Let's play! A hybrid seminar exploring music, making, engineering and environmental sustainability in schools
Thursday, May 14 2026 from 3:30 pm to 5:30 pmOverview
A hybrid seminar exploring music, making, engineering and environmental sustainability in schools
Where
Online (MS Teams - link will be distributed in advance) and in-person (Room 938, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1 0AL)
Book online via Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lets-play-hybrid-seminar-tickets-1986312314603
Event description
This hybrid in-person and online session will introduce a new environmentally sustainable construction platform designed to support creative, interdisciplinary learning at the intersection of music, making, and software engineering. Building on eight years of classroom based research using LEGO®, robotics sensors, and Raspberry Pi computers to design and program hybrid acoustic–digital musical instruments, our team has recently developed a fully recyclable, low cost alternative made from recycled cardboard, eco friendly adhesives, and open source electronics. The system enables pupils to design robust structures, integrate sensors, and trigger synthesised sound through programmable workflows, while modelling principles of circular design and sustainable fabrication.
In person participants will be able to experiment with the new platform, explore its construction possibilities, interact with the electronic components, and consider how it could help them to embed sustainability, engineering design, and creative STEM/STEAM practice in primary and secondary curricula. Online attendees will have a dedicated, interactive demo of the system on camera – with the opportunity to discuss and ask questions. All attendees will be invited to share feedback to help refine the system.
There will also be an opportunity to hear about the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education's recently launched music professional development modules for primary and secondary school teachers, which share similarly interdisciplinary approaches to creative engagement with environmental sustainability.
Running order
3:30: Informal play with construction system (in person attendees)
4:00: Formal presentations (online and in person)
4:45: Online and in person demos and discussion.
5:30: Close
This seminar is being hosted by the UCL Science Education Special Interest Group and the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education.
