Local teen builds his own marimba
"It's an admirable project that displays Jon's musical curiosity and resourcefulness," said Dan Adams, band and orchestra director at Wooster High School. Adams is referring to Wooster High School junior Jon Michel and his homemade marimba.
"I've been playing percussion since fifth grade," Jon Michel said. "I was really into playing marimba and xylophone, but they are really expensive. A good one can cost around $10,000, and practice ones can be as much as $3,000. I didn't want to spend that much money on an instrument, so I found this website, and it had instructions, and I realized that you actually can build a marimba."
Jon Michel's father Fred Michel joined the project. "I've done a lot of different projects," Fred Michel said, "so when Jon said he wanted to make a marimba, I thought it would take a couple of weekends."
One year later when the marimba was finished, the father/son team realized the time estimate was just a bit ambitious.
Both Jon and Fred Michel researched online to come up with useful guidelines. Fred Michel found an issue of "Popular Mechanics" magazine from the 1950s.
"A guy actually described how to build a marimba frame," Fred Michel said, "and Jon found something else that had a description of how to make the keys."
Creating the proper musical pitch on every key took some time. "Getting the pitches was probably the most time-consuming part," Jon Michel said. "The marimba is four octaves, so for every key we had to get a sander and carve out an arch on the bottom of it. Every so often I would take it off the sander and play it to see if the arch was right. It took awhile to get each key carved out and perfected."
The duo used an app on an iPad to check the tuning. "Jon would do a little sanding," Fred Michel said, "and then tap the key, and it would show how far out of tune it was. If it got too far out of tune, you had to throw the keys away. That only happened a few times."
The keys are made out of an African wood called padauk. The frame is made from white oakwood. There is a small amount of metal that was used to hold the rope that keeps the keys together.
For these marimba makers and others all over the area who simply like to create, the upcoming Wayne County Mini Maker Faire, which will be the first for Wayne County, will be a chance to share their creations, see what others are doing and connect with like-minded people.
"A maker faire builds community," said Tom Hammond, who provides the technical support services at Wayne College.
For those who aren't familiar with maker faires, Hammond suggested a quick YouTube search for them.
"You'll see all sorts of videos from all over the world," Hammond said. "You'll get a sense of the experiences, the people, the friendliness."
Basically a maker faire is a chance for people who make or create stuff to share their passion. Makers registered to attend the upcoming event span everything from woodcrafters to artists, from robotics to recycled glass crafts, from clothing designers to drones. There will literally be something for everyone.
The event also will include a wide variety of kids’ activities, food available for purchase and music. It will be a family-friendly day.
"And we definitely have a need for volunteers," Hammond said. "We are looking for families, friends, all ages. We even have kids' events where we can use younger volunteers."
Volunteers also are needed to help with setup on Friday and early Saturday. One unique volunteer need is for booth sitters. These volunteers are available to help makers by allowing them to take a break away from their booth during the day.
What does Jon Michel have to say to makers who have a vision of something they want to create?
"Just find a way. As long as you have enough dedication, you will be able to get it done. It took a year to build the marimba. It was hard. But after we got started, there really wasn't any turning back."
Jon and Fred Michel will bring their marimba to the Wayne County Mini Maker Faire at the University of Akron Wayne College, 1901 Smucker Road, Orrville, on Saturday, May 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The faire is free. Preregistration is requested.
As a thank you, all those preregistering will receive a goodie bag including a T-shirt and other items. Register at waynecounty.makerfaire.com.
To volunteer, email makerfaire@uakron.edu or call 330-684-8722.