Music and Sound

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This activity (on page 2 of the PDF under SciGirls Activity: Music and Sound) is a full inquiry investigation into sound frequency. Groups of learners will use an electronic keyboard (if one is available) to identify which note on the musical scale is made by a cardboard or PVC tube dropped onto a hard surface. Learners continue to cut tubes to the right lengths to make the notes of the Do-Re-Mi scale and then lay their tubes into a frequency graph. Relates to linked video, DragonflyTV GPS: Music and Sound.

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
5 to 10 minutes
Learning Time:
1 to 2 hours
Estimated Materials Cost:
$5 - $10 per group of students
Age Range:
Ages 8 - 14
Resource Types:
Activity, Experiment/Lab Activity
Language:
English

Materials List (per group of students)

  • 8-10 cardboard tubes, especially long ones from gift wrap paper (or 2 inch diameter PVC pipes)
  • tape measure, yardstick, or meter stick
  • scissors, to cut the tubes
  • optional: electronic keyboard, to match notes from the found objects to the musical scale

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Hearing
  • Mathematics
    • Data Analysis and Probability
      • Data Analysis
      • Data Collection
      • Data Representation
    • Measurement
      • Units of Measurement
      • Size and Scale
      • Rate
    • Reasoning and Proof
    • Representation
  • The Nature of Technology
    • The Design Process
      • Problem Solving
  • Physical Sciences
    • Vibration and Waves
      • Wave Properties
      • Sound
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations
      • Gathering Data
      • Communicating Results

Informal Categories

  • Music

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • hear
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Involves teamwork and communication skills
  • Links STEM to other topics of interest such as arts and humanities
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Culture, ethnicity, and gender

  • Girls

    • Highlights STEM opportunities for this group
    • Identifies role models or mentors in STEM fields from this group
    • Uses inclusive images of people from this group

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

Source Collection

  • DragonflyTV

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Twin Cities Public Television, Inc., 2006

Funding Source:

  • National Science Foundation, 436260