Musical Bottles: Weekly Science Activity

In this week's spotlight: a music-themed science activity that helps families explore the relationship between the sound an instrument like a clarinet makes and the length of the air column. When a sound wave travels down a longer or shorter distance, how does what we hear change? In this activity, students use glass bottles filled with differing amounts of liquid to experiment. With some careful listening and trial and error, you might be able to play a song by blowing on the bottles in a specific pattern! But you will for sure be able to hear and appreciate the differences in sound you can make by changing one of the variables involved in how the sound is produced.

• Blowing Bottle Tops: Making Music with Bottles (full Science Buddies project idea)
• Sonorous Science: Making Music with Bottles (science activity at Scientific American)