Submitted by Stephanie Carey, Portsmouth, Ohio
Idea posted April 2, 2004
Using Boomwhackers® - My students talk about how long instruments make low sounds, and short instruments make high sounds. Demonstrate the difference between a long instrument (trombone or tuba) and a short instrument (flute or piccolo).
Vibrations - Fast vibrations make high sounds, and slow vibrations make low sounds. Have your students hold a ruler off the side of their desk. The more ruler they have hanging off of the desk, the longer the instrument is, and the lower the vibration is when they make the ruler go "boing" (hit the ruler and make it vibrate).
Students can make a double reeded instrument by biting down the end of a straw until it's flat and then cutting a "V" in the end of it. Add some tone holes and, violá, you have a straw oboe. This can also demonstrate long vs. short instruments.
You can explore the idea of amplification by simply taking a damp sponge and sliding it down a piece of yarn. It makes a squawking sound. Now put an "amplifier" on it...run the string through a large plastic cup and try the sound again, and it's louder! Why?
Since I am a clarinet player, I like to get out my clarinet and put it together piece by piece, showing them that it gets lower as it gets longer. Try taking off the reed - Why isn't there any sound?
You can download the Lesson Plan for this unit as well as the Lab Report for the students. I did this with seventh graders and had them work in groups of four.