Orchestra seating map

How to use the map

The map shows one common way an orchestra sits, seen from a seat in the audience. Tap any section to see who sits there, which family the instrument belongs to, and one or two facts about it. Tap a family to see where all of its sections are.

Then play the find it game. The names disappear, and the game asks for one section at a time. A wrong tap tells you which section that was, so each miss teaches a name too.

Why they sit that way

The quietest instruments sit closest to the listeners. The strings are at the front in a wide fan around the conductor. The woodwinds sit in the middle. The brass sit behind them, and the percussion sit at the back. A trumpet is far louder than a violin, so distance evens things out.

Orchestras do not all sit the same way, and one orchestra may change its plan from piece to piece. Read who sits where and why for the other plans.

Take it to a concert

Print the orchestra seating chart, which has a labeled map and a blank one to fill in. Hold it up to a concert video and find each group when the camera shows the whole stage.