Music Activity | STEM Career Connection: Acoustic Engineer
No Vikings Voyage is complete without the iconic sound of the Gjallerhorn. Top off your visit with a chance for your students to build their own using common classroom materials and plenty of creativity.
Suggested Materials:
Pencil
Paper
Rulers
Paper towel rolls
Toilet paper rolls
Rubber bands
Balloons
Straws
Additional Possible Materials:
Aluminum foil
Cardboard
Plastic water or soda bottles
Modeling clay
Small boxes
String
Craft sticks
Predict:
How does the way a horn is built impact the sound it makes?
Can we change the sound of a horn by changing the materials or how it’s built?
Plan:
How can we put together materials to make a horn that sounds the way we want it to sound?
Play:
As a class, create a list of factors that mpact the sound of a horn.
Watch the videos linked in the Resources section. Students should be observing the different horns, materials, and how size impacts the sound of the horn. Make changes or additions to the list based on these videos.
Hand out a sheet of paper and pencil and ask each student sketch out their own horn.
Once students have a plan, they can gather materials and begin assembling their horns.
Students can test and revise their horn designs as they build to reach their sonic goals!
Ponder:
What would you change about your horn if you wanted to make it produce a lower note? A higher note?
What could you change about your horn to make it play two different notes?
How is a trombone similar or different to the Drumbone from the Blue Man Group?
What challenges did you face when building your horn? How did you overcome them?
Extension:
Thinking of different animal sounds you might hear at the zoo, what instruments would best be used to recreate those sounds (examples: lion’s roar, birds tweeting, etc.)
