“Something Sounds ‘Fishy’”
Focus
Grade Level
Focus Question
Learning Objectives:
MUSIC: Known/Unknown Sounds of the Sea
Upper Level Middle School, 8th Grade Music
Choir and/or Band
What’s “fishy” about your instrument?
Learner Objective(s): At the completion of this lesson,
students will be able to:
8.CR.1: Understand global, interdisciplinary, and 21st
century connections with music.
--Students will be able to draw inferences about different
aspects of wildlife that they have never before been exposed.
8.ML.3: Create music using a variety of sound and
notational sources.
--Students will be able to explain why and how certain
animals make certain sounds, and how to manipulate their
technique earlier in their musical education.
Materials
Audio/Visual Materials
Teaching Time
Seat Arrangement
Maximum Number of Students
Key Words
Background Information (Prior
Knowledge)
8.ML.1: Apply the elements of music and musical
techniques in order to sing and play music with accuracy
and expression.
-- Students will be able to describe how their embouchure
works on their instrument, therefore creating their own
initiative to develop their craft.
The students must have their own instrument (May use
kazoo or recorder for voice students)
Internet connection with sound speakers
45 min, plus additional time for student research
Routine band/choral arrangement
30
Embouchure
Embouchure Manipulation
Articulations
Buzzing
Tonguing
Pitch
Air Pressure
For students: To play their wind instrument with the correct
embouchure/sing with the correct tone and mouth
formation.
“Something Sounds ‘Fishy’”
Opening Activity
Learning Procedure (Activity)
Connections to Other Subjects
Closing Activity and Assignment
For teacher: Talk about the art of Tuvan throat singing—
manipulating sound through the back of the throat with
pressure from the tongue. Segway into similarities with
Tuvan throat singing and the throat “grunting” produced by
the grouper fish underneath Aquarius. Sound travels can be
heard from thousands of miles away. Explain how the
scientists living in Aquarius go through a voice change while
under water, much like sucking on a helium balloon. We can
do the some of the same things with our mouths to
manipulate the sound coming through our instrument.
As an opening activity, show two clips of the movie, “Finding
Nemo”—one where the character Dory tries to “speak
whale”, the other clip showing Dory sings, “Just Keep
Swimming”, just for a little comic relief . Then play a
recording of an Aquarius scientist speaking, both prior to
going and after arriving to Aquarius, to demonstrate an exact
change in voice pitch.
The students will first perform warm-ups as usual. Even
though they are an upper level middle school band, the
embouchure warm-ups will take place to introduce the
lesson. We will practice as a class working to continue to
develop the embouchure, reaching new levels of high and
low notes without the body of the instrument. Questions will
be asked such as, “How many of you knew that fishes make
noises?”, “What kind of fish do usually think about that make
noise?”… Discuss Tuvan throat singing, and explain the
assignment/assessment.
Through this lesson plan, students are connected to the
world of Marine Biology/Science by learning about types of
fish, the sounds they make, and how the fish produce these
sounds, furthermore learning about the affects of air
pressure on tone and pitch. The students will also be
developing skills in English through the written paper
assignment.
To close the class period/lesson, the students will be given a
homework assignment. There will be a drawing bucket with
the types of fish from which the students must choose to
complete the assignment. The assignment will be presented
as follows:
You have drawn a type of sea creature from the bucket in
class today. With this chosen sea creature, you must research
this creature, discovering in what region it is most likely to
“Something Sounds ‘Fishy’”
Assessment
Other Links and Resources
find, listen to the sound that it makes, and manipulate your
instrument to produce that sound. At the end of your sound
experiment, write a 1-page paper about your experience,
including the information you have learned about your
chosen sea creature. In this paper, you must describe all the
details as to HOW your produced the sound, and WHAT part
was manipulated. During the next class period, you will
present what you have learned to the class, specifically to
those in your instrument section. The allotted time for the
lesson will be about 15-20 min, but there will be time for
students to begin research on their assignments.
Completion of the assignment, paper and tone manipulation,
could determine the understanding of the students. Repeat
the requirements set for the class, and then ask questions so
that students are not confused or apprehensive. Ask them,
“What have you learned?”, “In regards to the assignment,
what are your biggest concerns?”, “If you get stumped, how
would you complete the assignment?” (In this case, they
should write in their 1-page papers their experience
regardless if the sound was achieved or not. The purpose of
this assignment is for them to gain the knowledge of the
instrument/embouchure, and there may be things they do
not know.)
http://www.fishecology.org/soniferous/justsounds.htm
http://www.neurosoup.com/tuvan_throat_singing_main.htm
http://aquarius.uncw.edu/