Educational Materials to go with the Video & extra materials for preparation and extension of the concert Prepared by Valerie Trollinger ([email protected], or [email protected] ) October 2012 Discovery Concert Series The Science of Sound Reading Symphony Orchestra Discovery Concert Series October, 2012 The Thrill of Resonance (Grades 4 , and above; Grade 3 with help) Teacher Quick-Start Guide The video is the second one in our sequence about the Science of Sound. There are three (3) ways to use this series at this point: 1) For students to get the full benefit of the science behind the sounds, then viewing the first video “The Science of Sound” is strongly recommended. a. Show the first video in the sequence (The Science of Sound) with the accompanying worksheet, go over the worksheet as needed. When the students are familiar with the meaning of the words Frequency, Amplitude, Time, Dynamics, and the rest of the terms on the worksheet, then go on to the second video (The Thrill of Resonance) with that accompanying worksheet. From there you can continue with activities that are relevant to your curriculum. There are a lot of other activities that go with both of these videos, addressing STEM technology ( adding the arts ) and building on creative thinking, problem solving, critical thinking, reading, writing, and even engineering. 2) If you don’t have time for the first video at this point and want to only show the second-- a) The students still need to be familiar with the terms Frequency, Amplitude, and Time. Definitions will follow in the teacher pack. Students can use the worksheet. 3) If you are really pressed for time… a) You can Use ONLY The Thrill of the Orchestra segment to reinforce what you have already taught about Tone Color. This contemporary work for children is the showpiece of our concert. The worksheet that accompanies this video can’t be used only with this segment. AFTER THE CONCERT: We have a follow-up reflection activity and we would like the students to send us their ideas of Resonance. There are two possible selections: 1) Students send us a drawing of their favorite instrument, and include a paragraph on the science of that instrument makes sound. OR 2) Students send us a drawing of an instrument they would like to invent, and a paragraph on the science of how that instrument makes sound. We will make these reflections available online and draw special attention to the schools and the students! Please send them to Valerie Trollinger at [email protected]. Video Running Length: Video 1: The Science of Sound (separate download from the website) – runs about 20 minutes. It features students of the RSY0. Video 2- the Thrill of Resonance—goes about 25 minutes. Teacher’s definitions if you forgot them since college…… Frequency: Is the objective mathematical measurement of how many pressure waves occur in a second. The pressure waves are what are perceived by our ears, and from there, transduced to electrical energy that our brains interpret into sound. Pitch, on the other hand, is the subjective human experience of frequency. For example, the frequency of the tuning Pitch A is 440 sound pressure waves per second. The Pitch is named A, but the frequency is 440 vibrations per second. 442 vibrations, and 445 vibrations can also be interpreted to be the pitch A. Amplitude : is the power of the vibrations, also known as pressure. Pressure is measured objectively by decibels. Subjectively, we experience amplitude as degrees of loudness and softness. Time: is objectively measure by milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, and so forth. Humans subjectively experience time by estimations of duration. In acoustics, especially for instruments, over a period of time frequencies ( of not only the fundamental, but also all of the harmonics of the frequency) interact at different levels of amplitude over a period of time ( often in milliseconds) and affect something that vibrates in response to that ( for example, instruments, vocal bands, vegetables, glass, and so forth) that create sound waves and shapes that our ears interpret as resonance, or, for our purposes, are identified as having a particular tone color. The students need to be familiar with Frequency, Amplitude and Time to be able to see the video The Thrill of Resonance” and have it make sense to them. The introductory video, the “Science of Sound,” can take care of that very easily. The Science of Sound, Part 2: The Thrill of Resonance RSO 2012 12 TABLE OF CONTENTS TOPIC PAGE Table of Contents 1 BACKGROUND Introduction 3 Objectives 5 The RSO 6 Brief background of the Music (For Teachers) 6 Quick Guide for Teachers 12 Welcome to our 13 Concert! (For Students) LESSON IDEAS Lesson 1: 15 Experimenting with with Resonance Lesson 2: Is it noise or is it music? Lesson 3: Make your own sound pieces. Lesson 4: Wild and wacky animal voices. Lesson 5: Exploring the music of the universe. The Science of Sound, Part 2: The Thrill of Resonance RSO 2012 2 **Lesson 6: Following up on the concert-students send essays and pictures to the RSO for the website! USEFUL LINKS AND 20 RESOURCES 21 WORKSHEET TO ACCOMPANY THE VIDEO “THE SCIENCE OF SOUND” The Science of Sound, Part 2: The Thrill of Resonance RSO 2012 3 INTRODUCTION Dear Teacher: We are so very pleased that you and your students will be joining us for a performance of the music from “The Science of Sound Part 2: The Thrill of Resonance.” We know you will find it entertaining, enjoyable, and educational. Our large work for the concert is The Thrill of the Orchestra” by Russell Peck. This year the RSO offers students and teachers a continuing innovative experience in investigating the science behind the sound of music. The teacher Quick Start guide allows you to select the way you want to go about preparing your students for the concert. Starting with the first introductory video (The Science of Sound) featuring members of the Reading Symphony Youth Orchestra and using the accompanying worksheet, the students will become familiar with the basic scientific acoustical properties of Frequency, Amplitude and Time and the psycho-acoustical correlates of Pitch, Loudness and Duration. The video component has an accompanying worksheet that provides the impetus for further exploration and experimentation in the acoustical properties of sound and music. This video was available for the 2011 Discovery Concert Experience. Continuing the sequence for this year, the student can view the second video (The Thrill of Resonance) which further reinforces the concepts of the first video and extends student knowledge by focusing on Russell Peck’s The Thrill of the Orchestra in addition to additional footage of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge collapse, the introduction of Chaldni patterns, and showing how liquid also reacts to sound vibrations. The concert this year is a capstone experience, or can continue to serve as a doorway to further study, experimentation, and inquiry. While designed for grades 4 and 5, the video and the accompanying materials encourage and provide further age appropriate enrichment activities for older students. Education standards addressed by the videos, accompanying worksheet and activities are the National Standards in Music Education, the Grades 4-5 standards in the National Science Education Standards, and the NCTE/IRA standards for the English Language Arts grades 4-5. STEM education is also addressed. Due to time constraints, the RSO will only be able to perform the music in the concert, therefore the sequence of before and after concert activities outlined in this pack will serve as the instruction. We offer lessons that are also more geared toward music class, although a general classroom teacher may be able to use them. Above all, feel free to manipulate, modify, or tweak any of the lesson materials to meet your and your students’ needs. You should need to spend no more than three 30-minute music classes (or the equivalent) preparing your students for this concert, however, there are plenty of materials in here that can be used both before and after the concert, and any time during the school year. These materials are designed to work with PA Arts Education Standards and also the National Standards in Music Education, S.T.E.M. curricula, National Standards in Science Education and National Standards in Language Education, and will allow the students to be actively immersed in the topic rather than passively sitting and listening without any guidance or engagement. At the end of this packet is a resource page with links to other sites that can further your understanding of the science of sound. If you are interested in finding non-music activities and more information on composers for this concert, please check this link for the Dallas Symphony The Science of Sound, Part 2: The Thrill of Resonance RSO 2012 4 Orchestra (http://www.dsokids.com/2001/rooms/musicroom.asp), as they have some excellent interactive materials that are of a more general nature. Because there is so much available on composers and their lives online, we won’t include that information here, although other websites are listed in the Useful Links and Resources at the end of this pack. Have fun preparing your students, and we look forward to seeing you at our concert very soon! If you have any questions or concerns, PLEASE don’t hesitate to contact Valerie Trollinger at either [email protected] or [email protected] The Science of Sound, Part 2: The Thrill of Resonance RSO 2012 5 OBJECTIVES The purpose of these materials are to: • Provide music teachers relevant musical materials to help them prepare students to see and hear the concert.