By Jill Yesko , University Relations
Contact: (336) 334-5371
Posted 5-22-07
GREENSBORO, NC – A new science exhibition that explores nature’s musical spectrum, from the high-pitched chirping of tiny crickets to the low frequency whistling of Blue Whales, has been developed by Dr. Patricia Gray, a professor and senior research scientist of Biomusic at the Music Research Institute at UNCG.
The 4,000-square-foot exhibition, titled “Wild Music: Sound & Songs of Life,” opens on Saturday, June 30, at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh and runs through Sunday, September 16. North Carolina is the second host site on a six-year tour of science museums across the United States.
Gray is expert in biomusic, the study of the musical sounds in all species of animals, including humans.
“We live in a loud and musical universe that science is just beginning to understand,” said Gray. “This exhibition gives visitors the chance to explore their own musicality and that of other living creatures to hear life as music.”
Gray served as principal investigator for the planning grant and as co-principal investigator for the $2.7 million grant awarded by the National Science Foundation for the development of a BioMusic national exhibition for informal science centers nationwide.
Highlights of the exhibition include three immersive soundscapes encompassing the sounds of the forest, city and sea; a “jamming room,” or soundproof studio where visitors can lay down a beat and add tracks with animal sounds along with their own vocals and a bioacoustics laboratory with that enables visitors to experiment with how the human voice works and how it compares to other animals.
The Music Research Institute at the UNCG School of Music is dedicated to conducting research that advances the understanding of music and sharing that knowledge for the good of society. Current MRI projects include: biomusic, neuroimaging, music-related hearing loss, music performance, music medicine, music education and ethnomusicology.
To see and hear more about "Wild Music" visit http://webcache.news-record.com/legacy/indepth/07/wild_music/
For more information, contact the School of Music at (336) 334-5789, or visit www.uncg.edu/mus. The North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences is located at 11 West Jones St. in Raleigh. Visit www.naturalsciences.org for more information.
