Popular Musical Instruments Vocabulary
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Our Popular Musical Instruments Vocabulary cards are text-free picture cards with 12 real photographs of instruments commonly heard in contemporary music, from guitar to harmonica. Students learn the precise name of each instrument through the three-period lesson, building spoken vocabulary before they read. They are designed for Montessori primary classrooms, homeschools, English learners, and intervention settings.
Montessori language work begins with the child's own world, and for many children that world is full of music at home, in the car, and in the community. Every instrument makes sound by making something vibrate. A guitar's strings vibrate when they are strummed or plucked, a drum's head vibrates when it is struck, and a small metal reed inside a harmonica vibrates when a player blows or draws air through it.
Because the cards have no printed words, pre-readers can focus on the photo and its name. Later, students can sort the cards by how each instrument is played, or connect each one to the sound it makes.
What's included
- 12 cards, each showing one real photograph of an instrument commonly heard in popular music, with no text (see photo for list)
- Cards are approx. 4¼" x 3¾"
- Eco-laminated with a food-grade laminate, with rounded corners
- Sturdy, clear reclosable bag for storage
- Lesson plan included
Display these cards in our medium cloth pouches (sold separately).
Created by a Montessori teacher. Eco-printed in our rural New England office.
Made in the USA. CPSIA compliant.
Note: Photos may change from those pictured.
Why do vocabulary cards matter for reading?
Interest drives learning. Montessori is a student-centered approach: the teacher observes what each student is curious about and offers materials that match. A student fascinated by music will choose these cards again and again. Each time is more practice naming, discussing, and sorting. That practice builds vocabulary, part of the language comprehension side of reading in both Gough and Tunmer's (1986) simple view of reading and Scarborough's (2001) reading rope.
How do you use popular musical instrument vocabulary cards?
First, spark student curiosity by saying you're going to do some work with the instruments we hear in popular music. Play a favorite song and discuss which instruments students can hear. Then, choose a few cards at a time and use the three-period lesson to name each instrument. Once students know the names, play recordings that feature each instrument and invite students to find the card that matches the sound. If you have real instruments in the classroom, students can match them to their cards, and a visit from a local musician makes a wonderful extension. Then use the cards for sorting games, such as sorting instruments from our In the Kitchen Vocabulary cards. When students are reading, move on to the Popular Musical Instruments 3-Part Reading Cards.
What ages is this for?
Typically ages 3 and up. The cards work well for pre-readers, English learners, and students in intervention settings, as well as older students with a special interest in music.
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