Dinosaur Music – paulspreshistoricpark.com

Did Dinosaurs create Music? Their descendants are birds (at least from the non-avian theropods branch). Birds produce tremendous amounts of Music. So, what sounds did Dinosaurs make?

The Jurassic Park & World Movies gave us Terrifying Roars and the Raptors call sounds that will stick in our memories. However, these were created by Sound Technicians using a variety of animal roars, screeches, cries and calls combined. Did You know Gary Rydstrom was the Sound Designer for the Jurassic Park Movies? He used baby elephant squeals, alligator gurgles and tiger snarls for the T-Rex. The breathing was the sound of air escaping a whale’s blow hole. For Dilophosaurus, swans hooting, rattle snakes & hawks brought them to life. The Raptors were owls and the mating sounds of tortoises – really! In Jurassic World Al Nelson expanded on these sounds to give the Raptors more lines and individual personalities. African Cranes, hissing geese, dogs and horses were used to increase the Raptors vocabulary. High pitched sounds paired with the low voice of a walrus or tiger gives the impression of size & weight. The Brachiosaurus is a braying donkey and the Apatosaurus emoting tigers & dogs.

But what sounds did Dinosaurs really make? Well, no one knows for sure. Most dinosaurs did not have larynxes or syrinxes (vocal organ in birds). Scientists believed many dinosaurs relied on deep base vibrations that humans couldn’t hear but definitely would feel. Since their closest relatives are crocodiles & birds many may have made throaty gargling noises. Imagine those amplified to reflect the size of these thundering Dinosaurs! Pretty Scary to me. I like to think that the smaller dinosaurs would have chirped and sang similar to birds today. New discoveries are made every day. New incredibly preserved dinosaurs with soft tissue pop up from time to time. So, I’m sure we’ll have better information on their vocalizations in the near future.

In the meantime, the Prehistoric Pals & I are making some musical instruments from things you probably have lying around your home. Dinosaur Drums, Sauropod & Ceratopsian Shakers. March is Music Appreciation Month for readingtokids.org. This month’s books for K thru 5 have musical & dance inspired stories. You can check out their reading list on their website www.readingtokids.org Check out your local library for these books for curbside service or as eBooks on your library’s webpage. We always have a craft tied to the book or the time of year after the reading. Keep reading to see how the Prehistoric Pals & I make our Drums & Shakers. See post March 20, 2020 “Dinosaur Drums are Calling” for making Dinosaur Drums. https://www.paulsprehistoricpark.com/?p=4614

For Sauropod & Ceratopsian Shakers the cardboard from toilet paper rolls or wrapping paper cardboard rolls will work. Empty food cans are also an option. We used colored paper and cloth from an old bed sheet to seal & finish the outside of the Shakers. Balloons, Rubber Bands & any kind of paper are a good substitute. Pasta was the inside choice for the Shakers. Beans, beads and rice can be used inside to make different sounds. Use the rolls to measure the paper that will cover them. Extra is better to allow for overlap. I attached a circle of colored paper with glue to the inside of the cloth to make a deeper sound. Scotch Tape to hold the cloth and colored paper to the tubes. Don’t forget to add the pasta, beans, rice, beads, etc. before you seal the second end.

You can decorate the colored paper on the outside of the Shakers however you like. To make them Sauropod & Ceratopsian Shakers, I used an additional sheet of colored paper to draw dinosaurs. A 2B pencil, artist pen, kneaded eraser and sharpies completed the drawings. Colored Pencils, Crayons & Glitter Glue make great alternative choices. After sketching with the pencil. The final drawing is completed with pen. The kneaded eraser removes all the excess pencil marks. The sharpies add some color. Then wrap & glue the drawings over the tubes to finish the Sauropod & Ceratopsian Shakers.

The Raptors are having fun with the Shakers outside. Antonio the Pterosaur & Dominic the T-rex provide some indoor music.

Membership with the Museum. In addition to Supporting Their Valuable Work there are Benefits to You. Special Preview Events for Members Only as well as Virtual Access Exclusive for Members. For more information and access to general public eLearning check out the links below.

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County www.nhm.org under Research & Collections / Digitized Collections will allow you to browse their Collections. Check out the latest Activities on their site.

The American Natural History Museum www.amnh.org You will find eLearning for Families, Students & Educators. Explore the Museum Virtually. Check Out SciCafe: Video Talks and Meet the Icons: Stories behind the Exhibits! There are Video Series covering Behind the Scenes at the Museum with Space & Dinosaur Explainers.

Chicago’s Field Museum www.fieldmuseum.org You can talk to “Maximo the Titanosaur” online, Yes Really! Visit Sue the largest T-Rex discovered! Check Out “Brain Scoop” with host Emily Graslie and the Learning Resources – many are also in Spanish.

Check Out Your Libraries eBooks. My local Library has over 900 eBooks on Dinosaurs! Many Libraries are offering “Curbside Pick-up. If you prefer the hardcopy, “Curbside Pick-up may be the option for you.

My First Book “Is a Metal Dinosaur the Right Pet for You?” is Available as an eBook on Kindle through Amazon.com

Only $3.99!

Included are two photos of Prehistoric Pals converted to black & white line drawings for You to express Your Color Imagination! Search online for print options on Your device. Print Screen, Cropping & Printing are available on many smart phones. Your smart phone may even allow You to email Your Print Screen to Yourself allowing even more options before printing. Kindle has an app for smart phones!

I would love to see Your Color Visions for Dominic & Raphael! Use crayons, pencils, pens, or watercolors! Attach feathers, glitter whatever brings them to life for You. Send a picture of Your Colorized Imaginations to: paul@paulsprehistoricpark.com It could be in a future post!