Musical Straws

This STEM Design challenge was a lot of fun...and very noisy. The challenge posed to the students was, in their groups, they had to play a basic song using straws that were turned into an instrument. The students started the lesson by discussing what a reed's purpose is in a musical instrument. The conversation went great because many of my students are in band. Words like volume, pitch, and vibrations were used without me having to prompt the class.

After the discussion, students were shown how to cut the straw into a point. They them had to figure out how to blow into it to make a kazoo sound. This sounds easier than it actually was. Some figured it out right away, while others took a while. Even the band students had some difficulty.  I love it when simple challenges don't come easy because my students then have to adapt and persevere. Once they figured out the right technique, it was like riding a bike and the noise began.

Students received additional straws to cut and "play" so they could determine how the length of the straw changed the pitch. Once each group had a variety of straw lengths, the challenged continued. I saw many wonderful techniques. Some groups were writing down the "notes" to play along with, others were grouping straws together by length and playing that way.  One group even had a conductor who pointed at the person who should be playing the note.

We heard "Hot Cross Buns," "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," and "Old McDonald."  Some groups decided to create an original song as time was running out.

Overall, the lesson was effective. Through a hands-on design challenge, the students were able to meet my learning target which was, "I can explain how a reed works by monitoring the effects of straw length and pitch."  The students were laughing, having super discussions, and learning scientific concepts all while rising up to a challenge that, at the beginning, caused frustration.

One important note - keep your door closed and warn your fellow teachers that musical straws will be taking place. One teacher told me that at first she thought the sound was a baby crying and then when she peeked into the hall, she realized it was coming from my room!

Here's to STEM!
Mrs. Giran