Starting out on University life by making music

Lecturers challenged them to make a musical instrument using pieces of old scrap and play it in front of staff and students in the first week of the semester.

The Scrapheap Challenge teams came up with ideas based on conventional instruments such as chimes, a harp and a cross between a trombone and a trumpet, learning how to control frequencies and loudness along the way.

The winners were Thomas Lock, Feya Malcher, Edgaras Svazas and Oliver Crump who transformed an old office chair into several instruments including chimes and strings.

Dr Mike Kingan led the challenge. We wanted them to use the knowledge of acoustic they gained in their A levels and Foundation Year studies and put them into practice," he says. "I was really impressed with the range and quality of the instruments they produced."