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Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Design investigations that determine what factors affect the pitch of percussion instruments.
• Explore the factors that determine pitch fluctuation of percussion instruments.
• Make, test, and record a hypothesis. 
• Collect and analyze data from an investigation.

Standards Alignment

National Core Arts StandardsNational Core Arts Standards

Common Core State StandardsCommon Core State Standards

Next Generation Science StandardsNext Generation Science Standards

Recommended Student Materials

Editable Documents: Before sharing these resources with students, you must first save them to your Google account by opening them, and selecting “Make a copy” from the File menu. Check out Sharing Tips or Instructional Benefits when implementing Google Docs and Google Slides with students.

Videos

Websites

• Perfect Pitch
• èßäAVInstrument Spotter’s Guide
• èßäAVGuide to the Orchestra

Additional Materials

• Water Xylophone - 4 glass bottles or glasses about the same size, water, spoon, food coloring
• Coffee Can Drum - coffee can, construction paper, scissors, tape/glue, crayons, markers, or colored pencils
• Paper Plate Tambourine - two paper plates, shaking materials (popcorn kernels, dried beans, rice), crayons, markers, or colored pencils, stapler, tape

Teacher Background

Teachers should have a general understanding of acoustics, the physics of sound, percussion instruments, and sounds from the orchestra.

Student Prerequisites 

Students should have a basic understanding of sound as waves and as energy, some familiarity with orchestral instruments, and prior experience with science experiments.

Accessibility Notes

Utilize assistive technologies for students with hearing or vision impairments. Modify capture sheets as needed and allow extra time for task completion.

Engage

1. Review the members of the percussion instrument family with the . Share and review the bass drum, cymbals, maracas, piano, snare drum, tambourine, timpani, triangle, and xylophone using the Perfect Pitch interactive tool or the table.

2. Play instrument listening clips for the percussion family from Perfect Pitch. Have students discuss what they hear and compare the sounds of the percussion instruments to those of other instruments.

Build

1. As a whole group, show students the Instrument Spotters Guide. Model for students how to scroll to each instrument family: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Find the Percussion family and read the “LOOK FOR” description, point out the parts of the percussion instrument. 

2. Now guide students to the “LISTEN FOR” description. Tell students this note describes the sound of the instrument within its orchestral family. Guide students to the left of the photograph to show them how to click the “play” button to listen to the percussion instrument. 

3. Model a few more instruments for students, then share the Instrument Spotters Guide so they can explore on their own devices. Distribute the so students can capture details about the instrument's characteristics.

4. Engage students in a discussion. Have students share and compare the information they gathered from the . Ask the students: What can we conclude about each instrument’s similarities and differences?

Apply

1. Review the . Discuss the meaning of the instrument-specific words air column and percussion with students.  

Air Column: space within the percussion instrument that determines the pitch.

Percussion: sounds produced by striking the instrument with a mallet or stick, or striking one instrument against another.

2. Introduce the activity. Review the process of forming a hypothesis and making a prediction. Tell students they will be making water xylophones and will need to figure out how to create different pitches.

3. Have students individually create a hypothesis relating the length of the air column to the pitch the instrument will create when played. The size of the air column is based on the amount of water in each glass bottle. Have students create a prediction based on this hypothesis using the sentence starter: “If our hypothesis is true, then the pitch created should be higher/lower when the air column is longer/shorter.”

4. Divide students into cooperative groups of four. Assign one student to each of the following roles:

- Recorder: note taker

- Group Leader: keeps the group on task, moderates conflict, teacher liaison

- Equipment Adjuster: makes adjustments to test equipment

- Tester: performs the tests (mouthpieces should be sanitized before and after use)

5. Test the hypothesis within the groups. Students should fill four water bottles to different measured levels and record their observations on the .

6. Review the procedural guidelines for and distribute supplies. Allow time for students to create their percussion instruments. Play listening examples while students create their instruments from slide 12 of the presentation, .

7. Have students work in small groups to create a hypothesis and prediction regarding the relationship between air column length or size and the pitch it will create.

8. Have small groups test the second hypothesis and prediction using student-created instruments. Students should record their experimental data onto the and complete the analysis and conclusion section.

Reflect 

1. Discuss the following questions: What is the relationship between pitch and the size of the air column? (A longer air column creates a lower pitch. Since a breath travels a shorter distance in a shorter air column, the molecules move faster, creating a higher frequency and thus a higher pitch.) What is the relationship between acoustics and science? What elements of the listening example influenced the design you created on your windpipe?

2. Assess students’ knowledge of bass instrument pitch with the .