FREE SOUND DEMOS FOR YOUR SCIENCE CENTRE OR SCHOOL
The Instant Sound Show is a set of free, classic sound demos that anyone can download and use (in accordance with our Creative Commons Licence). I made them in response to various science centre staff who asked me to help them build their own shows about acoustics. I hope they'll be useful to teachers, school students and anyone else who is curious about the science of sound and music.
These pages present everything you'll need to download and use the Instant Sound Sound Show. Here, you can find out how to set up and run the demos on your computer. We have various classics here - from basic oscilloscopes to entertaining demos that replay soundwaves at different speeds. The majority use my bespoke applications, designed to be simple to use in a live situation and to look good on a projector screen. A few use the great open-source audio software Audacity. All the demos run on a Mac or PC - feel free to experiment with them and put them in your own shows.
I've suggested some ways you might incorporate these demos into a live science show about sound and music. You can also read some general tips on how to run a great science show - written in collaboration with seasoned presenter and trainer Steve Allman). I've been presenting occasional shows on the science of sound and music for many years, at venues such as the Science Museum, Glasgow Science Centre and the Edinburgh and Cheltenham science festivals. I do a lot less science show presenting now as I'm more focussed on building sound installations and performing live, electroacoustic music. But I hope these demos encourage others to have a go.
Sarah Angliss, January 2008
SPONSORS
The Instant Sound Show was created by Sarah Angliss (Spacedog UK) and sponsored by a COPUS Grant from the Royal Society and by the Office of Science and Innovation (now the DIUS Science and Innovation Group).
