Working from home? Switch to the DIGITAL edition of School Band & Orchestra. CLICK HERE to signup now!
It is a strange and trying time for all of us in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. We certainly understand times are tough for you, as it is for us. We have been proud to bring School Band & Orchestra for free for more than two decades and we will continue to provide you with free subscriptions during the pandemic. However, we would like your consideration in these difficult times to help support our efforts here at School Band & Orchestra to keep our information flowing and to provide you with a continuous stream of current and vital information when you need it the most.
It is with the utmost sincerity we ask you to consider supporting our efforts here with a small donation which will allow our staff the ability to keep these interesting stories about your chosen career coming to you in a consistent and timely basis. Your consideration is greatly appreciated. We at School Band & Orchestra wish nothing but the best for you, your school, your family and co-workers. We hope you continue to remain healthy during this most strenuous of times.
Students in Cobscook Community Learning Center’s high school program are learning science, technology, engineering, math — and the arts — by making guitars.
The 10 students, who are enrolled in an alternative high school program accredited through Calais High School, gathered Feb. 11 for their first day of hands-on work.
Guitar bodies had arrived and Michael Giudilli, one of three teachers in the program, instructed the youths on their first steps. These included using a round rasp to remove chunks of material from the wooden bodies in order to customize their shapes. Students could then use sandpaper to smooth the edges of their guitar bodies.
The project is literally called the STEM guitar project, said Giudilli. To prepare for it, Giudilli and co-teacher Kara McCrimmon participated in a guitar-building workshop in June. The workshop, funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, provided teachers with the skills and experience necessary to build electric guitars with their students while teaching a variety of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concepts. For example, students will have to calculate the spacing required between frets and build and wire the electric circuits that power and play their guitars.
“We chose [this project] because of the strong STEM emphasis, because of the interdisciplinary nature,” said McCrimmon. “Frankly we also chose it because [Giudilli] and I are both musicians. We both play guitar.”
Students began the project this past fall by planning fundraisers with a goal of raising $5,000 to pay for guitar components and the tools needed to build them, said Giudilli.
“The whole process is educational,” said McCrimmon. “The process of writing fundraising letters, planning and holding events and talking to people about the project is entirely new to the students. They’re learning really important career-related skills through this.”
