In first- and second-year algebra classrooms, the all-too-familiar whine of “when are we ever going to use this in real life?” challenges mathematics teachers to find new, engaging ways to present mathematical concepts. The introduction of quadratic equations is typically modeled by describing the motion of a moving object with respect to time, and typical lessons include uninspiring textbook practice problems that portray dropping or shooting objects from given distances or at particular time intervals. For a novel approach to exploring quadratics, we chose to step outside the classroom to look at some phenomena in the field of acoustics. Our activity incorporates mathematical modeling to provide a multirepresentational view of the math behind the physics and to provide a conceptual basis for analyzing and understanding a real-world quadratic situation.