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For several years the Saint Louis Science Center has partnered with the Sheldon Concern Hall to offer schools the Science of Learning Instrument Design (SOLID) Project.
With the SOLID program, teachers and their students participate in a three-part project where students enjoy an interactive demonstration from a Science Center educator and instruction from a Sheldon teaching artist. The students are then challenged to design and create a musical instrument.
The SOLID Project incorporates all the elements of STEAM—science, technology, engineering, art, and math—by incorporating and exploring the science behind sound and having students utilize the engineering design process to build their own instruments.
At the end of each school year, select instruments are put on display at the Sheldon Art Gallery.
Through the pandemic, the Science Center and the Sheldon have continued the partnership by developing virtual presentations that allow Science Center facilitators to reach students and classrooms using Zoom. In fact, by offering virtual sessions the program has seen new opportunities to connect. Rather than being limited to the St. Louis metro area, the virtual program sessions have allowed the team to connect with new classrooms and students across the nation. The Science Center and the Sheldon have presented the project to classrooms in places like New York, Florida, and more.
In 2021, the program had a measurable impact on STEAM education. Across 26 schools served, the program reach 850 students.
More recently, the Science Center and the Sheldon have been able to start bringing the program back into schools, utilizing the vans donated to the Science Center last summer by Frank Leta Honda for transportation.
Students and teachers are excited to have the program back in classroom so they can participate in person. After all, the Science of Sound is a program that’s popular not just with students, but with teachers, too.
“The students really enjoy the project and get very creative!” one educator said, describing the program. “I think the challenge for them (and me) is developing the discipline to follow the steps of the design process: plan first, test and change if it doesn’t work like you expected, be okay with failure, and try again.”
“It was amazing for our students to go through the process of making an instrument,” said another teacher. “Our students do not have a music program so this was wonderful!”
Learn more about the SOLID Project here.
Your Support
Support from donors, Science Center members, and Supporting-level members is instrumental in helping the Science Center continue offering connections to science for everyone in our region. If you’d like to show additional support for our mission, please consider donating to the Science Center’s Annual Fund, becoming a member, or becoming a Supporting-level member.
Your Impact
Want to learn more about how the Science Center and its supporters are making a difference for STEAM learning in the St. Louis region?
