The Big, Beautiful Organ: Reading for Grade 1

This grade 1 reading passage introduces students to the organ, a large keyboard instrument found in churches and concert halls. Students learn how the organ works, including how air pushed through pipes by bellows creates high and low sounds, and they discover its history from Ctesibius's water-powered invention to modern pipe, electronic, and reed organs. The passage also explains key organ parts such as the keyboard, manuals, pedals, pipes, bellows, and stops. Bolded vocabulary and clear comparisons support reading comprehension and build instrument-related vocabulary in an arts context.