Good Vibrations

On This Day In History
1966: John Lennon sparks his first major controversy by claiming the Beatles are, "Bigger than Jesus."

Quote Of The Day
"The sea, the great unifier, is man's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat."
(Jacques Cousteau)

Today we looked at the structure of the ear and how it works. We also looked at how sound travels in waves and how pitch is changed by the shape and size of wavelengths measured in Hertz. They enjoyed listening to the tone generator and watching sound waves on the oscilloscope, (almost as much as I enjoyed playing with it, possibly.) Give it a go; it's fun!

I was extremely proud of the whole class - and told them so, explaining why - because of their mature response to the video I showed them of the amazing Wendy Carlos tuning a synthesizer. No sniggers, no whispers, no pointing; complete acceptance. We had a short discussion of transgenderism and they took it all in their stride. That's what I love about children; they have not yet learned the intolerance that society is prone to teach them as they grow older. Long may they keep these fresh, open minds.

Yes, I was rather self-indulgent today, I must admit, because after Wendy Carlos I introduced them to the theremin. No JMJ, though; that comes in the next unit, Bright Sparks. Hey, we have to get our kicks where we find them, right?

Sorry, I can't wait. Theremin Memories