The exhibit is a collection of kiosks, which are shaped like oversized musical instruments. At each station, visitors can hear a variety of instruments, play music education games, learn how to read and compose music or conduct the digital orchestra known as the Wall of Sound (WOSO).

The WOSO allows children to trigger and mix short musical phrases, hip-hop beats and sounds from a microphone, keyboard and turntable. This allows them to explore how various elements interact and how each new layer affects the overall sound, said Jeff Cooney, AI team leader and Ball State student.

"Our goal was to create user-friendly programs that allow children to compose their own music, explore current music or even make their own instruments," Cooney said. "Teaching children about music helps complete their education and these programs make the process fun."

The AI team also designed a Web site to accompany the exhibit. At www.audiointeractive.us, teachers can find lesson plans and related educational links while students can play the Brass Memory Game or transform their computer keyboards into musical instruments.

AI team members are:

• Jeff Cooney, Indianapolis

• Stacy Haggard, Parker City

• Joe Kunkel, Fishers

• Heather Rowe, Parker City

• Martin Tormoehlen, Kokomo

The project is sponsored by Ball State's Virginia B. Ball Center for Creative Inquiry. The center, founded in 1999, explores the connections among the arts, humanities, sciences and technology; creates products to illustrate each project's collaborative research and interdisciplinary study; and has each team present their product to the community.

For more information or to reach team members, contact Fred Johnson at (765) 287-0117 or abjohnson@bsu.edu. For information on the museum, call Amanda Harty 286-1660 ext. 21.