Overview

In this activity students will investigate the sounds that they experience in their school. This will help students start to pay more attention to sounds and connect specific sonic experiences to vocabulary and emotions. 

Instructions

Let's investigate the sounds of your school! 

1. Take a walk around the school, listening for interesting sounds as you go. At each of four destinations, take 1 minute to silently listen to the site. How would you describe it? Is there an echo? Is it loud or muffled? Are there layers of sounds?
2. After listening to the sounds of the site and identifying the qualities of the sound, try to replicate it with your voice and body.

Optional extension activity:

Back in the classroom, you should have four site sounds that you all know and can copy. Now let’s play with them!

1.  Break into four groups, one for each sound, and go to different corners of the room. 
2. Your teacher will have have four "play" buttons. When a play button is placed in front of your group, you will make your collected sound. The teacher will be the conductor, playing different groups' sound together in different combinations.

Optional extension activity: Sounds of your Community

Now that you've investigated the sounds at your school, lets expand, and go on a listening walk in your community. Visit the Charlestown Bells, a section of the Greenway, or the hockey rink, and talk about what those places sound like.

Soundmakers Prompt

Sounds are everywhere: from voices to mechanical sounds to sounds of nature, we are immersed in a soundscape during every moment of our lives. 

In this studio, you will investigate the sonic qualities of different objects, learning about how materiality, shape, and size affects sound. You will also explore the soundscape of your classroom and school, identifying their unique acoustic qualities. After initial explorations, you will use makerspace and recycled materials to invent your own playable instruments.