The form of my capstone has significantly varied, but all versions have been centralized around combining music and engineering. I love making any form. Synthesizing an idea into a tangible product is one of the most joyful interactions imaginable, and music is where I most often find this joy. Because of that, the fundamental goal of my capstone is to “spread music.” At first, I believed the best way to accomplish that was through a digital program that would allow anyone to start writing original music quickly. However, when I tried to put this idea into practice, I swiftly realized its infeasibility as it would take no less than 10,000 lines of code to begin to make a semi-final product, and I could barely write 10. After seeing the impossibility of completing my audio program, I switched my capstone to something I have more experience with and is more intuitive to me, building a bass guitar. Making a bass was attractive to me not just because I would get a new bass out of it but also because it allowed me to understand an aspect of music that I previously had no insight into. My first step in this process was designing the bass using fusion 360 to create a profile. Once the design was finalized, I cut the wood, glued it together, messed it up, and had to cut it back apart, then glued it once more. I am continuing to make my bass and should be done soon.

Website with pictures: website

Annotated bibliography: bibliography

For my capstone, my goal for my final product was to create a 3D printed model of one of my characters. I briefly worked with people to create a character. I did this by interviewing and collecting data about characters people want to see. I learned styles of art to draw this character. I learned manga style art because that’s where my style developed from and was my inspiration for this capstone. I communicated with people in order to create some backstory for the character. Over the course of a year, I spent time learning tools and techniques used for fusion360( a 3D modeling platform I created my 3D model on) and modeled my character using the techniques I’d learned. I also learned how to use two types of 3D printers in order to make my final product.

These are my models from fusion 360

This is my model being uploaded to the 3D printer I used

These are the final products

annotated bibliography:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ivkqXwU8-vNo64Kt99EUjnuYueprdYqj7MDDwUQ81Pc/edit

My capstone is soundproofing/sound dampening the room attached to the music room. When I first heard about the project I wasn’t entirely sure what I was signing up for but I had heard how loud the music room was and I needed a capstone. I immediately set out researching different products and methods and which would work best for our situation. Once I’d done that I started comparing different brands based on their price, effectiveness, and accessibility. I haven’t finished the installation yet, but I think it will turn out great. I am hopeful that next year and the years following even more kids will get to use this room and use it without damaging their hearing. I imagine all of the future bands and musicians that will start in this room, and I can’t wait.

The picture above is of the music studio after decluttering and reorganizing. As of submitting this I have not yet begun on the addition of the sound dampening panels or the rugs in the studio. I plan to install both of these things within the upcoming week. I also did a lot of research for this project, I had to look into different methods of soundproofing, which materials would be best, and which brands were most reputable. I also researched how to install the materials that we are planning on using.

Pictured above is my top down drawing of the music studio. Within the drawing I have dimensions of the room and it’s walls, I did this so that Mr. Clapper and I would have a rough estimate of how much materials to buy. To find this out though I had to take the length and height of the walls and calculate how much area we would need to cover, I initially thought this would be very easy, but I forgot to convert the units so it ended up taking longer than anticipated.

Annotated Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/10BqjtcdNE0TFHxUaxeLl26MwqOxyLTmHksfL8AqaqXQ/edit?usp=sharing

My Senior Capstone project is based on building furniture if you live in a low-income household. I wanted to figure out how viable it would be to build furniture if you couldn’t buy it. I made two different types of chairs as well as a coffee table with minimal materials. The most advanced tool used was an impact driver. To start, I made a chair based on what I thought I knew about making furniture. The chair was not sturdy, but it worked. It was very cheap to manufacture at around 15$ worth of wood. The coffee table I made is a very nice piece that is all handcrafted and very sturdy. It cost around 20$ to manufacture not including tools. The final chair I made was much more sturdy and it looks more appealing than the first chair. It supports a lot of weight and is relatively comfortable. I am currently sitting on it to write this paragraph. By doing this project, I learned that making furniture can be fun and rewarding. However, it is not very realistic for someone in a low-income household because of the cost for tools and materials. Tools make the project much more expensive.