Guitar Man does Science

Guitar Man does Science!

photo by Chris Snyder, Fire & Ice Graphics
Jim and a few of his 'toys."

photo by Bill Garlow Dayton Daily News
We are all antennas!

Jim McCutcheon has found a way to combine his first degree, a B.S. in Physics, with his music-making in a format which uses the guitar as a springboard to present a wide variety of scientific concepts to children grades 3-12.

Incorporating basics of electricity, vibration and materials engineering, Jim stimulates thought using a few of his "toys" (including an oscilloscope, signal generator, microphone, strobe light, tuning forks, and, of course, an electric guitar) in a 45-50 minute workshop which he has developed over the past several years, and performed hundreds of times for students grades 3 through 12. These workshops can be done in classrooms for up to 35 students or for large groups in auditoriums with simple video camera projection systems.

For residencies, Jim helps students take the next step into the world of computers and some of the amazing things that they can do with music, including voice recognition, digital recording and editing. Children can take part in a recording session and read their own thoughtful ideas as voiceovers to Jim's guitar music.

For engagements outside the Dayton, Ohio area, contact Lori Bowman at the G.G. Greg Agency, (216) 692-1197 gggregagy@aol.com or visit http://www.gggreg.com.

In the Dayton area, contact Jim directly at (937)435-1858. jim@mccutcheon.biz .

Jim McCutcheon and air guitar players perform at a stage show at TechFest, 2004, Sinclair Community College, Dayton, Ohio with the guitar sounds displayed on the oscilloscope. Jim has been a performer at every TechFest.

Jim,
I want to thank you for the wonderful workshop you provided for my fourth grade students and me. We had such a great time learning how music and science are related and dependent on each other. Your science and music concepts were right on target and age appropriate. Thank you for conveying the message that performing music is fun, while at the same time uses many skills from other academic areas.

Thanks again,
Joan Tullis, E.D. Smith School, Oakwood, Ohio

"I learned a lot about high and low sounds."
"Angelica's drum was loud and the plastic eyes on top vibrated!"
"The hard soled shoes made big spikes on the computer."
"I liked when we saw the sound waves."

2nd graders, Patterson-Kennedy Elementary, Dayton Public Schools.

Jim's CDs are available at www.store.mccutcheon.biz.