Bob Jones band, engineering students build instruments in Patriot Project

For their Patriot Project, Bob Jones High School band and engineering students used musical instruments, like those shown here, to build an unconventional musical design. (CONTRIBUTED)

MADISON – In another Patriot Project, band and engineering students at Bob Jones High School created musical instruments from scratch using unlikely components.

Art teacher Robin Lakso spearheaded the resurrection of 2014’s Da Vinci Project to this year’s Patriot Project. Teachers could opt to participate and were encouraged to identify a partner in a different department, engineering teacher Jeremy Raper said.

Engineering teacher Jessye Gaines wanted engineering students to build and play musical instruments. Gaines has a natural inclination for music, considering her father Mark Gessner is music minister at First Baptist Church of Madison.

One class each of Leigh Thomas’ band students and Gaines’ and Raper’s engineering students divided into small groups. Meeting regularly, they decided what to build, how to build it and ways to ‘tune’ the instrument.

Engineering students confirmed the design’s practicality and “were responsible for making sure the instrument was ‘buildable.’ They made sure the idea could become a reality,” Raper said.

“Leigh Thomas had fantastic ideas,” Gaines said. “We showed what types of instruments were possible. We had seen clarinets out of carrots and percussion made with old plastic pipes and (beat with) flip-flops.” Drums, pan flutes, guitars, a ‘trombone’ and a hybrid of tympani and strings were other designs.

One ‘lesson learned’ is “students with varied interests can still work together on a common goal project,” Raper said. “Students gained knowledge and skills they can use later in life, as every job is essentially a team effort. You (must) get along with people to have the project done right and done on time.”

Students liked the fact that they actually achieved a final product.

“The vision of the Patriot Project is to see students interacting outside of the norm and learning to be creative producers – rather than passive consumers – of knowledge,” assistant principal Amy Thaxton said.

“If one of our goals is to create global scholars via relevant lessons, this effort, with an aim of real-world problem solving, collaboration and advanced communication skills, is just the ticket,” Thaxton said.