Making sound make sense

Working with Britten Pears Arts and three secondary schools across Suffolk, CLIP created a range of experiments and activities for key stage three students to explore the science of sound. From sound flipping headphones to longitudinal wave visualisers, this film documents the process.

Working alongside Joe Carr and a network of local teachers, we began by asking one simple question: what do schools actually need? The answer was clear. Teachers didn’t want new lesson plans or schemes of work — they already have plenty of those. Instead, they needed practical demonstrations, experiments, and apparatus that could slot into their existing lessons and bring complex ideas to life.

Through these conversations, three key themes emerged: how the ear works, what a wave is, and how sound travels through different states. CLIP then set about designing and building a set of custom tools and resources to help students experience these concepts first-hand.

From creating headphones that flip left and right audio channels to spark discussions about auditory processing, to building a Kundt’s Tube that visualises standing waves using cork grains, the goal was simple: make the invisible visibleand the complex tangible.

Alongside the equipment, we also produced a series of short stop-motion animations — bite-sized films that explain tricky scientific ideas in a fun, visual, and accessible way. Teachers have told us these have become invaluable for introducing topics and sparking curiosity at the start of lessons.

What’s been most inspiring is seeing the impact in the classroom. Students engage differently when they can touch, hear, and see sound in action, and teachers have told us how empowering it is to access high-quality resources they couldn’t otherwise afford or justify purchasing.

This project is just the beginning for Joe and his team at Britten Pears Arts. Their vision is to create a lending library of sound science resources — a bank of experiments, demonstrations, and activities that schools across Suffolk and beyond can borrow for free.

By blending music, science, and creativity, we’re helping teachers enrich their lessons and inspiring students to explore the world of sound in new and exciting ways.