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Problem Solving through Science! | Tuesday, 3rd period

Students arriving today would find Miguel looking cranky...er than usual.

"So until this morning I was some weird guy who was only concerned with having fun and trying to make a guitar. So, since I had no time to plan anything, that's your task today - build a musical instrument. Drum, strings, whatever - find a way to make music with something you build. Use the room to make any of the materials you need. If you're feeling really brave, you can play it for us."

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Musically!

Astrid Magnussen

Peebee

Wonder about this weekend, Miguel's or your own.

Make a musical instrument! Play it if you're so inclined!

Well, since Astrid was definitely back to her 'normal' (term used loosely) late-twentieth century but in the twenty-first century self and not her presumably second-century dragon-hunting self (she had decided she had no reason to believe that Astrid Hofferson was not just some far distant ancestor along the line, so she was going to go ahead and believe that this weekend was just her getting in touch with her ancestors, like she had in Iceland), there was clearly only one direction to take this:

Gamelan.

A series of various percussive instruments, usually made from various metal discs and bowl shapes to be played by hitting them with mallets in various ways. She didn't actually know how to play any of the gamelan instruments, but she was excited for the opportunity to try to make something that was similar, because making instruments felt more like art than science, and any time this class was more art than science was when she liked this class best.

Which...defeated the purpose of the class, but she wasn't going to complain. She had some questionable Indonesian percussive instruments to make, dammit.

"That's...interesting," Miguel said. "What is it?"

"Well," said Astrid, looking over the small collection of bronze instruments she'd put together, "it's a variety of different metallophones and drums traditionally found in an Indonesian gamelan ensemble. The instruments themselves see fairly simple, but when played together, they can make some really interesting music."

"Huh." Miguel shrugged. "Okay, let's see."

"Well," said Astrid, maybe grinning faintly, "it's ensamble music. It doesn't work with just one person playing it."

Which was why she was sliding one of the small bronze drums toward him and handing over one of the mallets to play it with, looking entirely too pleased with herself. If she was going to play, someone had to play with her, otherwise it just wouldn't have the right effect.

Miguel took the mallet with a dubious look. He was a man of many talents, but music wasn't really one of them. He struck the drum once, then waited for Astrid to set up some sort of beat.

Was Peebee going to make a theremin? You bet your ass she was.

"Hey, electrical music!" Miguel approved. "Can you play it?"

"Guess we'll find out," Peebee said cheerfully, and dove right on in without bothering to look up any instructions.

It was a little bit painful for the first couple of minutes, and then she started to get the hang of it, at which point it . . . wasn't good music by any stretch, but it was at least not pure aural torture.

"Maybe it's got a steep learning curve," Miguel said, still wincing a bit from that first part.

Who is back to being himself and glad of it!

My big regret for this weekend is not getting to use this icon.

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Problem Solving through Science! | Tuesday, 3rd period

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Talk to Miguel!

OOC!