What do you get when you combine PVC pipe, tuners, and science students who are also talented musicians?

This complex learning experience was birthed over the summer, with the goal of creating an interdisciplinary project that augmented and deepened learning in both music and science. 

So to implement the project, this week Ms. Teskey, Ms. Rozzi, Mr. Holland, Mr. Rosenberg, and Mr. Steele unleashed the joint power of science and music by challenging their students to work together in order to build pan flutes out of PVC pipes. Each group, comprised where possible of both vocal and instrumental musicians, started by cutting pipes into different lengths with hacksaws, meaning that no two pan flutes would start with the same pitch.
 

Using tuners, the students then had to discover that pitch of the pipe by striking their palms against one open end. Once the pitch became apparent, they applied musical knowledge of scales to construct the rest of their pan flutes. 

"It has been wonderful to see the students apply their understanding of pitch and instrumentation to a sound wave's frequency and connect this with their pan flute design," reflected Ms. Rozzi. "The students graphed the Hertz values for each note in their flute's scale to illustrate the exponential curve of an octave in music."

Kudos to the eighth graders for conducting these interconnected explorations!