At the Crossroads of Music and Machine: Music, Machines and Us (Schools Event)

Music, Machines and Us is an interactive school event exploring the fascinating relationship between music, people, and technology. Taking the player piano as a starting point, the session invites pupils to discover how machines have changed the ways we create, perform, record, and experience music.

Through demonstrations, listening, discussion, and hands-on activities, pupils will explore questions about the relationship between human creativity and machines. What happens when a machine can play an instrument? Who - or what - is the performer? And how have new technologies changed our understanding of what it means to make music?

Connecting historical musical technologies with those we encounter today, Music, Machines and Us encourages pupils to think about invention, creativity, and our changing relationship with technology. Rather than seeing music and machines as separate worlds, the event invites students to discover what happens when they meet, and to consider the role we play at that crossroads.

This workshop is part of the University of Surrey Being Human Festival 2026 Hub Programme.

It is a closed Schools event - if you would like to book your own schools workshop, contact: i.stanovic@surrey.ac.uk