Girls Get SET for Life

Acton-Boxborough 2001-2002
The Wheel of Rhythm

The Exhibit

This project resembles a big music box. It consists of a cylindrical drum with pegs, mallets, and a wooden xylophone. As children turn the drum, the pegs strike the mallets, which then strike the xylophone to create sound. By moving the positions of pegs on the barrel, children can learn about rhythm and sound.

The Design Process

The design press began by coming up with an idea for an exhibit. This was done by brainstorming as a team. After narrowing down the ideas to one, the team made prototypes for all parts of the exhibit: the drum, the mallets, and the xylophone. The three parts were put together to make a model for the exhibit.

The prototyping phase revealed many new challenges and questions for the design. Should the drum turn in one direction or both? The original design only worked when the drum was turned in a certain direction. To keep this design, the girls needed to design an addtional feature to keep the drum from spinning in the other direction. To make it easier for children to use the exhibit, the team decided to redesign their drum/peg/mallets to allow the drum to rotate in both directions. The redesign involved moving the mallets from the side of the drum to the top of the drum. Where should the mallets be when they are at rest? This decision affected how the mallets struck the xylophone when triggered by the pegs. The team also had to decide which parts to make by themselves, and which parts to order. In the end, the team decided to make all parts except for the xylophone, which was custom-made by a professional.

Along the way, the girls learned that patience was one of the keys to successfully solving a problem. They also found voting to be an effective method for making decisions as a team.

Encyclopedia
[http://www.lehigh.edu/zoellner/encyc_xylophone.html]

Play One
[http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/finearts/
tutorial/xylo/Xylophone.html]

How To Make Your Own
[http://www.tidewater.net/~xylojim/xylocons.html]

General Information
[http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/
instrument/pages/xylo_gnrl.html]



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	Acton-Boxborough 2001-2002 The Wheel of Rhythm Powerpoint Presentation \| Meet the team The Exhibit This project resembles a big music box. It consists of a cylindrical drum with pegs, mallets, and a wooden xylophone. As children turn the drum, the pegs strike the mallets, which then strike the xylophone to create sound. By moving the positions of pegs on the barrel, children can learn about rhythm and sound. The Design Process The design press began by coming up with an idea for an exhibit. This was done by brainstorming as a team. After narrowing down the ideas to one, the team made prototypes for all parts of the exhibit: the drum, the mallets, and the xylophone. The three parts were put together to make a model for the exhibit. The prototyping phase revealed many new challenges and questions for the design. Should the drum turn in one direction or both? The original design only worked when the drum was turned in a certain direction. To keep this design, the girls needed to design an addtional feature to keep the drum from spinning in the other direction. To make it easier for children to use the exhibit, the team decided to redesign their drum/peg/mallets to allow the drum to rotate in both directions. The redesign involved moving the mallets from the side of the drum to the top of the drum. Where should the mallets be when they are at rest? This decision affected how the mallets struck the xylophone when triggered by the pegs. The team also had to decide which parts to make by themselves, and which parts to order. In the end, the team decided to make all parts except for the xylophone, which was custom-made by a professional. Along the way, the girls learned that patience was one of the keys to successfully solving a problem. They also found voting to be an effective method for making decisions as a team. Related Links Definition [http://dictionary.msn.com/find/entry.asp? refid=1861706886] Encyclopedia [http://www.lehigh.edu/zoellner/encyc_xylophone.html] Play One [http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/finearts/ tutorial/xylo/Xylophone.html] How To Make Your Own [http://www.tidewater.net/~xylojim/xylocons.html] General Information [http://www.si.umich.edu/chico/ instrument/pages/xylo_gnrl.html]

	© 2002 Tufts University \| Medford, MA 02155

Acton-Boxborough 2001-2002The Wheel of Rhythm

© 2002 Tufts University | Medford, MA 02155

Acton-Boxborough 2001-2002
The Wheel of Rhythm