Students in an innovative class this spring made their homes not only classrooms, but also studio and laboratory spaces as they imagined and created unique musical instruments out of materials close at hand.
Taught by Marianthi Papalexandri-Alexandri, assistant professor of music, and Trevor Pinch, the Goldwin Smith Professor of Science and Technology Studies, both in the College of Arts and Sciences, the Bending Instruments course drew on both professors’ experience in building unusual instruments.
Combining hands-on building with critical exploration of scholarship and new ideas at the nexus of sound art, sound studies, and science and technology studies, the course’s goal was for every student to produce a unique sounding object.
“We had elaborate plans for workshop sessions, visits from musicians and instrument-builders, and using specialized tools and supplies and…
