Music Activity | STEM Career Connection: Audio Engineering
What’s the connection between the sound around us and our hearts? This classroom activity invites your students to experiment with sound and collect data about its impact on our bodies.
Materials:
Pencil
Paper
Headphones, per individual student
Predict:
Which sounds, or music, do you think will increase your heart rate? Which ones do you think will lower your heart rate? Why?
Plan:
In this experiment, what data can we collect? How will we collect that data? What tools will we use?
Play:
Check to make sure that students are able to check their heart rate, if needed show them how to check on their neck or wrists.
Have students record their resting heart rates.
Create a T-chart, one side calming sounds and the other side non-calming sounds.
Brainstorm with the students, what sounds make them calm and relaxed, which sounds do the opposite. Fill in the chart.
Choose to play either sounds that the students identified or the example sounds provided in the resources. If possible, have students listen to these sounds with headphones to increase their experience. (There are multiple free sound databases like Sound Jay or FindSounds that would also be a fun option. Check to make sure the content and searching set up are appropriate for your students.)
After listening to the sounds for 60 seconds, have students record their heart rate.
Repeat with different sounds as a class or individually.
Ponder:
Did the sounds that you identified on the T-chart have the outcome that you expected? Why or why not?
Why do you think the sounds or music had an affect on your heart rate?
SEL Connection: Did everyone have similar reactions to the different sounds? Why is it okay that people have different reactions?
SEL Connection: Why is it important to identify what makes us relaxed and calm?
Extension:
Choose songs that your students have practiced or are accustomed to. Have them reflect on their heart rate and their feelings during those songs.
Choose songs that are culturally relevant to your students. Have them reflect on their heart rate and their feelings during those songs.
Have students choose songs that they think will increase or decrease their heart rate. Have them reflect on their choices.