Contact Us FAQ Français
Home / Science of Music: Coyote's Crazy Smart Science Show, Season 1

Science of Music: Coyote's Crazy Smart Science Show, Season 1

Maple Leaf This item is only available for Canadian orders.
This title is a part of the series Coyote's Crazy Smart Science Show, Season 1


Catalogue Number:  AS0004
Producer:  Animiki See Distribution Inc.
Subject:  Arts, Canadian Social Studies, Early Childhood Education, First Nations Studies, Indigenous Peoples, Music, Science, Social Studies
Language:  English
Grade Level:  3 - 5, 6 - 8
Country Of Origin:  Canada
Copyright Year:  2017
Running Time:  22:02


Request Preview Access

Rock out with us as we make some noise and learn about the scientific wonders of music. The drum is the heartbeat, connecting us to our mothers and Mother Earth. Innovation is important in music and in science. Music helps us dream, learn, and connect with our ancestors. Dr. Leroy Littlebear says the wind is an energy wave, and different sounds are created as it moves through the landscape.

Greg Coyes, Métis/Cree filmmaker, says music is the language of the heart. He shows some items used to make rhythmic sounds in Métis music, and performs the Coyote Science Blues with Cree-Dene musician, Sherryl Sewepagaham. Sherryl demonstrates how you can see sound vibrations by putting rice grains on top of a hand drum.

Kai shows how sound waves move by putting cornstarch goop (oobleck) on top of a music speaker and playing “All my Relations”, a song with lots of bass.

Chickasaw Nation astronaut John Herrington explains that sound waves travel, the relationship of frequency to pitch, how the size of a sound wave is related to volume, and that rhythmic music can synchronize the heartbeats of a group of listeners. Pitch, volume, and rhythm are the elements of music. The inaudible hum of the earth created by earthquakes, crashing waves, and volcanoes can be detected by scientists who then analyze Earth’s crust. Indigenous music is mostly ceremonial, John explains.

COYOTE’S CRAZY SMART SCIENCE SHOW (Coyote Science) is a fun, educational science series designed for elementary students. Drawing on wisdom from pioneers in Indigenous education, including Dr. Leroy Little Bear, Amethyst First Rider, and Dr. Lorna Williams, Coyote Science bridges the worlds of Indigenous and Western science, teaching kids scientific concepts through discussions with Indigenous scientists, storytelling, animation, music, and experiments.

BIO: Created by Loretta Todd, a Métis–Cree filmmaker who was one of the first Indigenous women to pursue film studies at Simon Fraser University in BC. Loretta is an amateur science geek who always wanted to inspire Indigenous children and youth to learn more about science, especially Indigenous science. Using her creative skills as a creative, L. S. Todd is an internationally acclaimed, award-winning filmmaker known for powerful, visual storytelling and cultural leadership.

Best Overall Sound in a Youth or Children's Program or Series – LEO AWARDS




Related Titles

Math in Music: Look Kool Series, Season 2

Apartment 11 APT089

Why are some sound combinations pleasant when others sound like a cat with a screw loose? To find...

Musical Cylinders: Look Kool, Season 1

Apartment 11 APT095

Look Kool creates musical instruments using cylinders. When deconstructed, a cylinder is like a...

ScienceXplosion - Series 3

GAPC Productions GAP776

Includes the following Eight segments: Solid as a Liquid (states of matter) - Eric discovers that...

The Grandfather Drum

Thunderstone Pictures TP0000

The drum is very much a part of the social and spiritual fabric of life in the First Nation, Metis...


Browse Our Collection By Subject

View All Subjects