Unit Plan 20 (Grade 6 Orchestra): Tone Color—Strings, Strings, Strings

Focus: Explore how string choice, bow placement, and instrument roles affect tone color and musical character in string music.

Grade Level: 6

Subject Area: Orchestra (Tone Color • Listening • Performance Connection)

Total Unit Duration: 5 sessions (one week), 50–60 minutes per session

I. Introduction

In this unit, Grade 6 orchestra students become tone color explorers. They experiment with playing the same notes on different strings, using different bow placements (near the bridge or fingerboard), and listening for how each choice changes the sound and character. Students also learn how instrument roles—melody vs. accompaniment, bass line vs. inner voices—shape the overall color of the ensemble. By the end of the week, students can explain and demonstrate how bowing style, string choice, and roles affect the mood and character of orchestra music.

Essential Questions

• What is tone color, and how is it different from pitch or volume?
• How does choosing a different string or bow placement change the sound of a passage?
• How do different instrument roles (melody, harmony, bass, accompaniment) affect the overall character of a piece?
• How can we use tone color choices to match the mood and style the music needs?

II. Objectives and Standards

Learning Objectives — Students will be able to:

1. Define tone color and describe it using simple describing words (warm, bright, dark, thin, full).
2. Demonstrate how string choice (e.g., D vs. A string) and bow placement (near bridge vs. fingerboard) change tone color on a short passage.
3. Identify different instrument roles (melody, harmony, bass/accompaniment) in a short listening example and describe how each role affects the overall sound.
4. Explain, in words or diagrams, how bowing style, string choice, and instrument roles affect tone color and character in class repertoire.
5. Create a short Tone Color Plan for a class excerpt, choosing strings and bow placement to match a given mood and explaining their choices.

Standards Alignment — Grade 6 Orchestra (custom, NAfME-style)

• OR:Re7.6b — Explain how bowing style, string choice, and instrument roles affect tone color and character in string music.
  • Example: Students explain how playing on the G string creates a darker tone than playing on the A string.

Success Criteria — Student Language

• I can explain what tone color means and use words like bright, dark, warm, full to describe it.
• I can show how playing on a different string or with a different bow placement changes the sound of the same notes.
• I can listen to a piece and tell who has the melody, who plays accompaniment or bass, and how that affects the sound.
• I can choose strings and bow placements that match a given mood and explain why they fit.
• I can create a simple Tone Color Plan for part of our music and talk about how it changes the character.