The Foley Freeze ‘Pumps up the Jams’

By Thomas Beil and Colin Graettinger

Everyone on The Foley Freeze robotics team listens to classic rock whether they like it or not.

Whenever students and their mentors are in their respective work areas, tunes are undoubtedly playing from at least one set of speakers. Music interests vary as nearly as wide as the interest areas among the students, from international polkas to electro-swing, and most exclusively, classic rock.

The media subteam lead, Henry Beil, says listening to music helps him to tune out other build-related noises and gives him a rhythm to work to. Media tends to prefer music that ranges from 40’s to alternative rock.

The Prototype subteam also has a narrow preference, including tracks from The Police to The Rolling Stones to Led Zeppelin. “We all come together to decide on what to listen to, which is usually a lot of classic rock,” says Nick Lucido, the lead of the prototype subteam. “The music helps the working mood, and it is a good distraction from the regular noises of the machines and overall increases team productivity.”

Aidan Darmetko, a team captain and lead of the Design subteam, said the music helps them focus on their work. He also added that when one of the mentors, Dominic Doxen, is there, they have a day where they listen to German music. Aidan says that it eventually just feels like classical music to the non-German speakers in the Design corner, which helps them to relax and work more efficiently. 

While the preferences vary, the desire to be productive and elevate their work processes remains consistent. While the tech and build rooms are typically boisterous, the melodies help keep the focus the groove in style.