Notes from Janice’s Desk
We whistle by puckering our lips and blowing. It takes a bit of practice, but some people can whistle beautiful songs. Not me. I make more noise than a pleasing sound.
Birds do not whistle songs. One reason is that they don’t have lips to pucker. Instead, birds have a song-making organ that other animals, including humans, do not have.
You have vocal cords on your throat that vibrate as air from your lungs pass through through. Sound is due to vibration. The sounds you make when saying the letters of the alphabet involves your mouth, tongue, teeth and lips.
ACTIVITY: While looking into a mirror, say the letters of the alphabet. Notice how you change the shape of your lips. Also make note of the position of your tongue.
Birds do not have vocal cords. Instead, the have a sound-making organ called the syrinx. What is the difference between a bird’s syrinx and your vocal cords? Some birds can make two different sounds at the same time. How can they do this?
More Later,
Janice
