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MUSICAL MINDS
A HARMONIOUS LEARNING BLOG FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL TEACHERS & PARENTS
Welcome to "Musical Minds," the harmonious learning blog for primary school teachers and parents brought to you by Music Kids Academy. Our blog is a resourceful hub where you can explore the world of music education for young learners. With our experienced team of music educators, we bring you a collection of articles, tips, and tricks that will guide you in incorporating music education into your child's daily life. From the benefits of music education to the latest trends in teaching techniques, our blog is the ultimate guide for primary school teachers and parents looking to nurture a child's love for music. Join us on this musical journey and watch as your child's love for music grows!
Science of Sound: Why Some Places Echo...and Others Don't
Ever shouted “HELLO!” into a big empty space just to hear your own voice bounce back? (Same. Zero regrets.) But then you try the same thing in a classroom and… nothing. Why? It all comes down to surfaces, size, and timing. An echo is just sound coming back to you When you make a noise, the sound waves travel outwards. If they hit a hard, distant surface — like a cliff, a gym wall, or a cathedral ceiling — they bounce back. If the reflected sound reaches you 0.1 seconds or m
Science of Sound: Why Sound Changes in Cold Weather
Ever noticed that on frosty mornings things sound different? Voices seem sharper. Cars seem closer. Playgrounds sound oddly distant. It’s not your imagination — it’s physics doing its winter routine. Here’s what actually happens: Cold air slows sound down Sound travels faster in warm air and slower in cold. That means on chilly mornings, sound waves take just a touch longer to reach you — enough to make things feel slightly “off”. But… warm air rises And warm air near th
Science of Sound: Why You Hear the Crack After the Smack
Ever noticed you see a cricket ball hit before you hear the crack? That’s because light and sound travel at very different speeds. Light moves at about 300,000 km per second — instant, for all practical purposes. Sound? Much slower — around 343 metres per second in air. So if you’re sitting far back in a stadium, what you see and what you hear are out of sync. The further you are, the longer that sound wave takes to reach you. Now imagine being a sound engineer at a concert.
Science of Sound: Why You Sound Like Adele In The Shower (But Not In Your Car!)
Ever noticed how you suddenly sound like a Grammy-winning superstar the moment you step into the bathroom? It’s not magic. It’s acoustics. Bathrooms are full of hard, shiny surfaces — tiles, mirrors, glass — that reflect sound waves instead of absorbing them. When you sing, those reflections bounce around and layer on top of your voice, creating natural reverb. It thickens your tone, boosts volume, and makes even average vocals sound lush and powerful. In contrast, your car,
Science of Sound: The Hidden Power of Resonance
You’ve seen it in movies — a singer hits a high note, a wine glass shatters, and everyone gasps. It’s not just Hollywood magic. It’s resonance — when one object vibrates in perfect sympathy with another. Every object, from a bridge to a guitar string, has its own natural frequency — the speed at which it prefers to vibrate. When sound waves hit it at just the right frequency, those vibrations get stronger and stronger until the object can’t handle it. That’s why a glass can
Science of Sound: Why You're Never Truly Hearing Nothing
Walk into a quiet room and you might think you’re surrounded by silence. You’re not. Your ears are still working overtime. Here’s what they’re actually picking up: Your breathing The gentle rise and fall of air moving in and out of your lungs becomes surprisingly noticeable when everything else stops. Your heartbeat In real silence, many people hear the soft thump of their own pulse — sometimes in one ear more than the other. Blood flow The tiny whooshing sound in your e
Science of Sound: Why You Can't Tell Where the Bass is Coming From
If someone drops a pen behind you, you know exactly where it fell. If a car honks on your left, your brain pinpoints it instantly. But play a deep bass note… and suddenly your ears shrug and go: “Somewhere. Over there. Maybe.” Here’s why. Your brain works out direction by comparing what each ear hears. High-frequency sounds (the bright, sharper ones) reach one ear slightly earlier and slightly louder, so your brain triangulates the source like a sonic detective. But low fr
Science of Sound: Why Some Sounds Give You Goosebumps
Ever had that moment where a song hits a certain chord, the drums kick in, the strings swell… …and suddenly your whole body lights up with goosebumps? Happens to me every single time I listen to “November Rain” (objectively the greatest song ever recorded — don’t @ me). The build. The emotion. The guitar solo. It gets me every time. So why does this happen? It’s a real, measurable reaction called frisson — a tiny lightning bolt of pleasure created when your brain is surpri
Science of Sound: How Your Ears Automatically Protect Themselves
Your ears have a superpower. A tiny built-in defence system that jumps into action the moment things get loud. It’s called the acoustic reflex, and it’s your body’s way of saying: “Wow that’s loud — let me help you out.” Here’s how it works: Inside your ear are two tiny muscles: – the tensor tympani – the stapedius These are the smallest muscles in your entire body — and some of the fastest. When a sudden loud sound hits, these muscles clench in under 40 milliseconds. This
Science of Sound: 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝
𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐮𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐚 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐝 (𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐋𝐨𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬) Some instruments blend beautifully. Some support from underneath. And some… well… slice through the mix like a sonic lightsaber. Piccolos. Violins. Certain singers. And, of course — trumpets. (As a trumpet player myself, I can confirm: cutting through is not a bug. It’s a feature.) Here’s the science behind it. 🎶 Your ears “pre
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