Sonic Playground

Exhibit Info

On View - ONGOING

2nd Floor Gallery

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Sonic Playground is a groundbreaking and interactive experience that transforms music-making into an engaging, hands-on adventure by merging creativity, education, and cutting-edge technology into one captivating space. The exhibit transforms the museum’s 3,000-square foot second floor gallery into an immersive hub featuring 17 unique interactives that encourage visitors to explore their creativity. From producing beats and mixing loops, to performing on stage with professional instruments, visitors can step into roles like singer, producer, or disc jockey and experience the joy of music creation.

Sonic Playground has four primary sections:

• Moodmakers: Featuring groundbreaking installations like the Electric Forest, this section also features interactive booths that explore the role that music plays in film, TV, and gaming, where visitors can act as music supervisors for films, create soundtracks for video games, and even record voice-overs for movie trailers.
• Songbuilders Hub: A music production hub featuring GRAMMY®-winning virtual hosts like H.E.R., Jimmy Jam, Prince Paul, and others, guiding visitors to create beats,freestyle, mix samples, and experiment with instruments while learning the basics of music production.
• The Roland Stage: A hands-on performance space complete with theatrical lighting and equipped with guitars, a Roland RD Stage keyboard, an AX-EDGE keytar, and V-Drums percussion, where visitors can take center stage.
• SoundTrax Career Wall: A 50-foot interactive wall showcasing 125 music industry careers across eight categories, expanding awareness of the many jobs that are available in the music industry and offering visitors educational tools to achieve their career goals. Visitors can access exclusive filmed interviews with industry professionals sharing insights about their roles and paths in the industry.

The heart of Sonic Playground is the Electric Forest, a mesmerizing blend of music, lights, and technology that epitomizes the intersection of art and technology. Visitors interact with 16 immersive columns of light and sound that respond to gestures, altering the sound and intensity of an original 19-minute composition by Shaun Chasin and allowing visitors to create their own musical symphonies through movement.

Sonic Playground, dedicated to the legacy of Jim Long, is made possible by a gift from The Long Family Trust. Additional support provided by Roland Corporation.

Learn more about Jim Long’s remarkable life and career here.

Additional donors to the Campaign For Music Education include the Ray Charles Foundation, Deborah DeBerry Long, the Living Legacy Foundation, the Natalie Cole Foundation, and BeatHeadz.

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