Sound Experiments

5th graders are learning about sound energy in enrichment and science. We will be experimenting with pitch, volume, and timbre and creating several instruments such as pan pipes, a sound sandwich (below), and a string guitar.

Instruments/NY Philharmonic
Breaking a wine glass
Peter Whitehead, Inventor
Sound game
Vibration & pitch
Animal hearing
Sound wave clips
Music in the forest


Pan Pipes
As an extension to a unit on sound, students in 5th grade made pentatonic scale pan pipes from pvc pipe. We then adjusted our pitch and tried playing a "mosquito duet." According to a recent story on National Public Radio, during mating, mosquitos' "hum" is close to a perfect fifth- females at about a G, and males at about a D. So, the girls played the G, and the boys a D. (I can't say we attracted any mosquitos!)
mosquito mating
Instruments
Peter Whitehead inventor