the classroom. Resources include a teacher's guide with differentiated teaching and ...

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Make it and play it!

Students learn about, make and use percussion instruments.

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TSO Songbook Part 1: Tingalayo

Tingalayo is a children's song from the Carribean that has many versions in Spanish-speaking and English-speaking cultures. The Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra have created a range of resources to explore and perform the song (in English and Spanish) in the classroom. Resources include a teacher's guide with differentiated ...

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What is a Symphony Orchestra?

This set of resources introduces students to the instruments in a symphony orchestra and supports development of skills in aural identification of instrumental timbre. Conductor Richard Gill AO and musicians from the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra introduce woodwind, brass, string and percussion instruments in a video resource. ...

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Sites2See: Exploring energy for Primary

One page with links to websites with interactive resources, information and activities to support primary students investigating energy and the Climate Clever Energy Savers program.

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Listen to music inspired by paintings

This piece of music is called ""Pictures at an Exhibition"". It was written by a Russian composer called Mussorgsky. He was inspired to write this piece of music when he went to see his friend's paintings in an exhibition. As you listen to the orchestra playing the music, perhaps you can imagine you are walking through ...

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Introducing the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's woodwind section

What do the instruments in the woodwind section of the orchestra have in common? Can you make a list of all the instruments in this section? Some of them might be familiar, but some of them might be new to you. Choose one of the instruments that's new to you and do some research to find out more about it.

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Who's that cheeky gnome?

Listen as host Paul Rissmann tells a story about Mussorgsky and a gnome called Harry. How does the orchestra's music help to tell the story?