MAST Fair 2000

Pupils will learn what sound looks like at this year's MAST fair at Imperial College.

The Music Arts Science and Technology fair forms part of Sinfonia 21's MAST education programme. Following on from National Orchestra Week and part of National Science Week, it explores the link between science and music through the use of technology.

The unique combination of music and technology is designed to create a fun and interactive atmosphere for learning.

Children will be encouraged to move between various 'stalls', each run by a different partner organisation working in collaboration with S21 musicians, collecting sounds and gaining hands on experience of creating music through technology along the way.

Imperial College physicists will use sophisticated computers to show what sound looks like and how different sounds create different waveforms. Pupils will be able to compare how a clapping sound differs from the sound of a cello.

Other events include:

Sonic Arts Network will show how to make sounds into a piece of music using sampling and sonic manipulation. Pieces and sounds created will be saved so pupils can take them back to school. They will also be able to compose their own music to a film.

Sound Intermedia will reveal how the microphone manipulates sounds, especially the voice. Pupils' voices will be recorded and sampled then manipulated using the latest technology.

Educality/Cybermind is an introduction to immersion in virtual reality. Pupils will explore virtual environments and interact with sounds and images, creating their own combinations.

The MAST Fair, supported by the Esmee Fairburn Charitable Trust and the Arts Council of England, takes place on Wednesday 22 March in the Great Hall, Sherfield Building, South Kensington campus.