Expeditions Week Returns January 20–27 With Focus on the Biology of Sound
Doane Stuart School will hold its annual Expeditions Week from January 20–27, bringing Middle and Upper School students together for a week of interdisciplinary, project-based learning centered on the theme “The Biology of Sound — Designing Soundscapes.”
All students are expected to be on campus during normal school hours, 8:15 a.m. to 3:25 p.m., throughout the week. While students will not follow their regular class schedules, attendance is required, as Expeditions Week is a core academic program designed to foster collaboration, inquiry, and real-world problem solving.
“Expeditions Week challenges students to think across disciplines and apply their learning to real-world contexts,” said Joelle Russo, Director of Experiential Learning and Curriculum Development. “By engaging with complex questions and working collaboratively, students develop the skills and confidence they need to navigate an increasingly interconnected world.”
The program emphasizes the development of 21st-century skills, including critical thinking, communication, creativity, and collaboration. Through interdisciplinary learning, students are encouraged to draw connections across subject areas, reflecting how complex challenges are encountered beyond the classroom.
This year’s theme asks students to explore the driving question: How might we design a multimedia experience that promotes healing or social awareness by examining the biological, historical, musical, and literary impact of a major human event or crisis? Students will investigate the role of sound and music in shaping memory, supporting healing, and fostering empathy across cultures and historical contexts.
Using an interdisciplinary approach, students will engage with the theme through English, History, Science, and Music. Upper School students completed summer reading to support this inquiry, with Grades 11–12 reading I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine by Daniel J. Levitin and Grades 9–10 reading This Is Your Brain on Music, also by Levitin. Middle School students will explore the essential question Why Music Matters?, focusing on how sound influences human experience.
Throughout the week, students will participate in film screenings, guest speakers, expert talks, and case study research on topics such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and the effects of music therapy on the brain. Students will also conduct historical investigations into how music has supported communities during times of crisis and collective trauma.
Guiding questions will include how trauma affects individuals biologically and psychologically, how music supports memory retrieval, and whether music could be applied more broadly in public health interventions.
Following their inquiry, students will collaborate in teams to design original responses to the driving question using the design thinking process, an approach that promotes creativity, agency, and ownership of learning. They will share their solutions with the community in a presentation event at the project week.
Expeditions Week provides students with a meaningful opportunity to engage deeply with interdisciplinary learning while developing innovative solutions to complex, real-world challenges.
