“Now what we have here is an example of the most popular musical instrument of the 21st century. This particular specimen is over 500 years old and the museum is proud to have such a rare and well preserved item in its collection.”

The students in Miss Edward’s class were less enthused than the tour guide. A few pressed their noses against the glass for a closer look.

Miss Edwards could see the children were getting bored and struggled to find a way to capture their attention.

“What would such an instrument sound like when it was played?” she asked the tour guide.

“Great question! Our studies have indicated that the musician would use these five brightly coloured buttons to select a pitch, and would use this trigger to create the sound! But until we figure out what this plugged into, we may never know.” she said, pointing at the cable coming from the base of the device.

Miss Edwards had hoped for a more interesting answer. Despairingly, she moved the kids to the next exhibit.