Course In Musical Acoustics Research Articles

Extended playing techniques as a source of unusual acoustic phenomena to explore with music students

When teaching acoustics, instructors typically consider musical instruments to introduce students to the science of sound. Common examples, such as the flute as an open pipe or the behavior of a string fixed at both ends, are often used to illustrate the acoustics of musical instruments. In addition, when teaching acoustics to advanced musicians, one could take advantage of the precise prior knowledge that students have regarding both conventional and extended playing techniques. When using extended techniques, musicians may incorporate unusual ways of producing sound with their instruments, as is often found in contemporary classical compositions. This unusual sound production might even result in a counterexample to the classical textbook case. For example, the so-called slap-tongue technique on the saxophone or clarinet produces a free (and highly damped) oscillation of the reed, which contrasts with the self-sustained oscillations of the reed if the instrument is blown as usual. Based on insights gathered during an introductory course in musical acoustics at the mdw—University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, this paper highlights how extended techniques not only challenge our understanding of musical acoustics but also serve as interesting phenomena to explore interactively with students in the lecture room.

Improving quantitative literacy through a general education acoustics course

Most Colleges and Universities have some form of quantitative reasoning requirement for graduation. A narrow view of this requirement is that students need to do some mathematics in the course to demonstrate some facility at calculating quantities. Additionally, students often discuss their discomfort with mathematics when discussing their anxiety about registering in a non-majors physics course. In this presentation, I will discuss strategies used in a musical acoustics course for non-science majors to address proportionalities, graphical representations, and approximations to help students get past equations to think about the underlying physical relationships. Often, I find that students actually are much better at using mathematics than their self-assessments. By giving students different contexts for mathematical thinking, the quantitative elements make more sense to them and calculations become less intimidating. The examples I will discuss focus on using classroom-based experiments to identify relationships between dependent and independent variables on topics such as musical scales, simple oscillators, and fourier analysis.

Building a mathematical model for a simple harmonic oscillator that uses educational methods found in both physics education research and in the language disciplines that make it accessible to undergraduate students in an introductory musical acoustics course

At the basis of any course in acoustics is the fundamental idea of the simple harmonic oscillator. The term alone is confusing to students with little to no background in physics or math. For courses in musical acoustics at the undergraduate level, this topic is often minimized due to the lack of preparation. This, in turn, results in a more superficial approach to the advanced topics. While deriving the mathematical treatment from first principles is out of reach to these students, approaching the math itself as a language where they are building a description of a simple mass and spring system in their new, yet somewhat familiar, language can be accomplished through pictures, graphs and hands on activities. Students begin to build a vocabulary of “words” that can be strung together in “sentences” that tell the story of how the motion of a mass on a spring is produced. Emphasis is placed on the analogous comparison of physical properties by relating variables such as amplitude and frequency to that of volume and pitch. This model can then be used as a building block to the understanding of how sound is produced, propagated and perceived.

Development of a waves and vibration concept inventory: Challenges and applications

A useful tool for measuring learning gains and for assessing the effectiveness of instruction in the physical sciences is the “concept inventory.” This is a set of questions administered at the beginning of a course, or prior to a unit of instruction, as well as at the conclusion. Students may told their scores, but are not provided with the answers. An early example is the Force Concept Inventory (FCI), published in 1992, which has been widely adopted for use in introductory physics courses and has served as the model for concept inventories. This presentation describes the ongoing development of an inventory designed to test conceptual understanding of basic principles of vibration and wave propagation that are typically covered in a first-year physics course or introductory or intermediate courses on acoustics-related topics. The current version builds on previous work by the author to develop a more focused inventory for an introductory course in musical acoustics (https://asa.scitation.org/doi/10.1121/1.5067886). Results from the trial use of this inventory in multiple courses at Central Washington University will be discussed.

When a simple demonstration of resonance in a forced oscillation system proved that resonance does not exist

Students in an introductory musical acoustics course attempted to recreate a simple forced oscillation system to verify its resonant frequency. The procedure followed ideas and instructions found in a YouTube video from Animated Science to show resonance. This was tested by the instructor prior to the experiment, who found it to be straightforward to assemble and to make the appropriate measurements. The calculated frequency was found to be within 2.5% of the experimental value. The students were given two identical springs, each with a spring constant of 30 N/m and a 100 g mass, as well as a function generator and apparatus needed to connect the system. The video shows the mass suspended between the two springs with one end driven by a function generator while the other end is fixed. A meterstick was placed behind the mass spring system to get a rough estimate of the peak amplitude. 6 separate groups of 3 students each tried to assemble the system as shown. Not a single set-up worked as it did in the video. The reasons for this were as varied as the number of groups doing the experiment. The experiment was refined over several years into a well-executed experiment.

Project-based learning through sensor characterization in a musical acoustics course.

Project-based learning engages students in practical activities related to course content and has been demonstrated to improve academic performance. Due to its reported benefits, this form of active learning was incorporated with an ongoing research project into an introductory, graduate-level Musical Acoustics course at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University. Students applied concepts from the course to characterize a contact sensor with a polymer diaphragm for musical instrument recording. Assignments throughout the semester introduced students to completing a literature review, planning an experiment, collecting and analyzing data, and presenting results. While students were given broad goals to understand the performance of the contact sensor compared to traditional microphones, they were allowed independence in determining the specific methods used. The efficacy of the course framework and research project was assessed with student feedback provided through open-ended prompts and Likert-type survey questions. Overall, the students responded positively to the project-based learning and demonstrated mastery of the course learning objectives. The work provides a possible framework for instructors considering using project-based learning through research in their own course designs.

Collaborative online assignments for an introductory course in musical acoustics

Hands-on activities are a valuable component of any introductory course in physical science, especially a course in musical acoustics that attracts students who are not majoring in a physical science. Tasks that require active engagement, both physical and cognitive, have been shown to improve retention of new concepts [Am. J. Phys. 80, 478 (2012)]. Such tasks also provide an opportunity for students to improve collaboration skills and to learn from each other. The development of a well-vetted library of interactive online physics simulations, such as PhET (https://phet.colorado.edu), and recent improvements in online collaboration platforms have enabled collaborative active learning to occur in a structured way outside the classroom. This presentation will describe three collaborative tasks for a general education course in musical acoustics at Central Washington University that were adapted for online and hybrid versions of thecourse. Each task makes use of freely available software. Examples of how the collaboration can be structured using Zoom and Gather.town will be provided.

Designing an introductory musical acoustics course using physics education research techniques and the impact COVID-19 pandemic had on the course structure.

Sound & Music is an introductory musical acoustics course designed from the ground up using Physics Education Research techniques. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic forced changes in the curriculum that essentially were reactionary in scope. This was a universal problem that opened up discussions with other educators. Although it had existed previously, the idea of "flipping" a class became a popular concept during the pandemic. Pedagogies applied to an introductory acoustics course are examined as to what they meant in the context of the pandemic. This paper will look at the structure and format of the course pre-pandemic as well as discuss excerpts from three different hands-on activities that were each designed using Physics Education Research techniques. It will then look at how these were altered to be used during the pandemic era as well as other challenges that were overcome during this time, summarizing what changes worked and what did not.

Implementing a flipped classroom model to teach an introductory musical acoustics course

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic and our institution's response to the emergency, our musical acoustics course was delivered exclusively online for a full academic year, followed by a semester where only the lab component was in-person. A library of videos was developed to provide this course online. The videos contained the lecture content for the entire course. A flipped class model was adopted upon returning the course to a face-to-face modality. Students were assigned to watch the videos of class lecture material at home instead of expecting to hear that material presented in the classroom. Classtime was exclusively reserved for laboratory activities, answering student questions, and applying concepts covered in the videos to problems in preparation for class assessments. The benefits and challenges of this course delivery method will be addressed.

The successes and failures of flipping an introductory musical acoustics course in response to the COVID pandemic

The advent of COVID-19 brought about many curricular changes throughout the academic world. One of the buzz words that quickly emerged was the idea of a flipped classroom. Just as quickly as we were all zooming, suddenly everyone was flipping their classrooms. A quick check into what this meant revealed itself to have its roots in the ideas of Physics Education Research. Sound & Music is an introductory course in musical acoustics that uses pedagogies based on these methods and has been taught continuously since 1996. The numerous hands-on activities that have been developed for this course were delivered in a specific sequence with two cumulative projects occurring at the end of the semester which focus on instrument design and room acoustics. When COVID occurred, these particular activities posed a big problem. Additionally, having to go remote hampered the format and delivery of the course. All activities and topic ordering had to be rewritten and reimagined. What was needed in the reimaging of the course was a flipping of the topics being taught without compromising the educational experience. Student involvement in the design and implementation of the changes over three semesters was a strong aspect of its overall success.

Musical acoustics course in the teaching system of music software technologies in higher education institutions

Musical acoustics course in the teaching system of music software technologies in higher education institutions

Techniques that can be used in a musical acoustics course

A course in Musical Acoustics provides a unique opportunity to involve some innovative techniques in and out of the classroom. Our Physics of Music course is a thorough integration of physics and music.1 It starts with the mathematical structure of music and discusses musical styles and how they differ. After an introduction of related physics concepts, the physical structure and operation of instruments in the various groups are studied. Connection is made of the instruments and how they reproduce the mathematical nature of music. The course integrates different learning modes, some of which are not found in a typical physics course. The classes include lecture/demonstration, group discussions, in-class laboratories, guest lecturers and a final individual project encompassing many course elements. The constant connection between the physics and the music, along with varied learning techniques, including hands-on experience, provides a motivating approach for students to experience science in a familiar context. This talk will provide a brief course overview and discussion of the non-standard instruction elements used in the course. 1 For a detailed course description, see POMA18 (2014). DOI: 10.1121/1.4895817

Engaging musical acoustics instructors beyond the members of the Acoustical Society of America

The members of the Technical Committee on Musical Acoustics (TCMU) of the Acoustical Society of America (ASA) have demonstrated their commitment to education in acoustics regularly by organizing and cosponsoring numerous education-related sessions at ASA meetings. Musical acoustics as a topic for general education science courses is a popular offering at many colleges and universities. A brief survey of the musical acoustics course offerings at various colleges is presented. Many of these courses are taught by instructors who have not interacted with TCMU members or attended ASA meetings. It is possible that the musical acoustics community is missing out on opportunities to interact with a population of educators who share our interests. Our community should be looking for ways to engage the instructors of musical acoustics courses in dialogue which is mutually beneficial; members of the TCMU may find that they will discover new ideas for teaching musical acoustics from beyond the ASA membership.

Explaining microphones and loudspeakers in a musical acoustics course for non-scientists

Contemporary courses in the field of musical acoustics rely upon basic audio engineering components such as acoustical transducers: microphones, accelerometers, and loudspeakers. Most students are very aware of the practical use and behavior of such devices, but they seldom have a useful understanding of the physical and engineering principles behind the design of these essential components. This paper presents a lesson example explaining microphones and loudspeakers for a general-interest undergraduate college course entitled “The Science of Sound.” The lesson includes a descriptive lecture component, examples and discussion, and a hands-on demonstration.

Navigating and developing acoustics research and curriculum within the Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology

Acoustics at the Georgia Institute of Technology has primarily been based within mechanical engineering with various other faculty spread throughout the university. Within the last decade, the School of Music has developed an internationally recognized graduate degree program and research center in music technology. Since winning the Student Paper Award, my professional career has started in a unique faculty position within the School of Music at Georgia Tech, where my responsibilities are split between being an ensemble/choral conductor and an active member of the Center for Music Technology. One of the recent challenges is the development of an innovative undergraduate curriculum model that fuses music fundamentals, music technology, general musicianship, and engineering/computer science. At the graduate level, new coursework I have created has included a musical acoustics course for music technologists and a historical acoustics and modeling course. Additionally, developing a research track of acoustics within the confines of music technology has allowed my research to morph into musically related areas that my graduate research did not allow. Areas of current research include historical architectural acoustics, active temperament, synthesis, and noise control.

Making music: A serious attempt at designing new instruments by undergraduate students

We describe a course in musical acoustics that required undergraduate students to design and build unique musical instruments, compose music for ensembles of them, and then perform the compositions in a public concert. Unlike most courses in musical acoustics which require the students to build home-made instruments as a final project, the construction of the instrument and composing original music were the primary goals of the course. The instruments were required to be artistic, visually interesting and play a pitch collection from the Western scale. We will describe the challenges and successes, show examples of the instruments, and review the lessons learned.

A laboratory investigation of the effect of trumpet mouthpieces in an introductory musical acoustics course

In our introductory musical acoustics course for non-science majors, a major goal of the course is to introduce students to the principles of scientific thinking and investigation. Many students have preconceived ideas or beliefs about factors influencing the sounds produced by musical instruments. It is the role of the instructor to help students frame their ideas into scientifically testable experiments, which can be conducted in the laboratory. In our course, we have designed a laboratory activity to challenge students to explore the role of the mouthpiece of brass musical instruments. A parametric model of a trumpet mouthpiece is customized by students in order to investigate the effects of changing mouthpiece geometry on the trumpet acoustics. The models are manufactured on a 3D printer and used in the laboratory to make input impedance measurements. Students compare their quantitative results to the qualitative conceptions they held before completing the laboratory investigation.

Laboratory Investigation of Noise-Canceling Headphones Utilizing “Mr. Blockhead”

While I was co-teaching an introductory course in musical acoustics a few years ago, our class investigated several pieces of equipment designed for audio purposes. One piece of such equipment was a pair of noise-canceling headphones. Our students were curious as to how these devices were in eliminating background noise and whether they indeed block low-frequency sounds as advertised.

Introducing the concept of resonance to non-science majors in a musical acoustics class

Understanding the concept of resonance is one of the most important goals for a student in a musical acoustics course to achieve. In our musical acoustics course students examine the standing wave behavior of simple one-dimensional systems such as stretched strings and pipes with open ends or one closed end. The concept is integral to the discussion of how nearly all musical instrument work, but it is also a difficult concept for many students to understand. In our class, we discuss how looking at the boundary conditions of the systems we examine in class can be applied to predict what the resonant frequencies of the system are.

Teaching musical acoustics with clickers

Musical acoustics is a well-proved avenue for teaching scientific concepts to students whose fields of study and interests are far removed from any science. In recent years the Michigan State course in musical acoustics has benefited greatly from using clickers. Frequent clicker questions (1 point for any answer; 2 points for the correct answer) promote attendance and help maintain a lively, interactive classroom environment, even for a large lecture class. Nobody sleeps when clicker points are on the line. Students are encouraged to discuss responses to clicker questions among themselves before answering, and the response protocol allows students to change their responses at any time before the polling is closed. Musical acoustics lectures include many demonstrations that can be presented as experiments requiring students to predict the result in advance using their clickers. “No-count” or “all-good” clicker questions can be used to determine student responses to perceptual experiments, and the feedback from the scoring algorithm gives the answer and the inevitable variability. Most important, responses to clicker questions give an instructor instant feedback about whether new lecture material has been understood. To use clickers in this way requires flexible instruction and spontaneous generation of new clicker questions.