!!!PROPOSAL!!!

==="From Accapella to Zulu, sound is highly regarded by all species. To some it is a way of communication, to others it is a way of creative expression. Sound is a mechanical wave that is really just pressure transmitted through a substance that's made up of frequencies that can be heard. We "hear" sounds when our eardrum vibrates due to collision with sound waves and our brain interprets that precise vibration as an exact sound. So if sound is simply a wave with frequencies, what's the difference between noise and music? To me it might be Rap but to you it might be crap.===

===Our innovation project is focused around the difference between music and noise. It will use different aspects of sounds to help make visitor experience sound as they perceive it, as well as experience it in ways they have never heard it before. It is designed to be an interactive experience where the user gets to understand the sounds behind music and find out the barrier that they have created between music and noise. The goal in mind is to create an exhibit that is a challenging interaction where we broaden the mindset of an individual when it comes to music. We can achieve this by using a touch screen. The visitor would be able to manipulate different music and noises, by using touch interface as they explore sounds in relationship to music and noise. "===

PAUL'S REPLY

Grammar etc: if you are going to write Accapella (a singing style without accompanyment) next to Zulu (a language and people) which are both human, then you cannot talk about sound being highly regarded by all species. And what would regarded mean in this sense? How do frogs "highly regard" sound? "creative expression" in different species is anthropomorphic. Your sentence structure is a problem - the substance is not made up of frequencies.

What is the visitor expected to do exactly? How is 'manipulating sound' creating a puzzle or challenge that the visitor can experience and engage with. If the distinction is between music and noise, then isn't it necessary to have people classify different sounds as one or the other. What makes bird song music?, and cats mating noise. Why are fingernails on a chalkboard something that causes everyone to cringe? These are visceral experiences - and in trying to grapple with them I think you might be on the right track. But consider what the visitor is to experience: come up to this touch screen and make sounds - is it noise or music? That is not enough: how can you make this a complete experience? What question can you ask the visitor? What response can the visitor record so that they can engage with others? how could this response be recorded? Are there rules to rap music, heavy metal etc. that make them music rather than noise - organizations? Can people recognize organization? How do those of us who are tone deaf (like myself) still recognize when someone has made a mistake on a piano? - even when we don't know the piece - there must be an internal logic to the music. how do we get the visitor to recognize that music vs. noise is really organization vs chaos? Clearly there is more to music than just sound waves.

I like the idea of getting people to discern a distinction - but you have to understand that distinction yourself first - and lead the visitor to that understanding through an exhibit that they understand from the moment they arrive. Also: how do they learn the skills of innovation?

Good luck!

Paul