CNY
Grants for Arts in Education - art$TART
"Evolution
of Sound" - Franklin Magnet Elementary
and
Patti Heath
“The
Evolution of Sound” was a cross-curricular
study of physical science and basic electronics
with music and musical instruments. Teaching
Artist Patti Clark Heath worked
with classroom teacher Jeryl Payne to
design classes and activities that would
demonstrate the scientific principles
of sound, energy, vibration and basic
electronics through a series of hands
on experiments using simple materials
and instruments to create sounds and
music. Students kept
a journal of their findings throughout
the partnership and would discuss hypotheses
and draw conclusions based on their findings
in the experiments.
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Pendulum
drawing tables (also called harmonographs)
were used to add a visual representation
of sound and harmony. Students
created drawings and then were
asked to imagine and create music
that would “sound like” the
drawings.
Far
Left:A student watches a pendulum
trace a wave pattern. Left: using
the pendulum pattern as the basis
for a drawing. |
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We saw how a
button on a string produces
sound, and as the string moves it spins
out beautiful visuals of sound waves.
We also discussed how these are simple
machines. The
students were able to make and take their
button machines, and these were used
at home and beyond for the rest of
the year.
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Left: Students
experiment with tuning forks,
taking notes on their observations.
Above: Students use string to
observe the behavior of long
waves. |
This project
not only addressed the science behind
sound and music, but also incorporated
the human element of emotional responses
to music and the artistic choices
behind creating pieces of music.
By introducing simple electronics and
electronic instruments, the project
also aimed to have students think about
and experience the gain or loss of
the “human” touch
when moving from acoustic
instruments to sounds produced
by electronics.
Circuit boards
were built by the students, who
read a schematic, learned about basic
electronic components and helped
each other place the components
in the proper slots on the board.
Then their simple pencil drawings
served as a basis for their musical
pieces.
Once the electronics
were introduced we also discussed
artistic decisions. What sounds can we make?
How can we use them? Students really began
to show an understanding of abstract
thinking by the constant discussion
of how different elements of their
drawings would sound like translated
to music.
Above:
A student discusses his wave-generating
circuit with his teacher. Right:
a student checks her instrument.
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One
of the most amazing developments
during the months of the project
was that the students began to take
the lead in developing questions
and experiments on their own. They
shared ideas with each other, discussing
possible ideas and conclusions from
the experimentations. Instead
of asking “how
to do it” or “what should
we do," the
students began to show
their discoveries.” It all
changed to a "come see what
we did," "look
at what I figured out," "if
we can do this what would happened
if we now try..." They
would try and they would discover.
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Left:
Students work with a graphite circuit. Center: listening
to the tuning fork. Right: Making
observations. |
At
one point we had a visitor from SU
come, and one of the students asked
if he could share with her what we
were doing. He
explained the project to her by handing
her pencil and paper and then giving
her step-by-step instructions as to
how to create a drawing and turn it
into a musical piece with the theremin
circuit boards. He
sat with her the entire morning giving
her input and critiquing her work and
directing her through the process.
It was one of the most rewarding days
of the project.
There
were many lessons learned from this
partnership. These projects
really require a true balanced partnership
to be truly successful. It is
crucial for the classroom teachers
to follow through with lessons and
materials between the teaching artist
visits. Students need to see how the
project is a cooperative effort between
the “academic” subject
and the arts. The better the
partnership between the teaching artist
and the classroom teacher the better
the project naturally connects curriculum
with the arts.
The level of
energy that comes from the students
as these projects progress is like
nothing else. It
seems to make these sometimes difficult
subjects come alive. One of our
students summed it all up:
“I
thought it would be boring but science
is the bomb.”
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