1. I think a drum would be the easiest instrument to explain. You can vary the pitch and loudness by hitting it with different intensities or at different points or angles.
PS. I'm not talking about a drumset. I'm talking about an ordinary drum.
2. Different types of instruments sound different even though they play the same notes because they use different mechanisms for producing sound.
First of all, looks like your teacher is indeed pretty horrible. Secondly, the constraints to consider would be proper weight distribution, methods to minimize excessive motion of the building structure, and quantities such as volume and density, which would help in determining the optimal structure. Keeping the frequency of oscillation for a building low in case of an earthquake or natural disaster would also be a priority.
V^2= 2* g * s
V^2 = 2 * 9.8 * 50 = 980
v = square root (980)=...... m/s
