Here are three music word searches, from easy to hard. The first hides ten instruments. The second hides twelve composers. The third hides fourteen music words. Print this page, or copy a grid onto squared paper. The answer keys are at the bottom.
How to use them
- Print the page from your browser, and cut the puzzles apart.
- Circle each word with a pencil or a highlighter, and tick it off the list.
- Use the numbers. Each grid has row numbers down the side and column numbers along the top, so a child can tell you where a word starts.
- Do the task after each puzzle. It turns a puzzle into a short lesson.
Puzzle 1: instruments (easy)
Words go across, from left to right, and down, from top to bottom.
Find these ten words: Violin, Cello, Harp, Flute, Oboe, Trumpet, Tuba, Drum, Piano, and Horn.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | L | T | R | A | V | T | H | P | L | A |
| 2 | O | O | T | I | I | H | I | I | H | D |
| 3 | A | T | A | I | O | D | F | A | A | L |
| 4 | A | U | C | E | L | R | R | N | F | O |
| 5 | O | B | O | E | I | U | U | O | L | C |
| 6 | U | A | O | L | N | M | B | H | U | E |
| 7 | H | P | U | N | O | P | E | O | T | L |
| 8 | E | O | H | A | U | H | R | R | E | L |
| 9 | F | U | N | H | A | R | P | N | T | O |
| 10 | U | T | R | U | M | P | E | T | E | N |
After the puzzle: sort the ten instruments into families. Which are strings, which are woodwinds, which are brass, and which are percussion? Check your answers in instruments of the orchestra for kids.
Puzzle 2: composers (medium)
Words go across, down, and on a slant, down and to the right.
Find these twelve names: Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Handel, Vivaldi, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms, Grieg, Debussy, Ravel, and Price.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | V | M | V | A | B | H | B | R | A | H | M | S |
| 2 | I | O | I | R | E | I | T | E | V | A | N | I |
| 3 | H | Z | V | V | E | Y | G | R | I | E | G | T |
| 4 | L | A | A | A | T | L | R | A | M | N | E | C |
| 5 | H | R | L | C | H | H | A | N | D | E | L | N |
| 6 | C | T | D | C | O | D | V | E | B | P | V | B |
| 7 | D | C | I | V | V | D | E | B | U | S | S | Y |
| 8 | T | D | H | B | E | M | L | H | A | Y | D | N |
| 9 | R | B | E | O | N | P | R | I | C | E | B | E |
| 10 | P | G | U | M | P | Z | N | G | O | R | A | N |
| 11 | I | G | U | A | B | I | H | N | G | D | C | R |
| 12 | C | L | E | E | S | E | N | S | B | H | H | I |
After the puzzle: put the twelve composers in order by year of birth. Use the composer timeline or the composer cards to check.
Puzzle 3: music words (hard)
Words go across, down, on a slant, and from the bottom up.
Find these fourteen words: Tempo, Forte, Staff, Legato, Staccato, Rhythm, Melody, Harmony, Treble, Scale, Chord, Rest, Beat, and Clef.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T | E | B | E | A | T | F | M | S | T | L | E |
| 2 | O | C | O | C | A | C | E | H | Y | T | D | E |
| 3 | P | E | C | E | E | C | T | T | M | S | Y | E |
| 4 | M | F | C | S | R | C | S | Y | E | T | S | E |
| 5 | E | O | N | H | S | E | E | H | L | Y | A | L |
| 6 | T | R | P | B | O | T | R | R | O | N | N | B |
| 7 | E | T | S | T | O | R | A | T | D | O | R | E |
| 8 | E | E | F | T | T | A | D | C | Y | M | H | R |
| 9 | L | T | E | L | A | T | R | M | C | R | M | T |
| 10 | A | C | L | O | G | F | Y | F | N | A | T | C |
| 11 | C | B | C | R | E | T | F | F | L | H | T | T |
| 12 | S | N | H | F | L | D | E | S | E | Y | R | O |
After the puzzle: say what each word means. Look up any you do not know in the plain glossary of music words.
Make your own word search
- Draw a grid of ten squares by ten on squared paper.
- Choose eight music words. Use the names of pieces, composers, or instruments your child knows.
- Write the words into the grid, one letter to a square. Let some cross.
- Fill the empty squares with other letters.
- Write the word list under the grid, and swap puzzles with a friend.
Making a puzzle is good spelling practice for names such as Tchaikovsky and Beethoven.
Answers
Each answer gives the square where the word starts and the way it runs. “Across” runs left to right. “Down” runs top to bottom. “Diagonal down” runs down and to the right. “Up” runs from the bottom to the top.
Puzzle 1
| Word | Row | Column | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violin | 1 | 5 | Down |
| Cello | 5 | 10 | Down |
| Harp | 9 | 4 | Across |
| Flute | 4 | 9 | Down |
| Oboe | 5 | 1 | Across |
| Trumpet | 10 | 2 | Across |
| Tuba | 3 | 2 | Down |
| Drum | 3 | 6 | Down |
| Piano | 1 | 8 | Down |
| Horn | 6 | 8 | Down |
Families: the violin, the cello, and the harp are strings. The flute and the oboe are woodwinds. The trumpet, the tuba, and the horn are brass. The drum is percussion. The piano is a keyboard instrument, and it is often placed with the percussion.
Puzzle 2
| Word | Row | Column | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bach | 9 | 11 | Down |
| Mozart | 1 | 2 | Down |
| Haydn | 8 | 8 | Across |
| Handel | 5 | 6 | Across |
| Vivaldi | 1 | 3 | Down |
| Beethoven | 1 | 5 | Down |
| Chopin | 7 | 2 | Diagonal down |
| Brahms | 1 | 7 | Across |
| Grieg | 3 | 7 | Across |
| Debussy | 7 | 6 | Across |
| Ravel | 4 | 7 | Down |
| Price | 9 | 6 | Across |
Order of birth: Vivaldi (1678), Bach (1685), Handel (1685), Haydn (1732), Mozart (1756), Beethoven (1770), Chopin (1810), Brahms (1833), Grieg (1843), Debussy (1862), Ravel (1875), and Price (1887). Bach and Handel were born a month apart.
Puzzle 3
| Word | Row | Column | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tempo | 6 | 1 | Up |
| Forte | 4 | 2 | Down |
| Staff | 7 | 3 | Diagonal down |
| Legato | 12 | 5 | Up |
| Staccato | 5 | 5 | Diagonal down |
| Rhythm | 6 | 8 | Up |
| Melody | 3 | 9 | Down |
| Harmony | 11 | 10 | Up |
| Treble | 9 | 12 | Up |
| Scale | 12 | 1 | Up |
| Chord | 4 | 3 | Diagonal down |
| Rest | 6 | 7 | Up |
| Beat | 1 | 3 | Across |
| Clef | 11 | 3 | Up |
Read about the words
- Tempo and forte: tempo words in music and dynamics in music
- Legato and staccato: staccato and legato explained
- Staff, treble, and clef: treble clef and bass clef note names explained
- Rhythm, beat, and rest: note values explained
- Melody and harmony: elements of music for kids
- Scale and chord: major and minor scales explained and chords explained for kids
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.