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Ep237: Symphony Orchestra · Kidcast Daily

• 0:26
  Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where we bring news, trivia, fun
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  facts, and more just for curious kids like you.
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  If you recognized that intro music you just heard, you know
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  what's coming. Today we're diving into the
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  amazing world of the Symphony Orchestra.
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  If you have ever heard the powerful sound of many
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  instruments playing together in a concert hall, or seen a group
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  of musicians on stage, you may have witnessed a Symphony
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  Orchestra in action. But what exactly is a Symphony
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  Orchestra? How does it work?
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  And who are the people behind all those instruments?
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  Get ready to discover all about this fascinating musical team.
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  Let's start with the basics. A Symphony Orchestra is a large
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  group of musicians who play different kinds of instruments
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  together. The word Symphony comes from
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  Greek words that means sounding together.
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  The orchestra plays symphonies and many other kinds of music.
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  Some orchestras can have more than 100 people, while others
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  might be a bit smaller. The music they create can be
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  loud, soft, fast, slow, joyful, or even mysterious.
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  It all depends on what the music is about and how the musicians
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  play it. The Symphony Orchestra is
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  made-up of four main families of instruments, strings, woodwinds,
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  brass, and percussion. Each family adds its own special
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  sound to the music, and every instrument plays an important
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  role. First up, let's talk about the
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  string section. The string family is usually the
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  largest part of the orchestra and sits at the front of the
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  stage. The most common string
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  instruments are the violin, Viola, cello, and double bass.
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  Violinists often play the melody, which is the main tune
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  of the music. Violas are a bit bigger than
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  violins and have a deeper sound. Cellos are even larger and are
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  played sitting down with the instrument resting on the floor.
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  The double bass is the biggest and makes the lowest sounds in
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  the string family. All these instruments are played
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  by drawing a bow across the strings or by plucking the
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  strings with fingers, which is called pizzicato.
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  Did you know that the strings in a violin or cello are often made
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  from steel or nylon today, but they used to be made from sheep
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  gut a long time ago. This helped create a rich and
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  warm sound, but today's materials make the strings last
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  longer. Next is the woodwind family.
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  These instruments make sound when air is blown through them.
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  In most orchestras you'll find flutes, oboes, clarinets, and
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  bassoons. In this section, the flute is
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  played by blowing air across a small hole, kind of like blowing
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  across the top of a bottle. The oboe and bassoon use a
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  double Reed, which is 2 thin pieces of wood that vibrate when
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  you blow through them. The clarinet uses a single Reed.
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  Each woodwind instrument has its own unique sound.
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  For example, the flute can sound light and airy, while the
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  bassoon can sound deep and a little bit funny.
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  Here's a fun fact. The piccolo, which is a tiny
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  flute, plays the highest notes in the orchestra.
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  Its sound can soar right above all the other instruments.
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  After woodwinds, let's meet the brass family.
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  These instruments are made of metal and have a shiny golden
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  look. To play a brass instrument, you
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  blow air through closed lips, making them buzz.
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  The main brass instruments in the orchestra are the trumpet,
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  French horn, trombone, and tuba. The trumpet is usually the
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  smallest and plays bright, high notes.
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  The French horn has a round shape and makes rich, mellow
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  sounds. The trombone has a slide that
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  you move to change notes and the tuba is the biggest playing the
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  lowest rumbling notes. Did you know that some trumpet
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  players can play notes so a high they sound almost like birds and
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  the longest trombone slide can stretch out farther than a grown
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  up's arm. Finally, we have the percussion
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  section. Percussion instruments are
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  played by hitting, shaking, or scraping them.
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  This group includes the tympani, snare drum, bass drum, cymbals,
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  triangles, xylophone, and even more.
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  The tympani are large drums that can play different pitches by
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  tightening or loosening their drum heads.
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  The snare drum makes a sharp, rattling sound, and the cymbals
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  crash together for a burst of excitement.
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  Some percussion instruments, like the triangle, are small,
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  while others, like the bass drum, are huge and make deep,
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  booming sounds. Fun fact, there's even a
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  percussion instrument called the whip which makes a cracking
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  sound. Just like its name,
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  percussionists have to be ready to play many different
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  instruments in one piece of music.
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  All these families come together to create the full sound of the
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  orchestra. But how do so many people know
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  what to play and when to play it?
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  That's where the conductor comes in.
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  The conductor is the person who stands at the front of the
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  orchestra and leads the musicians.
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  The conductor uses a stick called a batten to keep the
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  beat, show how fast or slow the music should go, and help
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  everyone play together. The conductor studies the music
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  carefully and sometimes even helps choose which pieces the
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  orchestra will perform. Conductors use hand movements
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  and facial expressions to show musicians when to Start, Stop,
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  get louder, get softer, or change the mood of the music.
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  Some famous conductors like Leonard Bernstein and Gustavo
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  Dudamel are known for their energetic and exciting
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  conducting styles. Now let's talk about what kind
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  of music a Symphony Orchestra plays.
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  One of the most important types is called a Symphony, which is a
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  long piece of music usually divided into 4 sections called
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  movements. Each movement sounds a bit
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  different. Orchestras also play concertos,
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  which are pieces that feature a soloist, like a violin player or
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  pianist, with the orchestra playing behind them.
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  Sometimes orchestras play overtures, which are short,
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  exciting pieces that start concerts or operas.
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  And there's also ballet and movie music.
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  In fact, many famous film scores, like the music from Star
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  Wars, Harry Potter, and Jurassic Park are played by Symphony
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  orchestras. Some of the most famous
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  composers who wrote music for orchestras include Ludwig Van
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  Beethoven, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piotr Tchaikovsky, and
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  Gustav Mahler. Beethoven's Symphony number 5
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  starts with a very famous four note pattern.
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  Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite is played at ballet performances
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  all around the world, especially during the winter holidays.
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  Let's take a quick look at what happens before a concert begins.
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  When the audience arrives, the musicians are already on stage
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  tuning their instruments. The concert master, who is the
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  lead violinist, stands up and signals for the orchestra to
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  tune to a specific note, usually played by the oboe.
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  This helps everyone sound good together.
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  When the conductor walks on stage, the audience often claps
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  to welcome them. Then the concert begins.
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  Did you know that it takes a lot of practice to be part of a
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  Symphony Orchestra? Musicians spend years learning
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  their instruments and practicing together.
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  They rehearse every piece many times to make sure they can play
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  as a team. Some musicians Start learning
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  music when they are very young, even before they are 10 years
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  old. Many cities around the world
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  have their own Symphony orchestras.
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  For example, there's the New York Philharmonic in the United
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  States, the London Symphony Orchestra in England, and the
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  Berlin Philharmonic in Germany. Some orchestras travel to
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  perform in different countries, and some even make recordings so
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  people can listen to their music at home or in the car.
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  Attending a Symphony Orchestra concert can be a special
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  experience. Sometimes the musicians dress up
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  in tuxedos or fancy dresses, and the concert hall is big and
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  beautiful with lots of seats and fancy decorations.
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  The music can make you feel happy, excited, calm, or even a
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  little bit scared, depending on what the composer wanted to
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  express. Before we wrap up, here are a
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  few more fun facts. The largest Symphony Orchestra
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  ever assembled had over 8000 musicians and performed in
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  Australia in 2013. The world's oldest orchestra is
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  the Royal Danish Orchestra, which started way back in 1448.
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  Some orchestras perform outside in parks, and people bring
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  picnics and sit on the grass to listen.
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  Let's recap what we learned today.
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  A Symphony Orchestra is a big group of musicians who play
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  different instruments together, including strings, woodwinds,
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  brass, and percussion. Each family of instruments adds
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  its own special sound. The conductor leads the
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  orchestra, making sure everyone plays together.
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  Orchestras play many kinds of music, from classical symphonies
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  to movie soundtracks. It takes teamwork, practice, and
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  a love of music to be part of an orchestra.
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  Thanks for joining us on Kick Cast Daily.
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  Now you know all about Symphony orchestras and the wonderful
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  music they create. Next time you hear an orchestra,
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  you'll know just what's going on.
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  Stay curious, keep listening and see you next time.
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  For more fun facts and discoveries, grab your
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  breakfast. Feelings.
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  Fine, adventures waiting.