“I have been a musician all my life, but I never understood the physics of sound before we started the School of Noise three years ago in the UK,” says Dan Mayfield, during one of his innovative music workshops he has been delivering at the ongoing Sharjah Children’s Reading Festival (SCRF 2018).  

The artist’s comment, “I like to have things that are slightly different”, is not a sufficient warning if you haven’t been to one of Mayfield’s workshops before. In his music room, the average drum set and guitar are replaced by an unusual and rare mix of music-making and sound sculpting machines like the omnichord, an ototo device connected to a range of fruits and veggies, the theremin – one of the first electronic musical instruments invented by Leon Theremin in 1928, the littleBits modular analogue synthesizer that connects together with magnets, and others.

“The basis of our workshops is to enable our participants to be creative with sound. The omnichord, for example is a proper musical instrument from 1981 that was used in David Bowie records, but is really easy to play. Its sounds really nice but is accessible to a 5-year-old, just press a few buttons and you can have fun straight away,” said Mayfield who believes everyone is capable of making music

“I meet so many adults who wish they hadn’t given up playing music and one of the reasons that they did give up is because they didn’t enjoy it. So reversing the process of learning by bringing fun and originality first is to me the right kind of music education, and is key to encourage young people's creativity,” affirms the Enderby's Room artist claiming he learns every time he delivers a workshop to children and adults who have a passion for experimenting with sound.

And it’s not all just music – this workshop is very much about the science of sound explained in the simplest and most engaging ways. Through the various musical activities presented at the SCRF 2018 workshop, Mayfield’s objective of making music fun and accessible to children as well as adults really shines through.

If using fruit and vegetables as drum kits and keyboards, creating patterns in sand by making a metal plate vibrate at different frequencies, and building record players just using a piece of card a pin, tickle your imagination, then do make sure to bring your children and yourself to one of his workshops that at the festival.

The 10th edition of the festival, which runs until April 28 at Expo Centre Sharjah and is themed ‘Your Future… Just a Book Away’.

The festival’s events span several programmes, under the main themes of Kids Activities, Cultural Programmes, Cultural Café, Kids' Creative Café, Social Media Café and Cookery Corner. SCRF 2018 also features a series of international theatrical performances like ‘Tuta and Monkey Cheetah’, and the ‘Island of Kids’ Area’ that combine education, fun and entertainment to highlight the values of honesty to young visitors.