UNIT OVERVIEW
In this unit you will connect music to scientific disciplines. This includes a physiologic understanding of the human ear and how the brain perceives sound. You will apply scientific concepts to the production and measurement of sound waves, such as frequency(Hz) and amplitude(dB). You will employ technology tools like the oscilloscope and sound level meters.
ACTIVITY #1: EXPERIMENTING WITH SPECTROGRAMS
Let's train your brains to start connecting sounds you hear with graphic representations. A spectrogram is a picture of sound. They are sometimes called voicegrams, voiceprints, or sonographs. Spectrograms represent the pitch and volume of a sound as it changes over a period of time. Experiment with spectrograms by clicking the link above. Be sure to try out all of the instruments. You can even create a spectrogram of your own voice!
ACTIVITY #2: PUT ON YOUR ORNITHOLOGY HATS!
In this activity you will match bird songs to their corresponding static spectrograms. People who study birds and bird songs are called ornithologists. There are over 10,000 species of birds and each has their very own bird song. See how many bird songs you can match to their correct spectrograms. Complete "Bird Song Hero" and "Bird Song Hero: Ultimate."
ACTIVITY #3: SCIENCE MEETS ART
Let's make wallpaper for your Chromebook that says your name in a waveform! Follow the steps below:
1. Go to the ONLINE VOICE RECORDER.
2. Click the record button and press "allow" to use your Chromebook's microphone.
3. Record your full name (first, middle, last).
4. Save your voice recording to Google Drive.
5. Go to the WAVEFORM GENERATOR.
6. Upload your sound file and create your waveform. Edit your waveform by deciding on size, colors, background, etc.
7. Save your waveform and post your artwork to SeeSaw.
1. Go to the ONLINE VOICE RECORDER.
2. Click the record button and press "allow" to use your Chromebook's microphone.
3. Record your full name (first, middle, last).
4. Save your voice recording to Google Drive.
5. Go to the WAVEFORM GENERATOR.
6. Upload your sound file and create your waveform. Edit your waveform by deciding on size, colors, background, etc.
7. Save your waveform and post your artwork to SeeSaw.
ACTIVITY #4: LET'S DIG IN!
These activities will be teacher-led, but I am posting these here for your reference.
ACTIVITY #5: HOW THE HUMAN EAR WORKS
Let's take a step back from soundwaves and talk about the physical ear. The ear is the organ which controls hearing and balance, allowing us to better understand our surroundings and relative position to sounds we hear. The ear is split into three parts: outer, middle, and inner. The interactive guide will take you through each part of the ear. Please complete the Google form and answer important essential questions: What are the parts of the ear? What do they do? And how?
ACTIVITY #6: MEASURE VOLUME
Some sounds are so loud they are painful to our ears, others are so quiet they may be hard to hear at all! Things that vibrate a lot, such as car engines, can make a tremendous noise. They sound louder because the sound waves they generate carry more energy. The amount of energy carried by a sound wave is called its intensity. Sound waves of higher intensity are louder to our ears. The loudness of a sound is measured in decibels. Decibels, or dB for short, are named after Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone. Please do some experimenting with decibels by completing the Google form for this activity. The online sound level meter will help you to measure your dB levels.
ACTIVITY #7: DANGEROUS DECIBELS
Permanent hearing loss happens when hair cells in the inner ear are damaged by loud sounds. When these hair cells die, a person loses the ability to hear certain frequencies. Extended listening of sounds over 85 dB can cause this kind of problem over time. Sounds louder than 103 dB can cause hearing loss immediately. Complete the Dangerous Decibels virtual exhibit to learn about protecting your hearing for lifelong, healthy listening!
ACTIVITY #8: HOW OLD ARE YOUR EARS?
Watch the YouTube video posted above about how we lose the ability to hear high frequencies (Hz) as we age. Then complete the following experiment:
1. Go to the ONLINE TONE GENERATOR to test your hearing range. The typical Hz range for a young adult without any hearing deficits is 20-20,000 Hz (1Hz= 1 wave per second). I will post mine as an example, but remember, my results on the top end will be lower than yours because I am old(er): My lowest = 50 Hz/My highest = 18,000 Hz.
3. Post your results from steps 1 & 2 on SEESAW.
1. Go to the ONLINE TONE GENERATOR to test your hearing range. The typical Hz range for a young adult without any hearing deficits is 20-20,000 Hz (1Hz= 1 wave per second). I will post mine as an example, but remember, my results on the top end will be lower than yours because I am old(er): My lowest = 50 Hz/My highest = 18,000 Hz.
- IMPORTANT NOTE #1: Keep your volume at a responsible decibel (dB) level when you try this activity. After all, we just learned that high dB levels contribute to this problem!
- IMPORTANT NOTE #2: Please be advised that some devices might impact our ability to hear certain frequencies and is not reflective of our true hearing range.
- IMPORTANT NOTE #3: The human Hz range is about 20-20,000H so your testing should fall within those parameters-unless you are a superhero!
3. Post your results from steps 1 & 2 on SEESAW.
ACTIVITY #9: CAN YOU TRUST YOUR EARS?
Well, can you?
ACTIVITY #10: KAHOOT
ACTIVITY #11: MAKE SOME STUFF!
For this assignment, you will be asked to create two effective, working items that serve a musical purpose using your newfound knowledge of sound production!