Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Water & Music

Water & Music photo
Water & Music

This summer we have played a lot with water while the weather is hot.  Besides cooling us off, water is a natural source of music!  It makes the prettiest sounds when it splashes and trickles.


Water Music
One of my favorite pieces of music is Water Music by George Frideric Handel.   Handel wrote Water Music in 1717 for 50 musicians to play for King George I and guests while floating down the River Thames.  It is a lovely piece.  I like to watch it performed by the English Baroque Festival as performers dressed in the style of the day dance in Baroque style.

Water Wall
A fun way to experiment with water and sound is to make a water wall.
Water Wall

We made holes in a bunch of plastic containers and bottles and zip tied them to an old piece of frame we had left over.  We also used funnels and swimming noodles to make curves.  It took some time to line up the holes and containers so that the water would drip into the bottom container instead of onto the ground.



We loved how the water flowed through one container into another.  And it made the most beautiful sounds!




This is my favorite part of the the water wall.  We put a bunch of holes in the lid of a plastic jar and it would flow into another container. 
This activity taught about the sounds water made plus a lot of engineering principles!

Water Xylophone
A great way to play with water is to make a water xylophone.  Fill a bunch of glasses with varying amounts of water.  We put food coloring in ours to make it pretty.
Take a metal spoon and tap on the glasses.  The different levels of water will make the glasses have a different tone.  You can keep them all mixed up or you can put them in order from highest to lowest.  The girls made up all kinds of songs with the xylophone.  It is a really interesting and absorbing experiment.

Relaxation

There is nothing as relaxing as the sound of water. 





Just imagine the ocean's waves crashing on the beach or a mountain stream trickling through the forest.  It is natural music made by water!

Enjoy!



19 comments:

  1. I love the water wall idea! I will have to try that with my girls!

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    1. The water wall is really fun! I think your girls would love it! Thanks for reading, Andrea.

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  2. Pretty blog name! We don't do as much in the water as we should- once the kids are better swimmers, I think I'll be less timid, too!!!!

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    1. Tricia, I get nervous with the glasses for the xylophone but nothing bad has happened yet! Thanks for reading!
      -Tonya

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  3. I've been wanting to make a water wall for a long time! Now I want to do the water xylophone too. Great post!

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    1. Thanks for reading, Joyce. I think you will enjoy both activities!
      -Tonya

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  4. Wow! This looks like so much fun!

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  5. Beautiful Post!! I am writing about water too at the moment, will mention you!

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    1. Thank you Angelique! Looking forward to reading your ideas on water!

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  6. Very fun post, especially in this heat! Thank you so much for refreshing ideas. I am going to link to this from the we teach resource pages! Carolyn

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    1. Thanks for linking to me! I really like the title picture. It was fun taking pictures of them with water all around!

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  7. Wow very creative ! Make a water xylophone, i think i will make this instrumental and share it for my friends

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  11. George Frideric Handel's The Water Music is a collection of orchestral pieces that is frequently published as three suites. Since King George I requested a concert on the River Thames, it had its debut on July 17th, 1717. The Water Music is appropriate for outdoor performances because it is scored for a sizable orchestra. Part of the music has also been preserved in a version for a smaller orchestra; however, the sound of stringed instruments does not travel well outdoors, thus this version is not appropriate for outdoor performances.

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