TIME TO MAKE What do the ancient Greeks and Canadian superstar Deadmau5 have in common They are both makers The link is one of the world's most popular ways of making music keyboard instruments More than 2 000 years ago the Greeks invented an organ powered by water Later makers replaced the water with air to make pipe organs Skip ahead to today and Deadmau5's prized grand piano He hooks it up to his computer to make electronic music Who will design the next advance in keyboards It could be you PIONEERS OF MUSIC Throughout history the pioneers of music have been creative and resourceful In ancient Sri Lanka someone joined a coconut shell and a bamboo stem with a few other everyday objects It became one of the earliest instruments to be played with a bow People still make music using ordinary items Take the members of Vienna s Vegetable Orchestra for example They make and play vegetable instruments from carrot futes to pumpkin drums Could coconuts or carrots be used in your music projects ARE THE MAKER MOVEMENT People who invent new instruments and ways of performing music are part of a growing group called makers They are from many different fields but they have a lot in common The design of these ravanahatha comes from ancient Sri Lankan coconut and bamboo
Makers often collaborate or work together in makerspaces and labs They gather to share tools and knowledge There might be a makerspace near you RISK TAKING Hands on experiments are a big part of the maker movement Makers take risks because they believe they can change the world Failure will not stop them They learn from their mistakes and persist until they find Solutions Creative resources and inspiration are everywhere even in the vegetable aisle of the grocery store a Cajon DESIGN PROCESSES Some people make their own instruments because they are expensive to buy and repair Other makers have an instrument they want to adapt They alter the original design to work in a different way Music makers bring their ideas to life through a variety of creative processes They may design by tria and error This process involves trying different approaches until one works well Often makers start with an idea develop a prototype test it and then improve it Be inspired by instruments from around the world This maker is building a cajon which is a drum from
THE SCIENCE OF SOUND T Riiiiiii Believe it or not when makers innovate with music they also experiment with physics This science explores how energy and matter interact Did you know that sound is actually energy that can be heard VIBRATIONS TO SOUND one causes When Taylor Swif strums her guitar she causes its strings to vibrate The matter that surrounds the strings air in this case begins to vibrate too Vibrations produce sound waves that travel in all directions HEARING outer ear malleus incus The outer ear collects sound waves These waves move through the ear canal and hit the eardrum Its tightly stretched tissue vibrates like the surface of a drum Parts in the inner ear pick up the vibrations and send signals to the brain It interprets them and we hear sounds If your parents tell you to turn down the music on your headphones listen to them Loud sounds can damage the inner ear and cause hearing loss cochlea ear drum stapes ear canal
as Be a Maker In After German composer Ludwig van Beethoven lost his hearing he sat on the floor and played a legless piano He could not hear his own music but he could feel the piano's vibrations through the floor People who are deaf can enjoy music by touching an instrument while a musician plays it or feeling vibrations coming from speakers What could you do to try feeling music instead of hearing it How could senses other than hearing or touch help you to experience music Seeeee MAKE SOME NOISE Any object that vibrates creates a sound that could become music You can try it right now Clap your hands or stomp your feet to produce vibrations Tap on a glass or slam a door shut Grab a pen and drum a beat on a variety of surfaces The very first instruments began with people using everyday items to make sounds Challenge yourself to make as many unique sounds as possible with objects you find in your kitchen Waves of sound energy move through the air from this djembe into listeners
