Drawdio

Sat., July 25, 1-4 p.m., $15, The Hacktory, 1524 Brandywine St., 267-687-9996, thehacktory.org.

by Morgan Davis

[ workshop ]

As anyone who's substituted pots and pans for a drum set knows, almost anything can be a musical instrument.

At The Hacktory's drawdio workshop, members will take that idea a step further and teach students how to make a musical pencil by soldering a synthesizer to it. Inexperienced pencil-modifiers will get a basic introduction to circuit-making, while those who already rock out with a technically advanced pencil will learn how to pimp their writing tools even more.

"It is a bit of Muggle magic that demonstrates how ordinary objects can become special with a little imagination and a soldering iron," says Hacktory member Jack Zylkin. "This is the basis of everything we aim to do at The Hacktory."

This will be the second time the space has offered a drawdio workshop — the last one, based on an invention thought up at the MIT Media Lab, sold out.

"Everyone left with a fully working and highly fun noisemaker," says Zylkin. "We aim to take technology and remove the barrier to entry by helping people realize that anyone, even a fourth grader, can be an inventor of wonderful things."

Sat., July 25, 1-4 p.m., $15, The Hacktory, 1524 Brandywine St., 267-687-9996, thehacktory.org.