Exploring Sound in the Brown Room!

Small Group Exploration of Sound 

To kick off our exploration of sound, we first worked in small groups to listen to and draw mystery sounds. The sounds we explored included those shared by families, sounds from Karen and Elena’s homes, and from the  environment.
Here's a glimpse into our first exploration on Tuesday.

​Group 1: Bailee, Charlton and Ramsey
Karen: This is our first mystery sound, so listen carefully. (Dog snoring). Does anyone have a guess what that sound is?
Charlton: What?
Karen: That one’s really tough. You wanna make a guess? Should we listen to it again? (Plays dog snoring again).
Charlton: Is that the Gruffalos?
Karen: Ramsey, do you have an idea what you think it might be?
Ramsey: Yes! It’s a…a…skeleton.
Bailee: Um, um. A tiger. 
Karen: That was Cam (Karen's dog) snoring! Let's listen to another one. This one is from my house (squeaky door). 
Bailee laughed!
Ramsey: A door! It is a door.
Karen: Why do you think it’s a door?
Ramsey:  Because I hear a sound. 
Karen: What sound did you hear? Could you describe the sound that you heard?
Charlton: Like a dinosaur roaring at your house Karen!

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Group 2: Cal, Fay and Rawls
Cal: I draw a monster. No, it’s making a police sound. 
Karen: It’s not making a monster sound?
Cal: It’s making a police sound! Police officer sound. 
Karen:  What does a “police officer sound” sound like? 
Cal: It says, “Stop, name of the law!”
Rawls: I’m drawing a people sound.
Karen: Tell me about the people sound. 
Rawls: A bathroom, loop de loop.
Karen: A bathroom loop de loop. Hmmm. I don’t know what that is. Can you tell me more about that? 
Rawls: It’s when you flush the toilet!
Karen: Oh, so that’s how you’re describing that sound you hear when you flush the toilet?
Rawls: Yes! (Pointing to his drawing). 
Fay: I'm drawing a dinosaur sound.
Karen: Tell me what a dinosaur sound sounds like.
 Fay: Roar! A really, really, really, big one! 

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On Wednesday, Ellie and Emma  were the first pair of Brown Room children to work in small groups, followed by Fay and Isabelle.

​Elena: We’re going to be listening to some sounds from Karen’s house, my house and Charlton’s house. 
Isabelle: Charlton’s house?
Elena: Yes! Our first sound comes from Charlton’s house! (plays a harmonica sound) What does that sound like?
Isabelle: What’s that sound like?
Fay: Um, a telephone?
Isabelle: Charlton’s house! A phone, a telephone. A Charlton’s house!

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The Mystery Sound Game at Morning Meeting

At morning meeting on Thursday, we played the Mystery Sound game as a whole class. Here's a snippet:
Elena: Should we try another mystery sound? (plays sound of xylophone outside) What is that sound?
Ford: It could be a piano.
Karen: Oh, what makes you think it could be a piano, Ford?
Ford: Because it has ummm.
Charlton: It’s drums!
Ford: It could be a trumpet .
Elena: Ok, it could be a piano, drums or a trumpet.
Ragnar: I have a question.
Elena: Ok, let's listen to Ragnar’s question!
Ragnar: Why are we playing new songs?
Karen: Does anyone want to share with Ragnar about our winter research? 
Ford: My mom says it's new songs.
Ragnar: I think its Top Wing (originally heard toppling in reference to the xylophone, but later found out Top Wing is a new song, Ragnar has been listening to at home).

We are just beginning to explore sounds in the Brown Room, so it's not too late to share some sounds from your home with us via email! 

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Using Technology to Record Sounds in Our Enviornment

On Friday, we ventured out into the environment at St. John's to collect sounds. Ford describes how the children used the iPod touch's Voice Recorder App to record sounds that we heard in the  environment at
St. John's:
​Because the sound connects to the phone. And you press the red button (the record button). And you press the red button again. And then you press the triangle (the play button) and you can hear it!

The first two groups of children to collect sounds in our environment were Emma and Louisa, followed by Ford and Seon. More children will get a chance to collect sounds next week to add to our collection.

Emma and Louisa first headed down the hallway towards Rainey and Tucker Rooms, and then decided to explore outside of the school doors and ventured into the church and offices. They recorded the water cooler in the pantry, the school's alarm, the sounds of Karen's footsteps on squeaky floorboards in the balcony and their own footsteps while going down the steps.
Louisa: That's you (Karen)! (as we practiced recording our voices and playing them back) 
Emma: Emma press the red button. Press the red button again. 
Ford and Seon were also interested in the sound of the alarm.  Then , at Ford's suggestion, they ventured out to explore how their footsteps sounded  as they stepped on different types of flooring around the building: the wooden floorboards of the  balcony, the stone of the steps  and the mosaic tile of the sanctuary floor. 
Seon: Push the red button.
Ford: Let's go down there! Let's listen to us walk. 

Looking Ahead to Next Week