Sound effects and talking about sound

Join Cara and Martin as they record and create sounds using everyday objects anddifferent materials… Although maybe not how they’d originally planned.

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Sound Effects

Sound effects are sounds (other than speech or music) that can be added to stories to make usfeel as though we are in the scene.

Sound effects can be created using objects that are completely different to the thing they arerepresenting. We can create the sound of a horse’s hooves using coconut shells, the sound ofthunder and rain using a metal sheet along with a plastic container and grains of rice, or thesound of cracking bones with celery.

Materials and Making Sound

Sounds are made by playing different materials in different ways.

We can hit, tap, scrape, shake, strum, pluck and knock.

We can use every type of material, from wood, metal and stone, to plastic, paper and rubber.

Environmental Sounds

Environmental sounds are sounds that we hear in the environment around us.

Depending on where we are, there will be different environmental sounds.

In a park, we might hear ducks quacking, people splashing through puddles, leaves rustling, a seesaw squeaking, birds chirping or the wind blowing.

On a safari, we might hear lions roaring, monkeys screeching, or elephants trumpeting.

Creating Imaginative Sounds with Everyday Items

Why not look around and see what everyday items you can find at home or in your classroom tomake interesting sounds!

Listen to how different combinations create different effects.

Guess the Sound

Pair up with a friend and take it in turns to close your eyes and guess what the other is using tocreate a sound effect.

What materials are they using? (wood, metal, plastic, paper, rubber,stone)

How are they making the sound? (hitting, tapping, scraping, shaking, strumming,plucking, knocking)

Setting the Scene

Why not try and set a scene using sound? Imagine a scene and all the sounds that might be init.

For example, a noisy restaurant would have the sound of cutlery on plates, chairs moving,waiters and customers talking, glasses clinking, a musician playing in the background.

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