Strut your stuff in the name of science this May half term in the Museum of Science and Industry’s 9 day musical celebration of its internationally acclaimed #HookedonMusic Citizen Science Experiment.
From Saturday 23 to Sunday 31 May, the museum will jump to the beat when all visiting movers and shakers – even embarrassing mums and enthusiastic dad dancers – will be invited to groove on down on our make shift dance floor right in the heart of the museum in our daily silent disco.
The aim is to have fun whilst taking part in a Citizen Science experiment. Each set of headphones will be pre-programmed with three different channels pumping out catchy tunes relevant for different age groups. By recording the reactions and responses to the music and the reasons for switching channels whilst dancing – researchers and scientists will gain a better understanding of what makes different musical features popular. All the discos will be filmed to support this research.
May Half Term also sees the return of our ever-popular #HookedonMusic quiz, testing musical knowledge and tastes in this fun, frantic and fast-paced game-show running in between the silent disco. There are even prizes to be won! Teeny boppers and toddlers can also get in on the #HookedOnMusic action too in our Jungle Disco. Join Roary the Lion, the King of the Jungle for this energetic and interactive storytelling session and help the animals get ready for the big jungle hop. Recommended for the under 5s.
The Museum’s #HookedonMusic Citizen Science experiment has already seen over 200,000 people world-wide play the musical online game – helping scientists identify what makes a tune catchy. Now – through public participation in our silent discos – scientists will investigate whether it is the catchy hook alone that makes the tune popular, or if other factors influence musical choices.
Computational Musicologist Ashley Burgoyne from the University of Amsterdam, who is the researcher behind the Citizen Science #HookedonMusic experiment said:
“The reaction and the response to the first phases of the #HookedonMusic Citizen Science experiment has been phenomenal and vastly exceeded all our expectations. To have over 200,000 people engaged in science through playing this online musical game is so fantastic. We are now really keen to maximise this universal interest by using the #HookedonMusic model to further explore the links between music and human behaviour. Through monitoring the switches made by participants using these silent disco headphones, and observing their behaviour patterns and reasons for switching between the three different musical channels, it will enable us to gain an greater understanding of why certain components of music appeal and resonate more than others to build on our on-going research into music and memory.”
#HookedonMusic at the Museum of Science and Industry this May Half Term runs from 23 to 31 May.
#HookedOnMusic: Strictly Science
Saturday 23 May – Sunday 31 May 2015
Suitable for all ages
Free – drop in – no need to book
www.mosi.org.uk
