Education On Fire - Sharing creative and inspiring learning in our schools podcast

Composing The Moons Symphony: Music, NASA and the Power of an Interdisciplinary Education

0:00
44:23
15 Sekunden vorwärts
15 Sekunden vorwärts

Today I'm chatting with Amanda Lee Falkenberg, an internationally acclaimed Australian composer, pianist and creator of The Moons Symphony — a groundbreaking orchestral work recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra under Marin Alsop, with choral forces recorded separately at Abbey Road Studios.

Amanda's work bridges science, music and storytelling, developed in close collaboration with NASA planetary scientists and astronomers. She's also the founder of Lunar (Learning under New Artistic Regimes), an immersive educational platform blending planetary science, music and art to spark curiosity in learners of all ages.

In this conversation we trace the whole journey: from stumbling across an article on the "ten weirdest moons," through a cold email to a NASA scientist that led to a presentation at JPL, to the pandemic-era twist that finally brought the LSO, Marin Alsop and Abbey Road into alignment. We talk about why she built Lunar as a course rather than a one-off concert, what she's learned from planetary scientists about resilience and the long game, and how a childhood love of John Williams became the unlikely throughline for a project rooted entirely in science fact.

Key Takeaways

  • A cold email can change everything. Amanda's project only reached NASA because she sent an unsolicited message into what she calls "the black hole email" — with no expectation of a reply.
  • Passion projects don't need permission to start. She began researching and composing years before she had a scientist, an orchestra, or a plan for education — the vision came first.
  • Interdisciplinary learning resonates because real life isn't siloed. Music, science and storytelling aren't separate subjects to her — they're one experience, and that's exactly why Lunar works across age groups from teenagers to retirees.
  • Resilience is the throughline of both music and science careers. Amanda draws a direct parallel between the decades-long timelines of NASA missions and the "10,000 hours" of a musician's path — both require staying in it for the long game.
  • Setbacks can create the conditions for a breakthrough. Covid cancelled her original recording dates — and then, months later, cleared Marin Alsop's schedule enough to make the recording finally happen.
  • You don't need a background in either subject to benefit. Lunar is designed so that participants need no prior knowledge of music or science — just curiosity.

Chapters:

  • 00:02 - Exploring the Moon Symphony with Amanda Lee Falkenberg
  • 01:54 - The Journey of the Moon Symphony
  • 12:48 - Interdisciplinary Education: Bridging Science and Art
  • 15:15 - The Journey of the Lunar Program
  • 24:21 - The Journey to Collaborate with NASA
  • 29:21 - The Impact of COVID on the Project
  • 34:31 - The Journey of Passion Projects
  • 39:55 - The Long Game: Resilience in Music and Science

https://www.moons-symphony.com/

https://www.moons-symphony.com/gateway-to-lunar

▶️ YouTube 👉 @moonssymphony

www.facebook.com/moonssymphony/

📸 Instagram @amandafilmmusic

www.linkedin.com/in/moons-symphony

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