Acoustics (from Greek ακουστικός pronounced akoustikos meaning "of or for hearing, ready to hear") is the science that studies sound, in particular its production, transmission, and effects. The science of acoustics has many applications which are dependent upon the nature of the sound that is to be produced, transmitted or controlled.
In this lesson, students learn about sound. Girls and boys are introduced to the concept of frequency and how it applies to musical sounds.
Innovation in expression -- as realized in media, tangible objects, and performance, and more -- generates new questions and new potentials for human engagement. When and how does expression engage us deeply? While "deep engagement" seems fundamental to the human psyche, it is hard to define, difficult to reliably design for, and hard to critically measure or assess. Are there principles we can articulate? Are there evaluation metrics we can use to insure quality of experience? Many personal stories confirm the hypothesis that once we experience deep engagement, it is a state we long for, remember, and want to repeat. We need to better understand these principles and innovate methods that can insure higher-quality products (artifacts, experiences, environments, performances, etc.) that appeal to a broad audience and that have lasting value over the long term.
Students work with partners to create four different instruments to investigate the frequency of the sounds they make. Teams may choose to make a shoebox guitar, water-glass xylophone, straw panpipe or a soda bottle organ (or all four!). Conduct this activity in conjunction with Lesson 3 of the Sound and Light unit.
Students learn the connections between the science of sound waves and engineering design for sound environments. Through three lessons, students come to better understand sound waves, including how they change with distance, travel through different mediums, and are enhanced or mitigated in designed sound environments. They are introduced to audio engineers who use their expert scientific knowledge to manipulate sound for music and film production. They see how the invention of the telephone pioneered communications engineering, leading to today's long-range communication industry and its worldwide impact. Students analyze materials for sound properties suitable for acoustic design, learning about the varied environments created by acoustical engineers. Hands-on activities include modeling the placement of microphones to create a specific musical image, modeling and analyzing a string telephone, and applyling what they've learned about sound waves and materials to model a controlled sound room.
Music and sound are two different concepts that share much in common. Determining the difference between the two can sometimes be difficult due to the subjective nature of deciding what is or is not music. The goal of this activity is to take something constructed by students, that would be normally classified as just sound and have the class work together to make what can be perceived to be music. Students construct basic stringed instruments made of shoeboxes and rubber bands. This activity aims to increase student understanding of what distinguishes music from sound.
***LOGIN REQUIRED*** The purpose of this course is to provide a project-based visual arts program, which guides students to achieve the standards in the visual arts and career technical training, by providing students with the technical instruction and practical experiences for aspiring video and film makers in the production of film, video, and new media projects for business and entertainment. Students experience both the creative and technical aspects of filmmaking in conjunction with learning about historical and contemporary traditions and conventions.Students are instructed on the three stages of project creation. In pre-production, students learn the basic principles of story development, screenplay writing, storyboarding, scheduling and budget planning. Instruction in the production stage includes basic visual composition, color theory, set up and operation of camera, sound, and lighting equipment. Students learn to use cutting-edge software applications for video and audio post-production. Mastering and delivery methods, in both traditional and new media, are explored.The course also includes the basics of job shadowing, internships, and job placement. The competencies in this course are aligned with the California High School Academic Content Standards and the California Career Technical Education Model Curriculum Standards. Interdisciplinary experiences and arts activities lead to refining a personal aesthetic, and a heightened understanding of career opportunities in art and arts-related fields.