Showing 1 - 50 of 51 Things to Make and Do

Headlands Experiments INTERACTIVE A physicist, a scientist, and a musician experiment with sound, music, and acoustics using instruments both real and found. TRY IT

Can you tell the difference between birdcalls? INTERACTIVE Listen to bird songs and try to figure out which are songs, which are companion calls, and which are alarms. TRY IT

Why does some music give you goose bumps? ARTICLE Music, fear, sadness—all can cause goosebumps. But why? READ IT

Tuning VIDEO Find out what all that fiddling around before a concert is really about. WATCH IT

Kitchen Sink-o-Pation INTERACTIVE Vsit a quirky kitchen where you can compose music with ordinary (and not-so-ordinary) objects. TRY IT

Cup Speaker HANDS-ON Make your own simple speaker from wire, magnets, and a cup. MAKE IT

Make Your Own Rainstick HANDS-ON Listen to the sound of a rainstorm—anytime, anywhere. MAKE IT

The Language of Nature VIDEO Get a lesson in listening from Doniga Markegard, an expert wildlife tracker. WATCH IT

Build a Soundscape INTERACTIVE How do different sounds combine to make the unique audio environments of specific places? Build the soundscapes of a beach and a train station. TRY IT

A Space for the Blues VIDEO Music is more than meets the ears directly. Just as no sound exists in a vacuum, every space sculpts the sound within it. WATCH IT

Listening to Make Music VIDEO Meet Bart Hopkin, who listens closely to the subtle sonic qualities of wood, water, and pipes as he creates new instruments. WATCH IT

Why does my singing sound so great in the shower? ARTICLE Everyone seems to love the sound of their own voice in the shower. That's because a simple shower stall produces some complex sound-altering effects. READ IT

Opera singers ARTICLE Opera singers carry notes that seem to last forever. How do they do it? READ IT

Listening Memory Game INTERACTIVE Play a memory concentration game: Listen closely then match pairs of sounds. TRY IT

Why Does Sad Music Sound Sad? ARTICLE Our reactions may be trained, but the devices that make music sound "sad" are real enough. READ IT

Listen to the Softest Sound HANDS-ON What's the quietest sound you can find—and how can you find it? Download listening tips. MAKE IT

Stepping VIDEO Stepping is rhythmic movement that uses the body as an instrument. WATCH IT

Take the Beat Back INTERACTIVE Uncover the everyday origins of some extraordinary instruments. TRY IT

Sound Sandwich HANDS-ON Make a crowd-pleasing noisemaker called a sound sandwich, which you can adjust to raise or lower its pitch. MAKE IT

Sound Bite HANDS-ON Bone conduction is another pathway to listening. MAKE IT

Step Re-Mix INTERACTIVE Experiment with rhythm through stepping, a musical dance form that uses the body as a percussion instrument. TRY IT

Sound Automata HANDS-ON Explore the surrounding sounds that everyday objects make. Build a noise contraption from these objects, then add a PicoCricket to automate your contraption. Finally, add a light sensor and program your sound automata to "play" when triggered by light. DOWNLOAD PDF

Listening to Process Sound VIDEO Find out how a cochlear implant helped one man regain the ability to listen. WATCH IT

Sound Puzzle INTERACTIVE See if you can put these sounds back together in this sonic jigsaw puzzle. TRY IT

Water Bottle Membranophone Staff member Vivian Altmann presents the "Snack" Water-Bottle Membranophone." Make some noise with simple materials. VIEW IT | WATCH THE VIDEO

Find that Sound HANDS-ON Find a friend and try this sound localization experiement MAKE IT

Dot Mixer INTERACTIVE Produce some pretty mixed-up music with this online interactive. TRY IT

Listening to Solve Problems VIDEO Lisa Miller is a mechanic and teacher who shows her auto shop students how to use their listening skills to fix cars. WATCH IT

Listening to Get Around VIDEO Walk in the shoes of Dean Hudson. As a visually impaired person, Dean depends on audio clues to navigate through the world. WATCH IT

Straw Oboe HANDS-ON Two lips make sound MAKE IT

Sound Sensations HANDS-ON Ever notice how noisy people are? MAKE IT

Earworms ARTICLE Why do some songs get stuck in your head? READ IT

Piezoelectric Microphones INTERACTIVE Pick one and guess the source TRY IT

Water-Bottle Membranophone Make an instrument much like a saxophone but made of a water bottle and a paper tube. VIEW IT | WATCH THE VIDEO

Song Stones VIDEO Find out how to make music from stones. WATCH IT

See New Musical Instruments in Action See astounding musical instruments made by Bart Hopkin VIEW IT

Can You Find the Highest Note? INTERACTIVE Three auditory illusions created by students from the Center for Electronic Art. TRY IT

Frog Tracker INTERACTIVE Listen to different frog calls and make a frog chorus. TRY IT

An Afternoon with Peter Whitehead VIDEO PETER WHITEHEAD is an instrument builder, performer, and composer. WATCH IT

Vocal Vowels INTERACTIVE Hear vocal tract models transform the squawk of a duck call into vowel sounds. TRY IT

CANdemonium HANDS-ON Recycle some cans to make after-dinner music! MAKE IT

Blindfolded Walk HANDS-ON Close your eyes—and open your ears. MAKE IT

Bee Hummer Make a simple musical instrument that sounds like a swarm of buzzing bees when you spin it around. VIEW IT

Audio Pong INTERACTIVE Close your eyes and listen to tell where the paddle is when you play this all-listening version of the classic game Pong. TRY IT

Why does my recorded voice sound so strange to me? ARTICLE Most people abhor the sound of their own recorded voice. So what are these recording devices doing to our voices to make them sound so awful? READ IT

Groovy Sounds HANDS-ON Pencil, pin, paper = phonograph. MAKE IT

Ear Guitar HANDS-ON Share some secret sounds with a friend. MAKE IT

Secret Bells HANDS-ON An ordinary metal spoon can make some astounding sounds! MAKE IT

Why do I hear the bass from my neighbor's stereo, but not the treble? ARTICLE Why do I hear the bass from my neighbor's stereo, but not the treble? READ IT

Why do people sound better when they sing in the shower? HANDS-ON Capture the sound of your beautiful voice by singing into a wok. MAKE IT

Showing 1 - 4 of 4 Websites

Listen: Making Sense of Sound Examine the art and science of listening through a series of online activities, videos, and more.

Science of Music Explore the science of music with us, through these online exhibits, movies, and questions.

Speaking of Music Rewind Listen in on conversations with Laurie Anderson, Brian Eno, and others in Speaking of Music Rewind.

Listening Guides Skilled listeners share their secrets.