Musical Ensembles

Musical Ensembles

ORCHESTRA

• Large String Section

• Led by a Conductor

• All 4 instrument families represented

• Usually plays symphonies & classical music

• No Saxophones

Types of Orchestras

• CHAMBER ORCHESTRA - Smaller group of up to 50 musicians

• SYMPHONIC ORCHESTRA - Large group of 100 or more musicians

• STRING ORCHESTRA - Made up of ONLY Strings

CONCERT BAND

• Only 3 instrument families represented

• Woodwinds, Brass, & Percussion

• No String Instruments

• Plays a variety of music

• Led by a Director or Leader

• Includes Saxophones

MARCHING BAND

• Performs outdoors - usually marching

• Mostly Winds - Brass & Woodwind with Percussion (Same as concert band)

• Plays a variety of music

• Led by a Drum Major

Other types of Bands

• Refers to smaller groups usually with 1 musician per part

• May be variety of instruments depending on the style of music played

• Rock bands, jazz bands, pop bands, folk bands are some types.

• May include vocalists or string instruments such as guitar or bass.

Common Band Instrumentations

• Jazz Bands - Feature saxophones, with trumpet, trombone, drums, keyboard/piano, bass, and guitar. Usually described as a horn section and a rhythm section.

• Rock Bands - Feature guitar, bass, drums, and vocalist. Sometimes with piano or keyboard.

• Country/Folk Bands - Same as rock band, but may include fiddle, mandolin, harmonica, or steel guitar. Often acoustic vs. electric.

Solo & Ensembles

• Soloist = 1 person

• Duet = 2 musicians performing together

• Trio = 3 musicians performing together

• Quartet = 4 musicians performing together

• Quintet = 5 musicians performing together

• Ensembles are often named by the types of instrumentation used. Example: 4 String instruments = String Quartet, 4-6 Wind instruments = Wind Ensemble.

Multiple Choice

Bands - which instrument would you NOT hear in a Rock Band?

• Flute

• Bass Guitar

• Electric Guitar

• Drums

Multiple Choice

Orchestras - what is the name for the person at the front of a Symphony Orchestra?

• Instructor

• Conductor

• Producer

• Director

Multiple Choice

A group of instrumentalists, including woodwind, brass, and percussion sections (no strings)

• Band

• Woodwind Quintet

• Orchestra

• Brass Quintet

Multiple Choice

A group of instrumentalists, including string, woodwind, brass, and percussion sections

• Band

• Percussion Ensemble

• Orchestra

• Choir

Multiple Choice

Which ensemble is this?

• Orchestra

• Soloist

• Quartet

• Duet

• Trio

Multiple Choice

Which ensemble is this?

• Orchestra

• Soloist

• Quartet

• Duet

• Trio

Multiple Choice

Which ensemble is this?

• Orchestra

• Soloist

• Quartet

• Duet

• Trio

Multiple Choice

Which ensemble is this?

• Orchestra

• Soloist

• Quartet

• Duet

• Trio

Multiple Choice

The large group containing all 4 families of instruments is called an

• orchestra
• choir
• band
• group

Multiple Choice

• solo
• duet
• trio 
• quartet

Multiple Choice

Which instruments are in a percussion ensemble?

• A snare drum & a marimba

• A flute, an oboe, a clarinet, a bassoon, and a french horn

• Any group of percussion instruments playing together

• Two trumpets, a french horn, a trombone, and a tuba

Multiple Choice

A quintet is made up of how many musicians?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

A quartet is made up of how many musicians?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

What do you call the person who leads a marching band?

• Drum Major

• Leader

• Director

• Conductor

Multiple Choice

A trio is made up of how many musicians?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

A duet is made up of how many musicians?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

A Concert Band & Marching Band contain which instrument families?

• Strings, Woodwinds, Percussion

• Brass, Woodwinds, Percussion

• Woodwinds, Strings, Brass

• Percussion, Strings, Brass

Multiple Choice

A soloist is made up of how many musicians?

• 1

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

What do you call a large group of musicians that perform outdoors, mostly walking or marching while playing a variety of types of music?

• Concert Band

• Marching Band

• Big Band

• Jazz Band

Multiple Choice

Which group would most likely feature Saxophones?

• Orchestra

• Rock Band

• Jazz Band

• String Quartet