What does science have to do with music?

We bet you didn't think a scientist and a musician had anything in common, but there's science in music and beauty in science. In the Symphony's first family concert of the season, children will put on their scientist's goggles and take a closer look at the DNA of music and how music moves us.

Led by associate conductor Sameer Patel, this family concert is in partnership with the Ruben H. Fleet Science Center, University of California, San Diego and the Symphony. We are partnering with San Diego’s scientific thought leaders because science and art go hand-in-hand in today's learning environment. Community engagement manager Chelsea Allen knows just how important arts education is for students.

"There is a growing body of research that confirms the significant benefits of complementing a strong science education with arts integration. We are excited to present a concert that not only deepens the scientific understanding of the students in attendance, but also ties those scientific principles to art! The more we can break down the barrier between so-called left brain versus right brain thinking, the more creative solutions future generations can bring to the increasingly complex world they face," Allen said.

Not only is STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) an important foundation for education, but sound really is linked to how we understand the world around us. This connection is what the team at the Fleet Center look forward to most when collaborating with the Symphony.

"Science and Sound are inextricably connected because sound is so fundamental to so much of our life.  You can measure your distance from a lightning strike using sound. You can see to the depths of the ocean using sound. And believe it or not, sound can now even be used to levitate small objects! Sound is amazing because it can both be a tool scientists use to study other phenomenon as well as the phenomenon being studied itself," said Ruben H. Fleet Science Center exhibits experience lead Jackie Valentine.

Here at the Symphony, we're especially excited to present this fun and interactive concert with a leading San Diego organization.

"The Symphony is amazing by itself as is the Fleet, but having the two together always gives me such a wonderful sense of synergy. I feel together we really are accomplishing something so much greater than if we were to try and do the same thing on our own," Valentine said.

This concert will feature hands-on science demonstrations for young scientists to explore the different aspects of sound. Friction, sound waves and things that go “boom” will all be heard and explored during this interactive concert.  

Join us at The Science of Sound at 2 p.m. October 21 at the Copley Symphony Hall in the Jacobs Music Center. This Family Concert is geared toward children aged 3-13.

This post was written by Kelly Hillock, marketing assistant for the San Diego Symphony.