Join MoMath for Two Unique Walking Tours during the NoMad Jazz Festival
Saturday, August 9, and Sunday, August 10
9:00 am to 10:00 am
(in person)
As part of the NoMad Jazz Festival, the National Museum of Mathematics is pleased to offer two engaging, one-hour walking tours, free and open to the public. From rhythmic patterns in 19th-century ornament to the harmonic history of Tin Pan Alley, these tours highlight the connections between math and music — revealing unexpected beauty in both structure and sound.
Registration is required. Space is limited to the first 20 lucky registrants. Meet at Additions, the shop at MoMath.
Please be at the Museum no later than 8:50 am for check-in. Tours leave promptly at 9:00 am.
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Symmetry and the City:
A Walk with Chaim Goodman-Strauss
9:00 am to 10:00 am
(in person)
Join MoMath’s celebrated Outreach Mathematician and part of the team that brought the hat tile to the world, Chaim Goodman-Strauss, for a unique walking tour that finds rhythm in stone and harmony in design. Explore the decorative language of 19th-century architecture, from tiled façades to carved windowsills — and consider how patterns and symmetry can echo the structures of music itself. Part visual puzzle, part historical deep dive, this tour invites you to experience the city as a quiet symphony of shapes and forms.
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Tin Pan Alley and Beyond:
A Musical History Walk with Tim Nissen
9:00 am to 10:00 am
(in person)
This walking tour explores more than just Tin Pan Alley — it traces a path through Manhattan’s rich architectural landscape, uncovering the deep connections between music and the built environment. Guided by MoMath’s renowned exhibit designer and Associate Director Tim Nissen, the route includes a range of historical styles from Beaux Arts to Art Deco to International Style, with reflections on how these aesthetics resonate with musical forms like jazz and classical. Inspired by Goethe’s observation that “architecture is frozen music,” this tour invites participants to consider the rhythm, harmony, and mood of New York City itself.
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Please note that children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Each child and adult must be registered.
Registration is required. Space is limited to the first 20 lucky registrants. Meet at Additions, the shop at MoMath.
Please be at the Museum no later than 8:50 am for check-in. Tours leave promptly at 9:00 am.