We went to the NCH (National Concert Hall) last Monday. We went for a science and music workshop. It was called Quavers to Quadratics.

We learned about how sound travels. It travels in waves. We also learned that something needs to vibrate to make sound. This could be an object like an instrument. This vibration then makes the air around it vibrate and the sound travels. We hear sound when vibrating air hits our eardrum.

We travelled there by bus. Two other classes went with us – Ms Quirkes and Mr Carrolls.

When we got there we met our instructors and warmed up our bodies and voices. We sang The Galaxy Song before we were split into groups. Shalom conducted all of us and the instructors playing their instruments.

In our first workshop we made our own instruments. That lesson was called ‘Making Sound’.

After break we were moved to a second room. In this room we saw sound. We saw sound using a string moving like a sound wave and a strobe light. We also used slinkys to show how sound waves move. This lesson was called ‘Seeing Sound’.

Finally, after lunch, we went to our final lesson called ‘Feeling Sound’. The instructors played their instruments and we got to feel the vibrations inside the instrument. We felt vibrations in drums, a piano, a violin, a harp, a viola and a saxaphone to name a few. We also got a chance to play some of the instruments.

Before we came home all the groups came together in the ‘Feeling Sound’ room. We all brought our instruments that we had made and used them to perform ‘The Galaxy Song’ one last time. Shalom conducted once again.

We had a great time with our class. It was so exciting that some of could not stop talking to our friends the whole time about what we had been learning.

Our teacher made a ‘slow mo’ video of some of our instruments being used. Can you see what part of our instruments is vibrating to make the sounds?