Fine Arts · Class 8

Active learning ideas

Wind Instruments: Flute and Shehnai

Active learning helps students connect physically and emotionally to wind instruments, which are best understood through touch, breath, and sound. By building models and practicing techniques, students internalise the unique characteristics of the flute and shehnai beyond mere observation.

• CBSE Learning Outcomes
• CBSE: Musical Instruments - Wind - Class 8

• 20–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Gallery Walk
• 40 min · Small Groups

Build a Simple Flute Model

Students use bamboo sticks, straws, or PVC pipes to construct a basic flute. They drill holes at measured intervals and test tones by blowing across the top. This reveals how construction affects sound quality.

Analyze how the breath control of a flautist impacts melodic phrasing.

Facilitation Tip

When creating the Instrument Comparison Chart, provide a template with columns for construction, playing technique, and cultural use to guide structured thinking.

What to look for

Provide students with two images: one of a flute and one of a shehnai. Ask them to write one sentence for each instrument explaining its primary cultural context and one sentence describing a key difference in its playing technique.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Gallery Walk
• 25 min · Individual

Breath Control Exercises

Guide students through pursed-lip breathing and long-tone holds to mimic flautist techniques. They practise phrasing simple melodies on a recorder or empty bottle. This builds awareness of air flow in melody creation.

Explain the cultural significance of the Shehnai in Indian ceremonies.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How does the physical construction of the flute and shehnai influence the type of music they are best suited for?' Facilitate a class discussion, encouraging students to refer to specific features like finger holes, reeds, and bell shape.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 03

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Pairs

Shehnai Cultural Simulation

In pairs, students research shehnai performances and enact wedding processions with recorded music. They discuss its role and imitate reed buzzing with paper and string. This connects technique to tradition.

Compare the melodic capabilities of a bamboo flute with a Western wind instrument.

What to look for

Ask students to hold up their hands if they can identify a key difference between the flute and shehnai based on a short audio clip of each instrument. Then, ask students to verbally explain one difference they heard.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 20 min · Whole Class

Instrument Comparison Chart

Students draw charts comparing the bamboo flute with a Western clarinet on construction, playing posture, and melody range. They share findings in class. This highlights unique Indian features.

Analyze how the breath control of a flautist impacts melodic phrasing.

What to look for

Provide students with two images: one of a flute and one of a shehnai. Ask them to write one sentence for each instrument explaining its primary cultural context and one sentence describing a key difference in its playing technique.

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should focus on sensory learning—let students feel the airflow of the flute and the vibration of the shehnai’s reed. Avoid over-explaining; instead, let students discover differences through guided exploration. Research shows that tactile and auditory experiences strengthen memory for musical instruments.

Successful learning looks like students demonstrating precise breath control, accurately comparing instruments, and explaining cultural contexts with evidence from their hands-on work. They should confidently articulate differences in construction and technique.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Shehnai Cultural Simulation, watch for students assuming the shehnai is played only during weddings.

  Use the audio clips and images provided to point out the shehnai’s presence in temple rituals, festivals, and processions, explaining its auspicious tone fits many occasions.

• During Breath Control Exercises, watch for students believing flute playing requires no breath control.

  Ask students to observe how air speed and pressure change the pitch and volume during exercises, then relate this to melodic phrasing in classical music.

• During Instrument Comparison Chart, watch for students describing the flute as similar to a Western recorder.

  Have students hold their flute models transversely and cover holes partially to show how microtones are produced, unlike the recorder’s longitudinal design.

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Methods used in this brief

• Gallery Walk