The Story Orchestra: The Planets

We’re going on a trip…

The newest installment of the Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life with another gorgeously illustrated journey based on a piece of classical music. Let’s explore “The Planets” with 10-second sound clips from the orchestral suite by Gustav Holst.

In our favorite rocket ship!

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L👀K

The Celeste

This unique instrument is used in several movements of “The Planets.”

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Listen 👂

The entire orchestral Suite

In which movements (individual songs that are from a collection of related music) do you hear the celeste?

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Learn ✍️

What is an orchestral suite?

Orchestral suites are musical compositions that use a full symphony orchestra. Think of an orchestral suite as a musical story that expresses many different emotions and explores interesting instrument combinations. Besides Holst’s “The Planets,” other well-known orchestral suites are Bach's "Orchestral Suites" and Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite," which is very popular around Christmas time.

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Links to learning

🎶-Symphony Facts for Kids: Kiddle.com

🎶-Orchestra Facts for Kids: Kiddle.com

🎶-NASA Science-Space: Solar System

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