Encounters With Music That Awaken the Senses

January 8, 2025

In September 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met) in New York introduced the "81st Street Studio," an interactive learning space for children. Among its five distinct areas is the Interactive Musical Station, a unique sound playground designed by Yamaha. Nestled within one of the world’s most iconic art museums—visited by 5.5 million people annually—this station offers even the youngest visitors the chance to experience the joy of making music. Let’s take a closer look at the creativity behind this simple yet deeply meaningful sound experience for children.

Creating Lasting Cultural Tools

Strike, pluck, and even ride! The Interactive Musical Station features six unique pieces, each designed to immerse visitors in the joy and wonder of creating sounds using a variety of materials. Known as the "Material Orchestra," this collection invites children to explore how string, percussion, and wind instruments produce sound through playful interaction.

The space was overseen by Kazuya Washio from Yamaha Corporation of America, Design R&D Department. Washio's lifelong love for arts, crafts, and building plastic models began in childhood. After studying design at university, he worked in IT, designing computers and mobile phones. However, in an industry where products are rapidly replaced by newer models, he began to feel a growing sense of sadness over the short lifespan of the items he helped create.

This realization inspired Washio to shift his career focus to designing musical instruments. Despite having no musical background, he viewed musical instruments as “the most cultural tool” ever created by humans. “That’s what motivated me to join Yamaha,” he explains. “Musical instruments can last for decades, and even be passed down to future generations. I was excited by the idea of using my design skills to create something with lasting cultural value.”

Washio joined Yamaha in 2013, initially working on home audio products, speakers, and electronic devices in Japan. In 2017, he transferred to Yamaha Music London, and by 2020, he was based at Yamaha Corporation of America. His portfolio includes innovative designs such as the wall-mounted "Pianissimo Fortissimo" piano and the modern reinterpretation of musical instruments in the "Industrial Instruments" series. This creative spirit was then brought to life in his work on the project at the MET.

Embracing Sound Exploration, Not Perfection

Reflecting on the Interactive Musical Station project, Washio recalls that one of the biggest challenges was designing for a broad target age range, from 3 to 11 years old. Creating an experience that could equally engage children of such different ages was no easy task. The installations couldn’t resemble traditional musical instruments too closely, nor could they feel too much like toys. The goal was to craft an experience that allowed both children and adults to enjoy the pure act of making sound—an experience that comes before playing an actual instrument. This was a unique and first-time challenge for Yamaha as well.

To address this challenge, Washio focused on creating instruments that were simple yet offered depth. “There’s so much you can learn and discover, even from a single string,” he explains. “You’ll notice that plucking it just a little differently can drastically change the pitch. Adjusting the tension slightly can create a richer sound. We designed each instrument so that the more you interact with it, the more new discoveries you can make.”

Washio believes that not having a musical background may have actually helped him design the interactive instruments. He describes himself as a "music amateur," but it’s precisely this lack of expertise that frees him from conventional thinking, allowing him to come up with ideas that a more musically trained person might never consider.

For example, Washio chose a durable material typically used in tuna fishing to create a sturdy "instrument" that could withstand children hanging on it without breaking. He also selected notes from the pentatonic scale for the percussion instruments, ensuring that even when multiple children played at once, the sounds wouldn’t clash unpleasantly. His aim was to spark children’s curiosity about sound and encourage them to enjoy making it, rather than focusing on playing well or correctly. The team brainstormed 20 to 30 ideas before narrowing it down to six, ultimately bringing the Material Orchestra to life.

“At Yamaha, we often discuss what constitutes ‘good sound.’ But during this project, I realized that for children, the more important question is how each child feels about the sound,” Washio explains. Beautiful or “good” sound suggests there’s an objective standard, but in reality, that’s not the case. If one child finds a sound beautiful, then it is beautiful for that child, even if others don’t agree. “My hope is that our installations give children the opportunity to discover the sounds they enjoy, rather than focusing on playing what’s considered correct or beautiful. I want them to explore a wide range of sounds and develop an interest in them.”

Since its opening in September 2023, the Interactive Musical Station has welcomed over 120,000 visitors in its first six months and has been featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times. While this is a significant accomplishment for Washio and his team, the greatest achievement is the daily joy and smiles the space brings to so many children. For Washio, this is the most rewarding part of the project.

Staying True to the Present Moment

Washio's approach to life mirrors the simplicity of his designs. He avoids carrying unnecessary things and doesn’t dwell on unnecessary thoughts. With so little weighing him down, he’s able to focus on what truly matters, placing more value on what he feels than on what he thinks.

What currently fascinates Washio most is the culture of the Pirahã, an indigenous people of the Amazon. Their language lacks past or future tenses, which is believed to contribute to their ability to live fully in the present. The Pirahã’s emphasis on sharing experiences in the here and now has led them to be regarded as one of the happiest people in the world.

“What we can learn from the Pirahã is that meaningful moments come from being fully present, rather than dwelling on the past or future,” says Washio. “I believe that focusing your heart on the present is what moves us and brings a sense of well-being.” It’s this appreciation for simplicity that allowed Washio to design the Interactive Musical Station, offering visitors sound experiences that are both simple and profound.

Washio's goal of “creating new cultural tools” has remained unchanged since he joined Yamaha. His purpose is both simple and ambitious: “I want to keep making things that are passed down from parents or grandparents to the next generation—tools that are passed down for centuries.”

The Interactive Musical Station fosters children's creativity, just as Yamaha Music Yokohama Minatomirai brings the joy of music to those with no prior experience. In the next article, we’ll explore the "Key" that connects these two projects.

(Interview: May 2024)

*Bios current at the time of the release of this article

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