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Parents and Students,

 This site was created for those who want to learn more about the various instruments. Unfortunately, we cannot view these musical performances in the classroom. Therefore, I created this site for anyone interested in doing some additional study at home. It deals with traditional Western instruments: what they are, what they sound like, the musicians that play them, and the composers that write/wrote for them. A wide variety of repertoire, spanning centuries, has been selected. Familiarize yourself with performers like Yo Yo Ma, James Galway, Nigel Kennedy, Joseph Alessi, and others. Listen to the music of composers like Penderecki, Prokofiev, Ravel, and others. Also, listen to some of the ensemble recordings. Have you ever heard a Bartok string quartet? or the Kronos Quartet interpret the music of Jimi Hendrix? They're remarkable!

 Within the parameters of traditional Western instruments there are many instruments that are used //less frequently//, as well as those that are //very rarely// used. Notice that each of the categories has an 'OTHERS' link. This will take you to some of these instruments. Listen to the sound of a contrabass saxophone, the subcontrabass flute, a zither, the sarussophone, and more. You're sure to find these instruments fascinating.

 Also, once you've familiarized yourself with the instruments, composers, and performers in a particular category, try testing your knowledge with one of the quizzes. Each of the orchestral families has (or will have) a quiz based on the material on this site. Good luck - they're a little challenging. But most importantly, have fun getting acquainted with the instruments, musicians and the music.

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