Activities and skills that kids practice in school can have a lifelong impact on their careers, interests, and educational aspirations. Professor of mechanical engineering, Mark French, is hoping to instill a love for engineering in young minds by teaching them how to build guitars.
As part of the STEM Guitar Project, French has helped teach 450 teachers how to lead guitar-building engineering projects across the country to make engineering more fun and engaging for students.
Engineering and technology projects are not included in the typical high school curriculum, but these skills are critical as demand for workers with technical skills rises in the U.S. and abroad. The Guitar Project introduces these skills by teaching math and science but also mechanical precision, design process, and basic manufacturing skills.
The structure of guitars not only engages students via the musical components, but building them also incorporates physics, acoustics, and construction skills.
Innovative projects are one solution for getting kids engaged in school. The STEM Guitar Project is a great example of using a new approach to teach students vital academic skills. To top it all off, students can let their creative side run wild and experiment with playing the instruments when they finish their projects.
