Sound Production on Instruments and
with the Human Voice - Grade Four
Ohio Standards
Connection
Fine Arts: Music
Analyzing and
Responding
Grade Cluster: K-Four
Benchmark B
Identify the sounds of a
variety of instruments
including orchestra, band
and classroom instruments
Indicator 5
Describe the way sound is
produced on various
instruments and with the
human voice.
Lesson Summary:
In this lesson, students will actively participate in
discussions and experiments about sound production. They
will use correct terminology, choosing language from the
basic elements of music and science. Students will see,
hear and feel vibrations generated by music instruments.
They will conduct experiments and draw conclusions about
sound production using classroom instruments, their own
voices and common objects. They will extend their learning
by creating original instruments based on knowledge
gained through experimentation. Students will then present
their instruments to their peers, explaining how they made
them, how sounds are produced and which families of
instruments they fall into based on the sound produced.
They will learn to identify instruments from various family
groupings by sight and sound.
Estimated Duration: Two hours to two hours and 30
minutes, preferably broken into four or five 30-minute
sessions
There will be independent work (homework) associated with
this lesson. This is the suggested time spent; adapt as
needed to your own situation.
Commentary:
Students learn best when transferring knowledge from the
familiar to the unfamiliar. Therefore, before launching into
a unit about orchestral instruments, begin by allowing
students to think about and experiment with common
objects as an introduction to the study of instruments and
their various timbres. This lesson assumes that students
have a solid grasp of sound and silence, vibrations and
pitch. Most students understand the larger an instrument or
vibrating mass, the lower it sounds. Activities are designed
to give students an opportunity to test hypotheses first
hands-on and then apply them to other situations.
Experiments include having students touch vibrating tuning
forks to their fingers, desktops, drumheads, coffee cans
(with bottoms removed) and other surfaces, which
encourages them to think about what qualities affect
sound. Students are asked to write about their findings,
Comm
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Sound Production on Instruments and
with the Human Voice - Grade Four
Commentary (continued):
which promotes use of the language and vocabulary of music and the science of sound.
The homemade instrument assignment requires students to apply the lessons learned to
an individual project.
Dedicate one lesson to an overall introduction and pre-assessment. Next, teach sound
production on strings, winds and percussion instruments. Intersperse exploration of the
human voice where appropriate connections can be made to other instruments. This can
be taught in 30-minute periods or addressed individually. Reserve the final class
session for sharing homemade instrument projects by the students. Depending on the
number of students in your class, the sharing of homemade instruments may require two
class sessions.
Pre-Assessment:
Initiate a discussion with students. Sample questions include:
 What is sound? [that which can be heard]
 What causes sound? [vibrations]
 How do different objects produce sound? [something vibrates such as strings, air
or drum heads]
 What causes the vibrations to occur on an object or instrument? [One hits them,
strums them, taps them, plucks them, scrapes them or blows into them.]
 What makes some sounds different from others? [size, shape, thickness, material,
whether they are hollow or solid]
Lead students to brainstorm orally as many sounds as they can name. Determine which
sounds are musical, and which are not. [While music can be defined as sounds that are
organized in time, for purpose of this lesson we will differentiate between instrument
and vocal sounds and environmental sounds.]
Record their ideas on the board.
 What do all sounds have in common? [They can be heard.]
 What causes sound? [vibrations]
 What vibrates to produce sound in different instruments? [strings, membranes, vocal
cords, air]
 What makes some sounds different from others? [size, shape, thickness, materials,
whether they are hollow or solid]

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Sound Production on Instruments and
with the Human Voice - Grade Four
Observe students for responses. Do they seem to have a solid grasp of the basic concepts of
sound production? Allow students to make music in some of the ways they mentioned by
playing simple patterns on rhythm instruments. Since this will be a classroom setting, large
group, oral, informal pre-assessment will be implemented. Depending on the responses,
adjust instruction accordingly.
 Distribute Attachment A, Musical and Environmental Sounds. Ask students to list
sounds heard in their environment. Have them listen quietly for one minute. Then, have
them name all the sounds they heard. Have them categorize the sounds into two lists:
musical and environmental.
Have each student write a paragraph explaining how musical sound is made, following this
prompt by the teacher: “What happens when musical sound occurs? What causes that sound
to happen?” These will be assessed based on knowledge content, and not writing skills.
Collect these to use as pre-assessment tools. These will then be returned to students along
with a copy of the pre-assessment guide to use as a reference throughout the lesson.
Instructional Tip:
Teachers may choose to assess student understanding of sound production informally rather
than by written paragraphs. Students may address the writing prompt as a group, with one
student acting as recorder for the group.
Scoring Guidelines:
Use the checklist, Pre-Assessment Guide, Understanding Musical Sound, to determine the
current level of understanding students have about sound production, by applying it to the
paragraph students wrote. Students who include five or more items from the checklist in their
paragraphs are considered proficient. Use the results from the group scores to guide
instruction and remediation. At this level, most students know that sound is the result of
vibrations, but not the extent to which physical properties affect sound production. This will
be a focus of the lesson.
Pre-Assessment Guide, Understanding Musical Sound
Yes No
Musical sound is the result of vibrations
Musical sound can be high or low
Musical sound can be soft or loud
The length and size of an instrument affects its pitch
The presence of a resonator affects the sound of an instrument
Tightening or loosening of strings, drum heads, lips, or vocal cords affects the
pitch and timbre of a musical sound
The speed of vibrations affects the pitch of a musical sound
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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General Tip:
Students or teachers may choose from a variety of activities in which to participate,
depending on the time and resources available. Students may be allowed to work
independently, in small groups, or in a large-group setting when carrying out experiments
with sound. There are many fine collections of experiments available through science
textbook companies that explore the science of sound. See Materials and Resources.
Colleagues also are good sources for materials. Teachers may create their own experiments
to address the indicator. For example, use a tuning fork to help students see and feel
vibrations. Do the same with traditional instruments like the piano or guitar. Have them strike
the fork on a solid object such as a desk, then touch the tines. Then, have them repeat the
strike and place the tines in a basin of water. There are many variations on these activities.
Be creative!
Post-Assessment:
Each student will make a homemade instrument to present to the class. He or she will be
required to explain how it was made, what materials were used and how those choices affect
the sound of the instrument. Students will be required to tell classmates what family of
instruments (wind, string, percussion) the instrument would belong to, based on the way it
produces sound. See Attachment B, Homemade Instrument Project Rubric.
General Tip:
If students conducted experiments as part of this lesson, the results of their experiments will
be recorded and scored according to the rubrics specific to each experiment page. These may
be ready-made or teacher-generated assessments.
Instructional Tips:
 If it is unrealistic in your classroom setting to ask students to make instruments outside of
class, consider collecting common materials for them to use. Some fast-food restaurants and
delis will donate Styrofoam containers and cups that can be used to make simple homemade
instruments.
 A letter should be sent home to parents to explain the instrument project. In the letter
include Web sites and book titles that may be used to help the students with their projects.
Explain the purpose and objectives of this lesson and of the project itself.
Scoring Guidelines:
 Ask students to describe the way sound is produced on various instruments as they make
their individual presentations to the class and in class discussions. They may use
classroom instruments in their explanations. Have them demonstrate ways of using their
voices and explain, using basic terms of music and anatomy, how musical sounds are
produced by the voice. A rubric will be used for the individual instrument projects. See
Attachment B, Homemade Instrument Project Rubric.
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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
Listen to responses of students, both individual and in a group, through question and
answer exchanges.
Students will be assessed by informal discussion, written response, and extended projects on
their knowledge of sound production.
Instructional Procedures:
Day One: Introduce the lesson. Conduct pre-assessment activities.
1. Discuss sound production with students. See pre-assessment.
2. Distribute a paper on which students classify lists of sounds.
3. Have students write paragraphs about sound production.
4. Select a variety of classroom instruments. Include a triangle, resonator bell or cymbal,
and a hand drum. Ask the students, “If I play these instruments, will you be able to hear
the sound they make?” Then, ask them, “When I play these instruments, will you be able
to feel the sound they make?” Strike the triangle. While it is still ringing, allow students
to stop the sound by placing their fingers on the bar, individually. Take turns until many
students have had a chance to do it. Then, ask them, “What did you feel when you put
your fingers on the triangle?” Repeat this exercise with different instruments and
students. Lead the students to discover that all sound is the result of vibrations. Do
similar activities with hand drums of various sizes.
5. Review the discoveries from today’s lesson. Review the vocabulary used:

Sound [The sensation that is perceived by one’s sense of hearing.]

Found sounds/Environmental sounds [Sounds that are present in everyday life such
as a car horn, train, wind.]

Musical [Sound that is organized within time, demonstrating structure.]

Vibrations [Rapid rhythmic motion back and forth; quiver]
Provide students with copies of the vocabulary words and definitions. These may be posted
on a “word wall” and included in a list that students keep in their music folders or portfolios.
Day Two:
6. Review the previous lesson. Respond to written pre-assessments via class discussion,
emphasizing points that directly address the identified indicator.
 What is sound? [That which can be heard.]
 How is sound produced? [by vibrations]
 What things affect sounds? [physical characteristics such as size, shape, material,
density]
 How many different kinds of sounds can be made with the human voice? [talking,
singing, whispering, shouting, whistling, humming, silly sounds]
7. Put children into groups of three, and distribute one large, one medium and one small
rubber band. Also, give them one coffee can per group. Tell them to keep the rubber
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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bands inside the coffee can until further instructed. Hand out Attachment C, Rubber
Band Experiments, on which the students will record their findings. Allow about 10
minutes to complete these activities. Each student should contribute, and they should take
turns writing answers from the group on the paper.
8. Collect papers and materials. Ask students to share what they learned. Then, ask them to
apply what they learned about sound characteristics of rubber bands to stringed
instruments, including the piano. If stringed instruments of any kind are available, let
individual students conduct similar experiments with them in front of the class. Show
students a picture of the workings of the human voice, noting the different labeled parts.
 “How do the vocal folds behave like the rubber bands?” [They get thinner and
thicker as the voice changes pitch.]
 “How do strings on a stringed instrument behave like the rubber bands?” [They
sound higher when they are pushed down and made shorter].
9. Lead students to identify the group of instruments whose main means of sound
production occurs with strings as the “string family.” Have them name as many stringed
instruments as they can list, from the orchestra, band, folk, pop and ethnic genres. Use
pictures and real and recorded examples to illustrate. See Materials and Resources. Did
they list the human voice as an instrument? If not, include it and discuss briefly.
10. Ask the students to experiment with their voices. Have them speak, hum, and sing. Ask
them to sing low sounds and high sounds. Then, lead them in a question and answer
discussion.
 What do you think happens to your vocal folds when you sing a high pitch?” [They
get thinner.] Think about the rubber band.
 What happens when you sing a low pitch? [The vocal folds get thicker.]
 How do they feel different? Did it feel like they were thinning or thickening their
vocal folds when they changed pitch? How are vocal folds similar to strings on
instruments? [The vocal folds stretch and get thinner and tighter to make higher
sounds, just like strings.]
Instructional Tip:
The language thicker and thinner to describe the changes in the vocal folds can be understood
by fourth grade students. Use child-friendly terms to help students understand.
11. Let the children listen to a recording of people using the human voice in unusual ways.
Select something like Bobby McFerrin performing, Tibetan monks chanting (Tuvan
throat singing), African tribal songs or vocal percussion groups. Discuss their reactions
to the music they heard.
12. Show the students a stringed instrument. Let them put their fingers on the strings and the
resonator to feel the vibrations. Play recordings of stringed instruments and show
pictures of them.
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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Instructional Tip:
Young students tend to have trouble differentiating between pitch and volume. Some
students think of “higher” as “louder” because of the volume controls on electronic devices.
These classroom activities can help them see and hear the differences and understand the
concepts that determine pitch. Conducting experiments with levels of water in glasses,
lengths and thickness of rubber bands, etc., can help them understand difficult concepts such
as how the size of resonator or material that is vibrating determines the length and speed of
vibrations (frequency) thus affecting the pitch of the sound. This applies to vocal sounds as
well as instrumental and other sounds.
13. Review orally using vocabulary and main ideas learned in this lesson with the whole
group. Implement peer review. For example, tell students to explain to each other how
the pitch of a rubber band changes as it is stretched. Tell students that they are going to
learn during the next music class about ways to make sounds on music instruments with
wind.
Day Three
14. Review the main concepts learned in the previous two lessons. Review the family of
instruments that has strings, and show several examples, using pictures or real
instruments. Ask a student to explain what he or she learned about strings by
demonstrating with the rubber bands and coffee can. [The coffee can made the sound
richer and louder.] Also, demonstrate the effects of a resonator on a guitar, violin or
other instrument.
15. Ask students to figure out how one would make sound on a collection of items placed on
a table in the front of the classroom using air. Include some of the following: several
pen or marker tops of various sizes, several soda bottles of various sizes, a funnel, a
length of copper or plastic plumbing pipe. Let students come to the front of the
classroom and pick up objects, explaining or demonstrating to the class their predictions
of how they will sound when blown into or through. Either the student or the teacher can
then test those predictions by blowing across the tops of the pipes, bottles, or markers.
Ask the students questions:
 How does the size of the object affect the sound’s pitch? [The larger the object, the
lower the pitch.]
 If the space in the vibrating object is large, will the frequency [number of vibrations
per unit of time] be faster or slower? [slower]
 What does this teach us about how frequency affects pitch? [The faster the
frequency, the higher the pitch.]
 What instruments can you name that make their sound by blowing air through a
column? [flute, piccolo, recorder, penny whistle, etc.]
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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16. Show the students a trumpet mouthpiece. Ask them to tell you how it is played. Most
students will say one must blow into it. Demonstrate blowing into it without buzzing
your lips. Ask students “What is wrong?”; Why didn’t it make any sound?” Experiment
with responses, until someone figures out the buzzing action. Tell students that brass
instruments require three main parts: a mouthpiece, tubing, and a bell to produce sound.
Take out a short piece of garden hose, three or four feet in length. Place the mouthpiece
in one end and buzz lips. Ask the students, “How did the sound change?” [It was lower
in pitch.] “Why?” [Because the tubing made the column longer.] Next, add a funnel to
the opposite end of the hose from the mouthpiece. Again, buzz lips in the mouthpiece.
Ask the students, “How did the sound change?” [It got louder.]”Why did that happen?”
[Because the funnel projected the sound coming from the tube, like a megaphone does.]
If you are comfortable doing so, play a few simple songs on the homemade trumpet.
Explain how tightening and loosening the lips also affects the pitch. Use a trumpet,
trombone or any other brass instrument available to demonstrate that the more tubing an
instrument has, the lower its pitch range will be.
17. If your students play recorders, use recorders to reinforce the concepts of this lesson. Let
students explore what happens to the pitch as they cover the holes with their fingers.
18. Demonstrate playing a wind instrument or use a recording to illustrate the
timbre of various wind instruments. Live demonstrations show students more clearly how
the instrument works. Invite older band students to demonstrate for the students. This
can also be a good recruiting tool for the band program
19. Review the lessons learned in this session. Review vocabulary used (See vocabulary
list) and add new terms to the lists in their folders. Ask students to draw conclusions
about sound production relating to pitch, volume and timbre. Use informal observation
to assess student understanding.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicator(s).


Students who have difficulty with the writing parts of this lesson can have other students
or people scribe for them, or they can record their responses on a tape recorder.
Use a multisensory approach when teaching this lesson. The nature of the activities lends
itself well to many types of learning styles and limitations because it contains auditory,
tactile and visual components such as listening to pitches change as levels of water in a
bottle change, touching a vibrating triangle or seeing the ripples in a basin of water when
a vibrating tuning fork is submerged in it. This lesson is designed so that different
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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


segments of the lesson can be experienced by all learners. The goal is to help all students
make the necessary connections required in the indicator.
Written or oral responses to pointed questions relating to the indicator can be used for
assessment. The product (the homemade instrument) will be graded according to a
rubric, with consideration given to the ability of each student.
Students who quickly grasp concepts of selected indicators can extend their learning by
helping other students at learning centers.
Students may draw pictures that demonstrate what they have learned.
Extensions:
 Students who quickly grasp concepts of selected indicators could develop unique sets of
experiments for the class to use.
 Students could make homemade instruments and learn to play short melodies on them for
the class. An original melody would be even better!
 Have students illustrate sound production in drawings with text balloons to
describe/explain the images.
 Put the students’ instrument projects in a showcase to share with other students. Have the
students help with placement, labels and decorations for the display.
 Invite children who play instruments to come into the classroom and demonstrate sound
production to the class.
 Ask students to invent new instruments on paper, perhaps those that can produce musical
sound in a variety of ways. Have them explain their concepts. Then post their creations
on a bulletin board in the classroom.
 Instruct students to conduct science of sound experiments in their science class if it isn’t
possible to do them in music class. Work with the science teacher on this!
 Have students conduct research about sound production and instruments, and write
reports. These could be published in a school newspaper or on the school Web site. It
might also be connected to students’ language arts class where such a report can be
included as a part of the student’s general class work.
 Have students to create short sound pieces, using as many different vocal sounds as
possible. Have them perform them for the rest of the class.
 Have students create accompaniments to a known songs or songs of their own creation
using their homemade instruments. It might even be a song about sound!
Home Connections:
 Instruct students to explore instruments from around the world via the Internet, and
decide how their sounds are produced from what they learn about them. They may make
lists of what they find, and categorize them by the way their sounds are produced.
 Involve students’ families in the homemade instrument project. They also can list sounds
they hear at home and compare the list to the ones they made at school. They also may
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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make lists of sounds from other environments and transfer the knowledge they learned
about sound production to the new items.
Interdisciplinary Connections:
Content Area: Science
Standard: Physical Science –Grade Two
Benchmark C: Recognize sources of energy and their uses.
Organizer: Forces and Motion
Indicators: 1. Explore how things make sound (e.g., rubber bands, tuning forks and
strings).
2. Explore and describe sounds (e.g., high, low, soft and loud) produced by
vibrating objects.
Content Area: Science
Standard: Physical Science –Grade Five
Benchmark F: Describe the properties of light and sound energy.
Organizer: Nature and Energy
Indicators: 6. Describe and summarize observations of the transmission, reflection, and
absorption of sound.
7. Describe that changing the rate of vibration can vary the pitch of a sound.
Another possible connection would be that of Scientific Inquiry (K-2) Benchmarks A, B and
C.
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of specific resources and references to particular musicians, composers or
works of music in any lesson developed by the Ohio Department of Education should not be
interpreted as an endorsement of the particular resource, musician, composer or work of
music. The Ohio Department of Education does not endorse any particular resource,
musician, composer or work of music.
The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main page, therefore, it may be necessary to
search within the site to find the specific information required for the lesson. Please note
that information published on the Internet changes over time and the links provided may no
longer contain the information related to a given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all
sites before using them with students.
Note: Some Web sites contain material that is protected by copyright. Teachers should
ensure that any use of material from the Web does not infringe upon the content owner’s
copyright.
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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For the teacher:
chalk board, dry-erase board or chart paper, chalk, marker, various
classroom instruments such as barred instruments, triangles, bells,
tuning forks, rubber bands, coffee cans with one end removed, basins
for water, blocks of wood, stringed instruments, wood blocks, tone
blocks, tuned percussion tubes, glasses or bottle for water, brass
instrument mouthpiece, short section of garden hose, common funnel,
markers and pen tops, short pieces of plastic or copper plumbing pipe,
a variety of traditional instruments, if available
recordings, videotapes and games that demonstrate a variety of
instrument sounds such as Andre Previn Orchestra Kit; Meet the
Instruments; Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Leonard
Bernstein
Books on science of sound: Science Experiments With Sound, Levine,
Shar & Johnstone, Leslie. Sterling Publishing, 2002; Rubber-band
Banjos and Java Jive Bass, Sabbeth, Alex;
Books on instrument making: Cardboard Folk Instruments to Make
and Play, Waring, Dennis, Sterling Tamos Publishing, 2002; Kids
Make Music, Hart, Avery & Mantell, Paul, Williamson Publishing,
1993; Music Crafts for Kids, Fiarotta, Noel & Fiarotta, Phyllis,
Sterling Publishing, 1993, Musical Instrument Design: Practical
Information for Instrument Making, Hopkin, Bart, Sarp Press, 1996.
For the student:
set of materials for each group of students, sheet of chart paper for
each group, individual worksheets, paper and pencils
The materials for the homemade instruments will come from home.
Vocabulary:
*Term in the Fine Arts Academic Content Standards Music Glossary.










duration*
dynamics (loud, soft)
environmental
found sounds
frequency*
pitch (high, low)
music*(-al)
range
resonator* (sound box)
silence*
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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



sound*
timbre
vibration
vocal folds
Vocabulary words may be introduced in a formal manner or as they occur in the lesson.
Students may enter the words and brief definitions in their journals or portfolios or folders
for future reference. It’s also helpful to have them posted around the classroom. Language
arts teachers may choose to reinforce use of these words in their classes.
Technology Connections: (See Materials and Resources)
 Students can use the Internet to explore instruments from around the world.
 Students can use the Internet to research instrument projects.
Research Connections:
 Gokhale, Anuradha A. Collaborative Learning Enhances Critical Thinking. Journal of
Technology Education, Volume 7, Number 1, Fall 1995.

Marzano, R., Pickering, D., Pollock, J. (2001). Classroom Instruction that Works:
Research-based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement, Alexandria, Virginia:
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
General Tip:
If you choose to do centers with opportunities for experimentation, it would be advisable to
have things set up and ready to go before students enter the classroom. Do not put more than
five children in a group, and use either the clock or a timer to indicate when students should
change stations. Also, be prepared for spills, as the students will be working with glasses,
bottles, and pitchers of water for some things. This can be hectic but is very effective
educationally. Avoid doing too many rotations in one 40-minute period because there is not
adequate time for students to process and record their findings. It might be best to work with
the classroom teacher or science teacher when planning this part of the lesson.
Instructional Tip:
An alternative to the stations and group work would be to invite individual students to the
front of the class to conduct the experiments with input and feedback from the rest of the
class.
Attachments:
Attachment A, Musical and Environmental Sounds
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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Attachment B, Homemade Instrument Project Rubric
Attachment C, Rubber Band Experiments
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Attachment A
Musical And Environmental Sounds
Name _______________________________
Make two lists below. Include sounds produced by the singing voice and by instruments on
the list called “Musical Sounds.” List other sounds you hear under “Environmental Sounds.”
Have fun!
MUSICAL SOUNDS
ENVIRONMENTAL SOUNDS
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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Attachment B
Homemade Instrument Project Rubric
Name: _______________________________________
Construction
Instrument
Family
4
Instrument is wellconstructed and
nicely decorated.
Student can correctly
place instrument into
category of string,
wind or percussion
and explain why.
3
Instrument reflects
some effort on
construction and
decoration.
2
Instrument reflects
some alteration to
an existing form to
“make” the
instrument.
Student’s project
reflects an existing
form with little or
no alteration.
Student can correctly
place instrument into
category, but cannot
explain why without
prompts.
Student cannot
identify the family to
which his or her
instrument belongs.
1
Student cannot
identify the family his
or her instrument
belongs to even with
prompts.
Presentation
Student included all
components required
in presentation. He
or she did so without
prompts from the
teacher.
Student included
most components
required in
presentation without
prompting.
Student includes
some components
required in
presentation without
prompting.
Student has to be
prompted to provide
any components
required in
presentation.
Sound Production
TOTAL
Student can produce
many good-quality
sounds on the instrument
and explain how the
sound is produced.
Student is able to produce
a good-quality sound on
the instrument.
Student is able to produce
a sound on the
instrument.
Student is unable to
produce a sound on the
instrument.
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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Attachment C
Rubber Band Experiments
Work with two partners of your choice. Take turns doing the activities and write down the
results on this paper. Have fun!
Students’ names: ___________________, ___________________, __________________
1. Select the thickest rubber band. Tell one partner to hold it by each end, loosely. Pluck the
rubber band. What kind of sound did you hear?
(quiet?
loud?
low?
high?)
thick rubber band
medium rubber band
small rubber band
2. Have the same partner stretch the rubber band so it is thinner. Pluck it again.
How was the sound different from the first sound?
3. Ask the same partner to stretch the rubber band even thinner, being careful not
to break it! How did the sound change?
Switch places with one of your partners. Have him or her select the medium rubber band
and give it to the third partner. Repeat the steps above with the new rubber band. You
record the answers this time. Finally, let the last person take a turn writing, and repeat
the first three questions about the smallest rubber band. Record your findings and discuss
them.
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Sound Production on Instruments and
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4. What did you learn about the sound of rubber bands? Which ones were the
lowest in pitch? Which were the highest? Were you able to get both low and
high sounds from every rubber band?
Next, stretch one of the rubber bands across the top of an empty coffee can. Experiment
with the sound of the rubber band. How does putting it over the coffee can change the
sound?
Let everyone in the group take a turn experimenting. What did you learn?
Did you like the sound better when the rubber band was on the coffee can? Why or why
not?
17