meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

How Do You Whistle?

But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids

Vermont Public

Nature, Language, Kids & Family, Science

4.44.9K Ratings

🗓️ 7 May 2021

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

How do people whistle? How does whistling make a sound? Why does your tongue change a whistle higher or lower? Can you get a trophy for whistling? Can people with laryngitis whistle? Get ready, we learn all about whistling with musician and champion whistler Emily Eagen and musician Yuki Takeda. And who whistles our theme song? We'll hear from musician Luke Reynolds, and a kid whistling chorus from our listeners!

Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript

How do you whistle? - Aurelia, 6, New York

Emily says the first thing you should do is lick your lips or use lip balm. "If your lips are dry when the air passes it doesn't feel good," she says. Then you'll make your lips kind of into a pucker, circle your lips tightly.

Next, stick your tongue touching your bottom teeth. Then you make kind of a yuh, yuh, yuh sound. "But instead of saying the words, make it with a little stream of air. You want to let air pass over the top of your tongue and out your lips. You're making a tiny little instrument by curling your tongue."

"I like to think about between your nose and your lips, that's a little body part called a philtrum. I like to pretend that my whistle is coming out of that. That helps me make the sound have a little focal point," she says.

Emily says it helps to make little sounds when you practice. "Pretend your sipping tea with that little tiny space there. You don't want to push too much. If you blow too much air it won't work. You have to be really gentle."

Once you find your first whistle, it's all about practice and playing around to see what sounds you can make.

"If you move your tongue forward, the notes go up, and if you move your tongue down, the notes go down," she says. If you can make a variety of notes, then you can start putting them together to make music!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Hi, it's me, Jane.

0:03.4

One of the things we love about making but why is that we get to hear your voices in

0:07.6

the questions you send us.

0:09.6

From the plain old Goofy, my name is Winston, I'm eight.

0:15.4

To the very sweet, and I love you.

0:19.1

And so many of you close your messages out like this.

0:22.6

Bye, I love you, show.

0:24.6

We just want to say right back at you, we are thankful for our community of curious

0:29.0

kids around the world.

0:30.6

And adults who are listening, if you value this program, please consider sending some

0:34.8

love to Vermont Public in support of Bowie.

0:37.8

We are a nonprofit supported by our listeners.

0:41.0

You can make a gift today at BowieKids.org slash donate.

0:45.6

Thanks.

1:04.2

This is Bowie, a podcast for curious kids.

1:07.4

I'm Jane Lintholm.

1:15.0

Our theme music sounds a little different today, doesn't it?

1:23.6

Our theme music sounds a little different today because you are the ones whistling it.

1:28.7

I'm so excited to hear all of your wonderful whistles.

1:32.8

We just heard Audrey, Aaron and Holden from Burlington, Ontario, Burnsville, Minnesota, and Southern

1:38.8

Ontario, Canada respectively.

1:41.4

Here are a few more of you.

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vermont Public, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vermont Public and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.