Oak Forest HS Physics Students Create Musical Instruments

Oak Forest High School Freshman Jillian Halstead displays the homemade bugle that she made in conjunction with an Honors Physics First sound project.

Although she is modest about her bugle’s construction, it is actually a complex piece of design for a high school freshman. She used a funnel and various copper tubes and pipes which she soldered together under her father’s guidance. Her father, Daniel Halstead, an engineer by trade, showed her how to solder copper pipes together originally and then Jillian took over and soldered the pipes for her homemade bugle. “It was fun!” she said.

Mr. Hogan said, “This is the first time that someone has produced a copper tubing wind instrument that was soldered together in construction. I’ve taught this topic for 12 years so this is really unique.”

The physics students learned about sound in this research experience and applied what they learned about the relationship between pitch and frequency by applying their learning to a topic such as building a wind instrument.

Jillian has been playing the trumpet in band since she was in 4th grade and loves playing the trumpet and being in band and music in general. She would love to be a musician as a career but she is also drawn by her scientific side too because she is interested in engineering as well. She has even gone to several engineering summer camps.

Jillian’s group members also made interesting musical instruments. Fellow Freshmen Paige Goodman made a pan flute with straws connected by tape and Francis Chavez made a clarinet out of PVC pipe.

Chavez used a drill to drill her finger holes to make the different sounds. Chavez said that her father, Rafael Chavez of Oak Forest, is the one who showed her how to use the drill. Like Halstead, Chavez has been playing the clarinet for years, since she was in fifth grade. Chavez said, “I learned a lot more about how my clarinet works and about the trumpet and about the pan flute.”