Build a Band

Our Task

For this group project, each person in the group was tasked with creating a functioning instrument. The instrument had to be a strings, wind, or chime instrument and be able to play a full octave of notes. This was our first project where we were able to work in-person at school and use the makerspace building.

Evidence of Work

My group consisted of four people, Nithya, Sola, Zane, and I. We each focused on our own instruments but also gave each other feedback and constructive criticism. Nithya made a violin, Sola made a guitar, Zane made a wind instrument, and I made a xylophone. Below is our group document explaining each instrument in detail.

Our Process

We started the project by doing background research on sound and the different types of instruments. With this, we were able to decide who wanted to focus on which type of instrument. After each choosing the type we were going to build, we did even more research before deciding on what kind of instrument we were going to make. Once decided, blueprints were constructed (pictured above) and the building process began. It took about two weeks to fully build the instruments but in that time we also focused on how the instruments worked and being were precise with the notes.

Content

Transverse Wave - Particle motion perpendicular to direction of wave motion.

Longitudinal Wave - Particles compress and rarify as wave energy moves along. This is parallel particle motion.

Wavelength - Distance of one wave. This can be measured crest to crest, trough to trough, or compression to compression. Wavelength is measured in meters.

Electromagnetic Spectrum - The range of all types of electromagnetic radiation. The types of waves included on the spectrum are radio waves, microwaves, infrared waves, visible light waves, UV waves, x-rays, and gamma rays.

Frequency - Number of vibrations a wave has. Frequency is measured in Hertz(Hz).

Amplitude - Distance from midpoint of a wave to the max point of a wave. Amplitude is measured in meters.

Wave speed(velocity) - How fast a wave travels. Wave speed is measured in meters/second.

Period - Amount of time in a vibration cycle or per wave.

Reflection

Overall, I really enjoyed working on this project and it became one of my favorites. I am not a musically talented person so I was apprehensive about this project but I overcame my fear and produced a great end product. We were finally able to attend school in person so I was able to communicate well with my group and my teacher. Because our time in person was staggered, I really improved on my time management skills. I also continued to reflect on myself and found a skill I want to work on during the next project.

Being able to attend school in person, talking and communicating with my group was a lot easier than over zoom. We were able to share ideas and collaborate on each others instruments with constructive criticism. I found myself passionate about getting to work hard in a shared space and looked forward to the days where I could participate in class. At the beginning of the project, we were able to set goals for ourselves and mine was time management. I created a calendar and based my building and work time on it. It helped me stay really productive during class and I felt more engaged with the learning.

During the next project, I want to continue working on my contentious learner skills. I want to have more detail in the project and apply more outside knowledge in my work. For this project, I didn't really have outside knowledge and even though we did background research, I felt uneducated in the subject of my instrument and construction.