Ever heard of the erhu? That's what these two girls are playing. As part of an Asian Heritage Month celebration, performances included a musical number in which four young girls played "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" on the erhu - more commonly known as the 'Chinese fiddle.'
The erhu dates back to the Song dynasty (~ 1104 A.D.) It has a long neck, small body, and two strings played with a bow inserted between them. Believe it or not, this seemingly simple instrument has a range of three octaves and sounds very similar to a violin. It is typically played while sitting, as the girl in the background is doing.
Very cool! I've seen them before but never knew what they were called.
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