Have you ever wondered about how the sound of brass instruments can be created with plastic instruments? pBone Music CEO Steven Greenall explains all with a first-hand account of the links between science, maths, and music.
Last year, I had the great privilege of visiting the head office of Scholastic Education in New York. Scholastic was founded in 1920 as a single-classroom magazine. Today, Scholastic books and educational materials are in tens of thousands of schools and tens of millions of homes worldwide. Needless to say, I was intrigued by why they wanted to meet us. With pBones in tow, I met with Alexa Kurzius, one of the editors of DynaMath Magazine.
Alexa explained that DynaMath Magazine uses real-world maths to build the skills for students. Every issue makes core maths concepts relevant and engaging by showing students exciting ways to apply them in the real world. As a musician herself, she wanted to tell the pBone story and highlight the maths and science we used behind the innovation of our products. Alongside an article, the article includes several questions for students to try such as:
- Q) A brass trombone weighs 1 1/2 kg. A pBone weighs 1/2 that weight. What does a pBone weigh? What is the difference in weight between 3 brass trombones and 3 pBones?
As well as the article, Alexa and I talked about using video to enhance the story and allow students to see and hear how the instruments perform. She wrote an engaging script aimed at 3rd – 6th Grade in the United States and back in the UK we commissioned our expert video production team of Simon Russell and IDM-Media. Finally, we found a venue for a video shoot – a school of course! - and we were grateful to Mr and Mrs Assinder for allowing us to use Twycross Pre-Preparatory School in Warwickshire.
Having studied Maths and Science throughout my schooling, culminating in an Engineering degree from the University of Warwick, it was a wonderful opportunity to share with hundreds of thousands of students the maths and science background of the pBone and the value of these skills in innovation.
![Download Dynamath pBone Article [PDF]](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/4352273/6504f4da-bbaa-44f9-9926-e56ea27b3457.png)
- Looking for more cross-curricular educational materials? The pBuzz Primary Resources give educators of all abilities lesson plans for delivering pBuzz, including lots of additional learning in maths and science.
- pBuzz can be incorporated into STEM lessons in elementary lessons in the US. Discover the links between pBuzz and STEM in this article.
- Speaking of science, it's hard to escape the pull of AI! But how can the latest technology shape tomorrow's musicians? Find out how in our blog that explores how AI could teach children how to play music.
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