How Do You See A Sound?

How Do You See A Sound?

That’s a question the Science Center and the Sheldon Concert Hall have been answering together for several years as part of the SOLID Project, or Science of Learning Instrument Design.

As part of the program, teachers and students complete a three-part project where students enjoy the Science Center’s interactive Science of Sound demonstration and receive instruction from a teaching artist from the Sheldon before creating and constructing their own musical instrument.

A Science Center team member demonstrates the Science of Sound program.

Bridging the elements of STEAM—science, technology, engineering, the arts and math—the SOLID Project incorporates and allows students to explore the science behind sound, then utilize the engineering design process along with skills like creativity and critical thinking to build their own instruments.

Despite continuing the program virtually through the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers and students were excited to see the program return to classrooms throughout the bi-state area. For some schools that don’t have a dedicated music program, activities like the SOLID Project provide important experiences students might not have access to otherwise.

A Science Center team member demonstrates the Science of Sound program.

As part of the Science Center’s Science of Sound portion of the program, a Science Center educator illustrates how sound waves travel, shows how frequencies work, and ultimately gets students fired up with an exciting demonstration using a Rubens’ tube—a perforated tube that uses flammable gas and a speaker to visualize sound waves.

A Measurable Impact in 2022:

Together the Science Center and the Sheldon Concert Hall served 1,250 students in 27 schools in the Missouri/Illinois metro area through the SOLID Project.