Make your own music machine in new technology and music lab

Museum Speelklok challenges everyone aged eight and over to discover, experiment and make music using clever technology, inspired by the musical machines in the museum’s collection. The entire upper floor of Museum Speelklok is transformed into an interactive technology and music lab.

A new generation of engineers is desperately needed. That is why the museum is particularly keen to show young people just how useful and fun technology can be, with music as the reward.

Marian van Dijk, director of Museum Speelklok: “Music makes technology fun! How wonderful it is to be able to set something in motion yourself using mechanical technology. That builds self-confidence and awakens the inventor within you. Without mechanical technology, nothing moves, no matter how ‘smart’ the software is. AI, too, depends on what people come up with. I hope we’ll see lots of new creators joining us; the world is waiting for them!”

Playing with gears, crankshafts, cylinders, bells and beats

How do you make a song with a crankshaft? How do you make drums and bells produce music using gears and weights? How can you programme music like a barrel organ’s organ book or a music box cylinder? Museum Speelklok invites you to experiment with the mechanical technology that can also be found in the music machines from the collection. Music Machines & Me is packed with items from the collection and contemporary sound installations where technology is on full display.

Your music machine as part of the museum collection

Music Machines & Me marks the biggest transformation at the museum in years. From 15 April, the entire first floor will be transformed into an interactive technology and music lab. Through dozens of interactive installations and working models, guided by robot narrators, you’ll create your own unique digital music machine. All creations will be stored in an online repository: the collection of the future.

Technology comes to life with music

In Music Machines & Me, the museum shows that technology isn’t just practical but also fun, and that clever technology can bring the most beautiful music to life. On the ground floor of the museum, visitors can see and hear the stories behind the museum’s collection. In Music Machines & Me, you’ll be at the controls yourself. You’ll also discover that this technology is hidden away in everyday objects.

By and for young people

Music Machines & Me is a presentation designed for and in collaboration with educationial institutions. The museum develops teaching programmes focusing on technology and music in partnership with primary and secondary schools. These are pupils who are about to choose a career path and may opt for a technical stream. Pupils and students from secondary schools, vocational colleges and higher vocational colleges contributed to the creation of Music Machines & Me. For example, students from the NIMETO college built the robot narrators.

National engineering day for girls

During Girls’ Day on 14 April, girls aged 10–15 across the country will be inspired to pursue careers in technology, including at Museum Speelklok. On this day, engineering firm Koninklijke Kuijpers and Museum Speelklok will jointly present a programme for 100 secondary school pupils, packed with technical experiments and activities in and around Music Machines & Me.

About Museum Speelklok

Museum Speelklok celebrates its 70th anniversary this year and is housed in the medieval Buurkerk in the heart of Utrecht. The museum boasts the world’s largest collection of mechanical musical instruments, ranging from centuries-old carillons and large barrel organs to musical automata featuring human and animal figures, as well as music boxes. A team of restaurators ensures that all the historical instruments remain in working order and continue to play live music. The museum welcomes 100,000 visitors from home and abroad every year.

Music Machines & Me is made possible with the support of:
Utrecht City Council, VriendenLoterij, Mondriaan Fund, Province of Utrecht, the Cultuurfonds, VSB Fund, K.F. Hein Fund, Fentener van Vlissingen Fund, Dioraphte, Zabawas and the Friends of Museum Speelklok.

Photo: Joram Blomkwist
Visual by Dog Design