What doscience and music have in

common? More than you might think!

In music, you can find real-life examples ofconcepts you might have learned in science class.And musicians can perform better thanks to the

discoveries and understandings of science.

So put on your lab coat and get readyto take a scientific—and fun!—

look at music.

Connections:Science+MusicDeveloped and hosted by Yvonne Caruthers

Performed by

National Symphony Orchestra members

Yvonne Caruthers, cello

Natasha Bogachek, violin

Stephen Dumaine, tuba

David and Alice Rubenstein are thePresenting Underwriters of the NSO.

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Light vs.SoundA different type of wave,called electromagnetic, produceslight. During the performance, discoverwhich has a greater range—light or sound.

Let’s Examine Some Ways SWAVE ITHere are two sound wave

frequencies during the samemoment of time. Which hasthe higher pitch?

RadioWaves

low frequency high frequency

Microwaves UltravioletRadiation

X-Rays GammaRays

InfraredRadiation

VISIBLELIGHT

short wavelength

long wavelength

Visible light is a part of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Answer:Thewhiteone.Ahhh or Ouch?Sound also varies by how loud or soft it is.Scientists measure that intensity in decibels, ordB. From studying the human ear, they can tellus how loud is too loud. When you speak in anormal voice to a friend, it is about 60 dB. Sittingin the front row of a rock concert, you’re likelyhearing 110 dB, something that could hurt yourhearing if you did it often. And hold it right there,because sound at 160 dB (too loud!) could causepermanent damage to your ear.

Musicians must be extra careful, particularly ifthey are exposed to loud music on a regular basis.To protect their hearing, some even wearearplugs while they are performing.

The Sounds of ScienceSound WavesWhat is sound, anyway? Thanks to science, weknow sound happens when an object vibrates(moves back and forth quickly). For example,when your finger plucks a string, the stringvibrates and disturbs the air around it, making aninvisible sound wave. You hear the sound whenthe wave travels through the air to your ear.

Different sounds have different wavelengths.A wavelength is the distance between the highpoint of one wave to the high point of the nextwave. The number of high points per second iscalled the frequency. If many sound waves pass inone second, the frequency is high. If only a fewsound waves pass in the same second, thefrequency is low.

In music, we hear what happens at differentfrequencies. The pitch of a note—how high orlow it sounds—depends on the frequency of thesound waves. The higher the frequency, thehigher the pitch; the lower the frequency, thelower the pitch.

*BTW*InternationalNoise Awareness Dayis April 24, 2013.

The Construction of InstrumentsString InstrumentsString instruments like the violin and the cello areusually constructed of wood, with strings madeof synthetic (man-made) materials and metal.The strings vibrate when they are plucked orwhen the musician draws a bowacross a string. The bows areusually made of wood andhorsehair. Old bows wereoften decorated with ivory.

A vibrating string doesnot produce much sound.The instrument’s hollowbody creates a resonatingchamber thatamplifies (enlarges)the sound waves ofthe vibrating strings.

Science andMusicConnect

Answer:Resonating(hollow)chamberscreateadeeperandstrongersound.

RESONATEIT

Before or after the performance,test your own resonatingchamber. Take a rubber bandand a small plastic water bottlewith a cap. First, fill the bottlewith water and close the cap.Stretch the band around thebottle and pluck the band with your finger.Then remove the cap, empty the water, andreattach the cap. Pluck the band again. Is thesound different? If so, how? What does yourexperiment tell you about resonatingchambers? The answer is below.

Brass InstrumentsInstruments like the tuba arenormally made from brass, ayellowish metal. To make asound on a brass instrument,

musicians “buzz” their lips against the instrument’smouthpiece.During the performance, you’lllearn the special technique of “buzzing.”

fingerboard

strings

bow

f-holes

mouthpiece

CELLO

Greener InstrumentsEfforts to protect endangered or threatenedspecies affect musicians. Take for example, thematerials used to make bows.

First, the tips of older bows feature ivory, amaterial banned to protect endangered Africanelephants. During the performance, you’ll learnabout one surprising substitute for ivory. Second,deforestation (the widespread clearing of trees)has made the preferred wood—calledpernambuco (per-nuhm-BOO-koh)—for bowsscarcer. Some bow makers have substitutedcarbon fiber, a synthetic material(thank you, chemistry!) strongerthan steel. And some instrumentmakers discovered carbon fibermakes great instruments, too.

TUBA

A Good Audience…� Stays seated� Stays quiet� Watches and listens carefully� Claps at the end

David M. RubensteinChairman

Michael M. KaiserPresident

Darrell M. AyersVice President, Education

Christoph EschenbachMusic Director

Additional support for Performancesfor Young Audiences is provided inpart by Adobe Foundation; The ClarkCharitable Foundation; Mr. James V.Kimsey; The Macy*s Foundation; TheMax and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation,Inc.; The Morris and GwendolynCafritz Foundation; Park Foundation,Inc.; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation;an endowment from the Ryna andMelvin Cohen Family Foundation;U.S. Department of Education;Washington Gas; and by generouscontributors to the Abe FortasMemorial Fund, and by a major giftto the fund from the late Carolyn E.Agger, widow of Abe Fortas.

www.kennedy-center.org/artsedge

Cuesheets are produced by ARTSEDGE,an education program of theKennedy Center.

Learn more aboutEducation at The Kennedy Center atwww.kennedy-center.org/education

The contents of this Cuesheet do notnecessarily represent the policy of the U.S.Department of Education, and you shouldnot assume endorsement by the FederalGovernment.

© 2013 The John F. Kennedy Center for thePerforming Arts

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Music to Your EarsAt the performance, you will hear:

“Dance of the Elves” (excerpt) by David Popper

Zigeunerweisen (excerpt) by Pablo de Sarasate (sa-ra-SAW-tay)

Freq-y Wave by Lynda Williams

Etude No. 34 for solo violin by Rodolphe Kreutzer (KROY-tser)

Caprice No. 1 for solo cello by Alfredo Piatti (pee-AH-tee)

Etude No. 8 for solo tuba by Phil Snedecor

Ziganotchka, a traditionalUkrainian folk song

Getting PhysicalIt’s not just the instruments thatmake music, but also the peoplewho play them. Musicians need tounderstand how their bodies workto perform better.

Speed RacerMusicians must teach their musclesto hold and play their instruments.And just like a runner training for arace, musicians must practice hard totrain their arms, hands, and fingers—and even their lips and tongues—to play better and faster. What doyou think is the world speed recordfor playing a musical instrument?During the performance, listencarefully to see how fast theperformers can play!

Take a Deep BreathRemember the last time you blewup balloons? Did you start to getdizzy after a few? That mighthappen the first time you play awind instrument, too. And that’swhy musicians train their lungs andstomach muscles—so they canbreathe longer and stronger andplay their instruments for hours.

If a grownupsays it’s okay,try taking a slow deep breath.Have a friend count how longyou can keep blowing out theair through pursed lips. Duringthe performance, compare yourtime with how long Stephen canplay a note on the tuba.

BREATHEIT