Metallophone

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In this activity, learners explore sound by constructing an instrument using some metal pipes, rubber bands, and a baseboard. Note: this activity requires the use of a drill and drill bits, not included in the cost of materials. [Activity is publicly available through a web crawler capture on Archive.org.]

Quick Guide

Preparation Time:
Under 5 minutes
Learning Time:
30 to 45 minutes
Estimated Materials Cost:
$10 - $20 per student
Age Range:
Ages 6 - 11
Resource Types:
Activity, Lesson/Lesson Plan
Language:
English

Materials List (per student)

  • 4-7 metal pipes, 1" apart in length, shortest around 5"
  • 1 baseboard, at least 3/4" thick
  • 10-16 double headed nails (used for concrete forms)
  • 2 dowels
  • 2 nuts that will fit the dowels tightly
  • 20+ rubber bands
  • hammer
  • glue gun
  • drill
  • drill bit (a bit larger than the dowels)

Keywords

Subjects

  • Life Sciences
    • Human Senses and Perception
      • Hearing
  • Physical Sciences
    • Vibration and Waves
      • Wave Properties
      • Sound
  • The Nature of Science
    • The Scientific Process
      • Conducting Investigations

Informal Categories

  • Arts and Crafts
  • Music

Audience

To use this activity, learners need to:

  • see
  • hear
  • touch

Learning styles supported:

  • Links STEM to other topics of interest such as arts and humanities
  • Involves hands-on or lab activities

Other

Components that are part of this resource:

Includes alignment to state and/or national standards:

This resource is part of:

Access Rights:

  • Free access

By:

  • Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop

Rights:

  • All rights reserved, Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop, 2013

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