Sounds About Right

This ETP outlines a three-day lesson, consisting of one 55-minute and two 102-minute block periods, centered around the analysis of audio data. In the first half of the learning sequence, students will learn the mathematical model of waves so that they can extend this knowledge to how we perceive the phenomena of sound waves through musical notes. They will then learn how to assess the quality of a musical instrument by using a phone app, to decompose a sound wave into its respective frequency components. The sequence will develop their familiarity with the tool, culminating in a design challenge where students design a straw flute which can consistently generate three different tones. They will validate their design by using a spectral analysis tool to identify dominant frequencies of their tones.