Search - Tune Buddies Music Makers: An Introduction to the Instruments (DVD) on DVD

Excellent Resource for School Music Teachers

Larry Vanmersbergen | Chicago, IL | 08/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This very reasonably priced dvd was a pleasant surprise. I purchased this dvd to teacher about tone color/timbre and the instrument families of the orchestra. When I previewed the dvd, I found each section to be informative and entertaining. The dvd begins with a segment called "Getting to Know the Instruments", which is an overview of all 4 orchestral families. The dvd also contains segments on "The Woodwinds", "The Percussion", "The Brass", "The Keyboards", and "The Strings." Each segment is about 22 minutes. In each segment, a humorous host explains how each family generates sound, the physical characteristics of the instruments in each family, and then has samples of multiple instruments from that family being played. This is tied together with a plot line to make it more interesting (in one segment, the host is baking a cake for Grandma and has fond flashbacks of growing up with her that are quite funny; in another, the host is solving the Case of the Missing String). The consultant on this video was the former MENC president, June Hinckley. This dvd is appropriate for grades 2-6."

Great Teaching Tool

Kari Johnston | 02/24/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been looking for a dvd (to replace old worn-out VHS from Share the Music series) that showed all of the instruments in each family in a way that the students could hear each instrument and understand how it fits into each family. This DVD is perfect and it also has great humor that the students love and could make 'connections' too!!!"