Instruments can be grouped into families based on how they make sound: you shake some, hit some, blow into some, and strum or pluck others. Sorting instruments into these groups helps you understand how different sounds are made and how instruments work together in music.
Gather pictures or real instruments and sort them into four piles: shake, hit, blow, strum. Play recordings and have children guess which family the instrument belongs to. Make a poster showing each family with examples children have tried.
The four families of instruments are groups based on how they make sound. Every instrument in the world fits into one of these four families: hit, shake, blow, or strum. Understanding the families helps you understand how all instruments work!
The HIT family includes instruments you strike or hit. Drums, xylophones, triangles, cymbals, and wood blocks are hit instruments. When you hit them, something vibrates and makes sound. The harder you hit, the louder the sound. The softer you tap, the quieter the sound. Hit instruments are ancient—people have been hitting things to make music since the beginning of time!
The SHAKE family includes instruments that make sound when you shake them. Maracas, shakers, rattles, and tambourines are shake instruments. Inside these instruments are little balls, seeds, or bells. When you shake them, these things move around and create sound. Shake instruments are wonderful for learning rhythm because your shaking controls the speed!
The BLOW family includes instruments that use air. Flutes, recorders, trumpets, whistles, and harmonicas are blow instruments. You blow air into them, and the air makes something inside vibrate and create sound. Blow instruments teach you breath control. You control how loud or soft the sound is by how hard you blow.
The STRUM family includes instruments with strings. Guitars, harps, ukuleles, and banjos are strum instruments. You move your fingers across the strings, and the strings vibrate and create sound. Different strings make different pitches. Strum instruments have been played all over the world for thousands of years!
All four families use vibration to make sound, but they vibrate in different ways. When you understand these families, you understand how every instrument in the world creates music. You can pick up any instrument and immediately know how to make it sound—hit it, shake it, blow it, or strum it! Try visiting each family. Find or imagine one instrument from each family. Make sounds with them. Notice how different they sound, even though they are all creating vibration and music!
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