Percussion Students Partner with Engineering School to Produce Instruments
The two schools worked together to design and build 72 chromatic pitched pipes, among other projects, for upcoming percussion performances.
When percussion student Melody Tang realized she would need pitched pipes for her performance of carTogRAPh by Andy Akiho, an instrument that she did not originally have access to, an innovative solution to produce the instrument was set in motion.
Tang, along with other percussion students, partnered with professors and students in the Lyle School of Engineering to build multiple instruments for upcoming performances. The group ultimately built 72 chromatic pitched pipes, as well as mounts for percussion ensemble performances and solo recitals.
The professors and students at Lyle not only helped with the design and provided access to the Deason Innovation Gym (DIG), but they also played a supervisory role in the actual building of the pipes.
“Engineering students at the DIG helped supervise while I cut materials, and they also taught me safety protocol for when I used the machinery,” explains Tang. “This project really built a sense of community because we became friends with the professors and students at Lyle during the process!”
The percussion students gained insight on the materials they worked with to build the instruments and mounts from Seth Orsborn, adjunct instructor at the Lyle School of Engineering and DIG Director, as he is an expert on the materials utilized, according to Tang. The pipes are constructed from 3/4" steel conduit, while the mounts we made were made from wood and foam.
And not only did they learn how to build their projects from a construction standpoint, Tang and her fellow percussion students learned about how pitch is affected by length of the pipe, thickness of the metal, and actual composition of the metal material.
These instruments will be used for recitals this fall and spring, notably for the upcoming Meadows Percussion Ensemble concert on November 6. Come see these new instruments in action in “New American Voices for Percussion,” directed by Principal Percussionist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, George Nickson!