The answer is…
Flute!
The oldest musical instrument, the Neanderthal flute of Divje Babe, is over 50,000 years old. It’s made out of bone from a cave bear and was made by an ancient human called a Neanderthal. It was discovered in Slovenia in 1995.
While the drum, didgeridoo and trumpets are also ancient instruments, scientists have identified that the Divje Babe flute is by far the oldest.
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Learning Connections
In elementary school, one key focus in music is learning about the different families of musical instruments.Students listen to and experiment with different kinds of musical instruments, learning about the sounds and characteristics of instruments from different musical families. The flute is part of the wind musical family.
Extra Resources
You may find these articles about ancient instruments fun to read about:
An article about the Neanderthal flute.
Listen to a recording of the Neanderthal flute (8:38).
Read about a bunch of old instruments including trumpets found in King Tut’s tomb!
This article includes info about some more old instruments including the very cool Digeridoo, an Australian Aboriginal wind instrument.
Want to do another music activity related to musical families? Check out this Dancing Panda activity.
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