Developing and teaching an interdisciplinary musical instrument design course at the Cooper Union

Abstract

Design is a major component of every student’s educational experience at the Cooper Union, a small university in New York City with architecture, art, and engineering schools, and yet, design courses including students from all three schools are uncommon. In the 2012–2013 academic year, a Musical Instrument Design course was proposed to encourage the collaboration of architecture, art, and engineering students. Musical acoustics appealed to these three types of students since the subject inherently combines aesthetic and physical principles. The course intended to accommodate the students’ wide range of music and physics backgrounds with lectures on music theory, acoustics and vibration, and the design of traditional instruments. Live demonstrations attempted to inspire hands-on learning, and in-class presentations facilitated the discussion of the diverse perspectives of the class. The course also included an outing to the machine shop where the class collaborated on making PVC flutes for each student. For a final project, the students were required to design and create a musical instrument. The Musical Instrument Design class was offered for zero credits in the Spring 2013 semester to gauge overall interest. Fourteen students enrolled in the course and maintained a good attendance throughout the semester.