Music, Science, and Dynamics…Oh My!

• Danielle Hommel
• Posted 11/4/21
• 0 comments

Engaging all learners in my classroom was a challenge! I decided to explore science as an avenue to illustrate musical concepts. As a result, anticipated lessons introducing crescendos and sudden dynamic changes with excitement. Visual learners were thoroughly engaged, and students who enjoy science flexed their knowledge while explaining the reactions in the experiments.

Elephant’s Toothpaste

The gradual increase of volume from a crescendo builds anticipation by creating a dramatic and more emotional experience for the listener. I recreated and illustrated this effect using Elephant’s Toothpaste.

Elephants’ toothpaste is a super simple fun chemical reaction science experiment! The following materials are needed for the experiment:

• 2 TB warm water
• 1 tsp yeast
• Food coloring
• Hydrogen Peroxide (3% or 6%)
• Empty plastic bottle
• Funnel

Step one: Dissolve the yeast in water
Step two: Pour ½ cup of peroxide into the empty plastic bottle
Step three: Add a few drops of food coloring
Step four: Add a squirt of dish soap
Step five: Pour in the mixture of water and yeast
Step six: Sit back and watch!

Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 by Richard Strauss

The anticipation starts when I begin to add the materials into the water bottle. I timed the additions just as the piano dynamic builds interest at the beginning of a crescendo. Visually, students watched foam begin to form in the bottle, which created drama. Colorful foam erupted from the top of the bottle, making the emotional experience felt at the dynamic finish line of a crescendo. After the experiment, the students and I discussed the chemical reaction and the heightened emotions felt by the students with the music.

Film Canister Rocket

Sudden dynamic changes can surprise and change the listener’s expectation making the music more memorable. To recreate this emotional experience, I highlighted Newton’s Laws of Motion with a STEAM lesson building a Film Canister Rocket.

Film canister rockets are an example of how built-up gas causes a forceful reaction causing the lid to blow off and the film canister to launch into the air! To build a rocket you need the following supplies:

• Film canister or effervescent vitamin container
• Alka seltzer or effervescent tablet
• Water

Step one: Fill the canister ⅓ full of water
Step two: Drop 1 tablet in the water
Step three: Quickly place the lid on firmly
Step four: Stand back!

Symphony No. 94: 2nd Movement by Haydn

Not knowing what to expect, students were quickly surprised by the loud sound of the chemical reaction bursting the lid off and the canister flying into the air! Students begged to see the experiment more than once, creating a memorable experience ensuring students always remember Haydn’s “Symphony No. 94: 2nd Movement”.

My students and I enjoy including science experiments in music class. Proof that cross-curricular connections are a win for everyone!

References

Classical Music Only (2008). Haydn: Symphony No. 94 “Surprise,” 2nd Movement.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLjwkamp3lI IlaryRhineKlange (2011).

Richard Strauss Also Sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFPwm0e_K98

Vanstone, E. (2015, May 18). How to Make a Film Canister Rocket. https://www.science-sparks.com/how-to-make-a-film-canister-rocket/

3M (2021). Elephant Toothpaste: How do Catalysts Help Chemical Reactions Happen? https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/gives-us/education/science-at-home/elephant-toothpaste/