Family Program | Sonic Adventures

Drop in to the museum during February’s mid-winter school break for hands-on family activities!  

On Tuesday, explore the world of sound! Check out music‑listening devices—from early 1900s radios to a jukebox, hi‑fi systems, speakers, and modern headphones—in Art of Noise, an exhibition about how music has been heard and shared over the last 100 years.  

Find out how sound travels and learn about electromagnetism by building your very own paper‑cup speaker to take home. Music isn’t just something we hear—it’s something we see, too! Discover how concert posters and album covers express the feeling of different styles of music like folk, rock, punk, and hip‑hop. Then, put sounds and images together to design your own button.

Exhibition Exploration

  • Join a special music-themed story time at 2:00 pm in the Art of Noise galleries.  
  • Explore the exhibition with a kids’ scavenger hunt.

Design Activity

  • Create your own paper cup speaker and experiment with different materials to see how they affect sound! 
  • Design your own button to shout out your favorite musical act and make one to take home. 

Family drop-in activities are designed for youth ages 5–12 and their adult guardian/caregivers. Family programs are included in the price of museum admission, and youth 18 and under are always free.

ACCESSIBILITY & WHAT TO EXPECT

  • Format: This is a drop-in style workshop for youth ages 5-12 and their adult guardian/family. You will be guided by a museum educator who will help you to make a design. You can drop in at any time and stay as long as you like. Adults must stay with their youth during the activity and are encouraged to participate. Registration is not required, but first come, first seated.
  • About the space: This program will take place in Cooper Hewitt’s Lecture Room on the ground floor of the museum. It is fully wheelchair accessible. There will be group seating at tables. There is an accessible restroom on the ground floor. The story time with take place in the third floor galleries. Read more about accessibility at Cooper Hewitt.
  • Accommodations: We welcome questions and accommodation requests that support your participation. Email us at CHEducation@si.edu or call 212 849-8353. Please make your request as far in advance as possible—preferably at least ten days before the program date.

Special Thanks

Design learning at Cooper Hewitt is made possible by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Generous support is also provided by the Smithsonian Institution’s Together We Thrive Initiatives, the Richard and Jean Coyne Family Foundation, and the Cornelia T. Bailey Foundation.

Art of Noise is made possible by the August Heckscher Exhibition Fund, the Ehrenkranz Fund, the Barbara and Morton Mandel Design Gallery Endowment Fund, the Fisher Arts Impact Fund, and Jonathan Schroeder and Janet Borgerson. 

Fisher Arts Impact Fund logo with Smithsonian logo at the bottom.