Our oldest students, grades 5-8, were treated to a field trip extraordinaire last week. A year ago this outing was recommended by a grandparent of one of our students, but wasn’t a “fit” for our curriculum. This year as we began to plan for a Sound Unit, we knew this was the moment. So we began a conversation with Jim Meade, an Audio Preservation Engineer, at the Belfer Archive at SU and together we coordinated one of the most rewarding field trips.

Our students developed a list of questions, which were sent to Jim in advance. After our arrival he proceeded to present a fascinating history of the development of sound reproduction, always referring back to the interests of our students. He was willing to stop his presentation to reach out to a student with a hand raised. He provided artifacts that children could hold in their hands and even gave them magnifying glasses, so they could better see. Children asked to listen to the voices of Amelia Earhart, Albert Einstein, and Martin Luther King. Jim Meade went beyond that. He found a recording of MLK speaking off “camera.” We got to hear how MLK talked, one on one, to another human being. Fascinating stuff.

Finally Jim took us into their recording studio where our students proceeded to ask a zillion more questions. Within a few hours of returning to school, Jim wrote this sweet email: “What an impressive bunch of young people your class are! I can safely say I’ve never had so many questions in a presentation. Those guys must keep you on your toes. A total pleasure having you guys, hope you’ll consider visiting Belfer again.”