Sounds and Instruments
Class 5 · Arts
4 ideas in Class 5 Arts, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Families of Instruments
Part of: Instrument families and strings
Instruments create and embellish music into rich layers, hundreds from simple to complex, grouped as string (tata), wind (sushira), percussion (avanaddha) and solid (ghana). Learners identify categories, names, origins and music forms from sounds, pictures and online recordings.
Why it matters. Grouped instruments guide ears. Named origins enrich listening.
Try it in two minutes
- Name four categories.
- Name one instrument each.
- Hear one online.
Try at home. Sort home sounds by family.
Rudraveena
Part of: Instrument families and strings
Rudraveena is a large plucked string instrument with twin thumba resonators voicing Hindustani music, especially ancient dhrupad, in deep resonant tones beneath carved floral patterns. Learners decorate it with visual-arts ideas and compare its online voice with other instruments.
Why it matters. Deep strings carry ancient ragas. Compared voices sharpen ears.
Try it in two minutes
- Name its two resonators.
- Hum its deep voice.
- Compare one recording.
Try at home. Hear dhrupad online with family.
Santoor
Part of: Santoor, ektara and whistles
Santoor is Kashmir's Indian stringed instrument struck with mizrab mallets across about 100 maple-walnut strings, anciently Shatatantri Veena voicing Sufiyana Mausiqui and now Hindustani classical, breathing valley peace in a trapezoid body.
Why it matters. Struck strings paint valleys. Old names carry instruments through time.
Try it in two minutes
- Count its hundred strings.
- Name its wooden body.
- Trace its trapezoid shape.
Try at home. Hear santoor's calm online.
Ektara, Song and Whistle
Part of: Santoor, ektara and whistles
Ektara drones and tunes on one copper string stretched over paper-capped coconut shells on bamboo stems with glued pegs, tuned by tightness and painted bright. Bengali songs celebrate its nature music while terracotta bird whistles across states tweet with blown water as humanity's earliest instruments.
Why it matters. Scrap builds sing. Water plus clay tweets birds.
Try it in two minutes
- List ektara materials.
- Stretch one tight string.
- Tweet with water and clay.
Try at home. Build an ektara with elders.
What your child will practise
- Ektara, Song and Whistle: Candy Quest (Flip and Match)
- Ektara, Song and Whistle: Ocean Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Families of Instruments: Animal Parade Quest (Match It Up)
- Rudraveena: Treasure Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Santoor: Desert Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Quiz: Ektara, Song and Whistle (8 questions)
- Quiz: Families of Instruments (8 questions)
- Quiz: Rudraveena (8 questions)
- Quiz: Santoor (8 questions)