Subject : Re: LUG: Fwd: Greatest Engineer Challenge Submission Form
From : Alexander Ray <alexjray.ncsu@gmail.[redacted]>
Date : Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:15:53 -0400
Engineer's Symphony:
The challenge is to
create an short musical work through a combination of
student-operated and automated instruments.
Students have all week
to scavenge for parts, assemble and practice their instruments,
culminating in a short performance at the end of the week.
This
is a challenge to very fundamental engineering skills. Students
need to manage time effectively to be done within the one-week
timeframe. They will need to do research into existing designs
to plan what they will try to make. They need to efficiently
seek out and gather resources needed. They need to design and
build the instruments sturdy enough to withstand practice, and
re-evaluate designs that dont work. They need to compose a
short work to perform that shows off their particular instruments and
members. They need to organize within themselves to have time
to practice with each other. Finally, they need to be able to
get up in front of a crowd of their peers to demonstrate and perform
their instruments.
Some basic materials may be provided
(cardboard, electric conduit, string, duct tape, 2x4s), but many
students will be driven to seek out their own components.
Nearly anything concievable can be converted into a number of musical
instruments, so they are limited by their own imagination.
Starting
resources are provided, but participants are highly encourged to seek
outside the box, and find something new and
different.
http://www.stomponline.com/
- STOMP, a music performing
group that excels at using ordinary objects as
instruments
http://www.sciencenc.com/Tournament_information/Event_rules_nc/sounds_of_music.cfm
- SOUNDS OF MUSIC, used to be a science olympiad event similar to
this, and there exists a large record of past instrument designs for
this competition. This may be the best place to search for
instrument designs
Some starting ideas:
Textile Engineers
constructing a tensioned-yarn array on a sturdy where each 'string'
is tuned and the instrument plays much like a small harp.
Electrical
Engineers gathering small microcontrollers and programming them to
control small servomotors that beat drums in time with each other
(combining separate rhythms to make composite rhythms).
Chemical
Engineers taking a HUGE bucket of water and holding electrical
conduit (metal pipes) in the water and striking the pipe with a
mallet. The pitch the pipe can be changed by inserting it and
removing it from the water (with gradual marks for different notes).
PVC also works well (completely different sound though).
Computer
Scientists using a simple Genetic Algorithm (or a Markov Chain) with
a set of interesting costing functions to take ambient sound
(microphone hooked up to a computer) and creates an evolving musical
piece on the spot.
Presentation:
5 minutes to present the
instruments (their players) and how they were created and/or the
math/physics behind how they work
5 minutes to
perform
Judging/Scoring:
Presentation: (45 pts)
20 pts -
Effort in Creation (How difficult was it to make the instruments)
15
pts - Presentation Material (Did they cover what they needed to
adequately to present and explain the instruments)
10 pts -
Presentation Quality (Did they present well)
Performance: (55
pts)
Performance Quality - 30 pts (Was the performance
enjoyable)
Synchronization - 15 pts (Were the performers together
or did it seem like each was doing their own performance)
Vocabulary
- 10 pts (How difficult was the performance piece, regardless of
instruments)
Additional Comments:
This is a challenge to
create and perform created instruments, so students are discouraged
from using 'actual' musical instruments. Though they could
arguably be used to accompany a group's performance, overuse will
result in a low score (for circumventing the whole point of the
challenge in the first place).