Final answer:
The statement that steel drums are considered idiophones is true. Idiophones produce sound through their own material, such as steel pans from Trinidad and Tobago, which are played by striking their metal surfaces to generate tones.
Step-by-step explanation:
Steel drums are considered idiophones, which is true. Idiophones are instruments that create sound through the material itself being vibrated or struck, without the need for strings, membranes, or an enclosed column of air. In the context of ethnomusicology, where instruments are categorized based on how they produce sound, steel drums fit within this category. The steel pan is a perfect example of an idiophone as it is made from the bottom of an oil drum and played by striking the metal surface to produce different pitches. It is the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago and can be orchestrated into a steel pan orchestra.
In essence, idiophones like the steel drum contrast with other categories such as aerophones, chordophones, and membranophones. A guitar, for instance, would be classified as a chordophone because it produces sound through vibrating strings. Learning to classify instruments in this way helps us understand the fundamentals of music theory and the variety of instruments used in different cultures.