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THOMAS SINGER: Laying out the frets – you can pick whatever number you would like to build the guitar, so they actually work.
SINGER: Today’s students – today’s society – doesn’t encourage hands-on learning.
The guitar is an instrument everybody recognizes...
SINGER, TO CLASS: The two small holes are for the potentiometers, the large holes --
SINGER: …however, what they don’t realize is that there’s a lot of
physics, chemistry, and traditional mathematics built into the guitar itself, so it’s a great learning tool.
SCOT RABE, TO CLASS: You don’t want to put any pressure on it.
RABE: Showing kids they can plan and can organize, they can use tools…
SINGER, TO CLASS: So we had the heat, then we add the solder.
SINGER: I’m not sure that we would have actually started this project without that seed funding that NSF ATE provided us.
To be able to grow this into such a national learning environment…
RABE, TO STUDENT: That’s pretty darn close.
SINGER: …it gives them a reason to come to school, and a reason to succeed at school, to graduate.
[ROCK MUSIC]
SINGER: I’m Thomas Singer, a retired professor from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio,
where I taught for over 35 years in the area of mechanical engineering technology.
SINGER: I’m here with my co-instructors here at Saddleback this week.
The STEM Guitar project has been in existence for over 15 years. We have actually hit 48 states!
This project began as a way to bring back hands-on learning into a traditional classroom.
In the 1990’s, learning went all collegiate, and the only way to succeed was you had
to have a baccalaureate, four-year degree. But in reality, that’s not true.
RABE: Our initial goal for the students was to create an understanding of
the tools and processes involved in basic mechanical work, woodworking, electronics.
JERRY PALACIOS: Should I do it a little tighter, or is it-? RABE: No, that’s- for now, it’s perfect.
PALACIOS: [laughing] I definitely have a newfound respect. It was harder than it-, than it looked like!
SINGER: Initially, the ATE grant funding was used to train faculty.
That grant helped fund us, so we could then take this on the road to any location in the United States.
RABE: Without the support of ATE, there would be no way we could pull the whole thing together.
SINGER: A little scary equation, but they’re all algebra equations,
so if you can do addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, you can solve these.
SINGER: Typically, in mathematics class, everyone sits around going, “When am I ever going to need this? Why do I have to sit here and learn algebra?”
It’s bringing in realistic objects that effect the students, that they can see how they impact their lives directly.
PALACIOS: I used to really think math was very repetitive. Just a formula, nothing less nothing more.
But now, I get to see like, what it really is and it’s definitely really cool.
JULIA MCCLOSKEY: All the sudden, I’m being faced with tonality, intonation –
calculating the degrees of one tone on one fret is calculated between another fret.
That sort of surprised me - about how much mathematics is involved in music.
SINGER: These skillsets we’re training them on will go with them for the rest of their lives.
PALACIOS: Everything’s revolved around technology nowadays, so it’s really important for people to learn it.
SINGER: The other half of this is that it builds a lot of confidence, not only with students, but also with the veterans
TONY VILLEGAS, JR: We realized the power of music. Some of the veterans are going through severe PTSD.
VETERAN 1: It’s super therapeutic. Especially- even today, I started working on this bad boy and it sure helped.
SINGER: The veteran project started out as a supplemental idea.
A veterans’ group that saw what we were doing thought that it would help in their healing process.
VILLEGAS, JR: They will tell me, “I couldn’t think of anything but this guitar for the last three days.”
STEPHANIE SANCHEZ: It started to feel like my house was a prison.
I enlisted into the Marine Corps in 1989, after I had graduated high school.
The STEM program reminded me that there were other Marines, Navy, Army, out there going through the same exact things.
It’s helped heal wounds, and it’s created a safe environment for us to go back out into the world.
VILLEGAS, JR: It brings that pride factor back to them.
RABE: I’ve done several of these builds with veterans, and they are so appreciative, uh… [sighs]
They’re so appreciative of everything that you do for them,
and they recognize, um, they recognize that they’re getting something important and valuable.
VILLEGAS, JR: It’s a simple program, but look how much you’ve done. Look at what it’s doing.
SINGER: [inaudible] is correct. STUDENT: Is that good?
RABE: That’s good. SINGER: It works!
SINGER: Learning can be fun, and learning is something that is impactful to your life.
MCCLOSKEY: Going through a week-long workshop, you don’t really expect to be as far as we are by the end of the week.
So, just the amount of experience we’ve gotten over these short five days is something.
RABE: There you go. [guitar twangs] Perfect.
PALACIOS: This has changed my perspective on things just because I never even debated
going into anything even revolving around technology, but now it’s definitely piqued my interest.
RABE: Every day that you’re with the students, working side-by-side with them –
the joy on their face at the end of the project is amazing.
I can’t believe I get paid to do what I do, some days.
SINGER: We’re making an impact. Their- their lives are going to change
because of what we’re doing. And that’s the whole concept of teaching.
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