Through Guitar-Making, First Graders Learn About the Science of Sound

As they decorated their guitars and plucked the strings, a group of three first graders at Furnace Woods Elementary School discussed how their new instrument worked. Although it was created with a shoebox, construction paper, glue, rubber bands and pompoms, the end result was the same as an actual guitar.

“We learned that if the strings are tight, they will make a louder sound,” one child from Ms. Ferrari’s first-grade class said. “If the strings aren’t as tight, it won’t make as much of a sound.”

The lesson, which was taught by Furnace Woods STEAM teacher Rachel Naraine, emphasized how these vibrations create sound. During a video played for the students, that message was underscored: “Whenever you hear a sound, something somewhere is vibrating.”

Ms. Naraine said that having the students form groups and build guitars was a creative way for them to learn.

“This is a really fun way to talk about the science of sound,” she said.

After watching a video about how vibrations create sounds, the student groups used a large shoebox, decorated it with construction paper, then glued a paper towel roll to the top of the box to create the neck. They glued pompoms at the end of the neck to represent tuning pegs. On the body of the guitar, they also glued popsicle sticks to help hold the rubber bands tightly in place.

“We like how we all had a chance to work together and do different parts of the project,” one student said.

The first graders will take the guitars they created and play them in Mr. Wardlaw’s music classes this week. The purpose was to reenforce what they’ve already learned about sound.

“We came up with this idea and thought it would be nice to collaborate and connect these lessons about sound to music,” Ms. Naraine said.