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Big project, big noise: Students create new musical instrument
  
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By YVETTE OROZCO
The auditorium at Pasadena Memorial High School was filled with a tapestry of sounds on Wednesday evening.
But the stage was set for only one instrument.
The sound was soft, then loud, small and then massive and the instrument itself was old and it was new.
Pieced together, engineered and programmed by Pasadena Memorial students from math, science, engineering, electronic and musical backgrounds, the digital pipe organ in the center of the school stage was only about four-foot wide and operated on solar power and wind, but its volume could have filled any cathedral hall.
As part of a project made possible through a grant given by Toyota to promote interest in the science and engineering fields in schools, the students built their dream machine.
In a year-long process, the organ was built to AGO (American Guild of Organists standard), powered by alternative energy with the help of a gutted Mac computer and a traditional organ.
The students’ ingenuity fulfilled their expectations when organist John Potter, a 2007 PMHS graduate who is now studying at the Juilliard School in New York City, sat down in front of their project and turned it into an musical wonder.
The project involved science, engineering, mathematics and technology, but on Wednesday evening, it was all about the sound.
“It feels good because we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of problems and glitches where it was ready and then something would happened,” said senior Matthew Koby, the project’s chief architect and engineer. “It feels good to see everything finally functional. This is the closest thing you can get next to filling the entire stage with pipes.”
Koby’s mother was impressed and more than a little awestruck.
“I’m just amazed at what these kids are doing,” she said. “It just blows me away.”
The pipe organ and Potter’s performance was just part of the night’s program as other student groups laid out their goals and dreams for the future.
Kim Do, Abigail Corrington and Cam Tu Ngyen were part a Biodiesal group that introduced their plan to explore alternative ways to create fuel.
Helen Schorsch created the optical effects for the evening’s light show and demonstrates those effects to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Junior Shawn Alexander hopes to design an interactive robot, walking and talking through the school’s hallways to inspire the imagination of young students.
That was a running theme at Wednesday evening’s program, with a representative from Toyota speaking on behalf of the company’s objectives to encourage more students to enter into the science fields.
Billye Smith, the school’s principal, expressed pride and hope.
“These young men and woman are the future of our nation, our world,” said Smith. “They are the problem solvers, the people who are going to be finding solutions to the problems we face today.”
For the students, it was only the beginning — like the digital pipe organ.
According to Koby, the instrument remains a work in progress.
“We’re just going to keep working on it until its perfect,” he said.
But the stage was set for only one instrument.
The sound was soft, then loud, small and then massive and the instrument itself was old and it was new.
Pieced together, engineered and programmed by Pasadena Memorial students from math, science, engineering, electronic and musical backgrounds, the digital pipe organ in the center of the school stage was only about four-foot wide and operated on solar power and wind, but its volume could have filled any cathedral hall.
As part of a project made possible through a grant given by Toyota to promote interest in the science and engineering fields in schools, the students built their dream machine.
In a year-long process, the organ was built to AGO (American Guild of Organists standard), powered by alternative energy with the help of a gutted Mac computer and a traditional organ.
The students’ ingenuity fulfilled their expectations when organist John Potter, a 2007 PMHS graduate who is now studying at the Juilliard School in New York City, sat down in front of their project and turned it into an musical wonder.
The project involved science, engineering, mathematics and technology, but on Wednesday evening, it was all about the sound.
“It feels good because we’ve had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of problems and glitches where it was ready and then something would happened,” said senior Matthew Koby, the project’s chief architect and engineer. “It feels good to see everything finally functional. This is the closest thing you can get next to filling the entire stage with pipes.”
Koby’s mother was impressed and more than a little awestruck.
“I’m just amazed at what these kids are doing,” she said. “It just blows me away.”
The pipe organ and Potter’s performance was just part of the night’s program as other student groups laid out their goals and dreams for the future.
Kim Do, Abigail Corrington and Cam Tu Ngyen were part a Biodiesal group that introduced their plan to explore alternative ways to create fuel.
Helen Schorsch created the optical effects for the evening’s light show and demonstrates those effects to encourage young people to pursue careers in science and engineering.
Junior Shawn Alexander hopes to design an interactive robot, walking and talking through the school’s hallways to inspire the imagination of young students.
That was a running theme at Wednesday evening’s program, with a representative from Toyota speaking on behalf of the company’s objectives to encourage more students to enter into the science fields.
Billye Smith, the school’s principal, expressed pride and hope.
“These young men and woman are the future of our nation, our world,” said Smith. “They are the problem solvers, the people who are going to be finding solutions to the problems we face today.”
For the students, it was only the beginning — like the digital pipe organ.
According to Koby, the instrument remains a work in progress.
“We’re just going to keep working on it until its perfect,” he said.
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