January 2026

Passport To Sound: An Invitation To What The Audio Show Can Become 
Bringing fun and education to young music lovers and future audiophiles.
Editorial By May Anwar

  Every Saturday morning of my childhood began with Beethoven. The Appassionata Sonata or Symphony No. 5 spilled from my father's turntable at a volume that stirred my heart before I was fully awake. The turntable sat on a heavy wooden credenza, its glass lid closed like a museum case. We children could admire the record collection stored inside but were never allowed to touch the equipment itself. The system was sacred.

Surrounded by music, I assumed I understood it. Years later, I realized I had only been granted access to listen but had never truly learned what made a system sound good.

When I received my first cassette player as a teenager eager for independence, I traded quality for freedom and never looked back. By college, I had forgotten what music was meant to sound like. I listened to compressed, flattened tracks through cassette players, then MP3 players, and eventually voice-activated devices that made listening even more casual. I trained myself to focus only on lyrics and beats because that was all my gear could reproduce.

It was only when I met my future husband, an audiophile, that I encountered a true high-end system. Even at modest volume, my favorite recordings opened up, producing goosebumps and forming a three-dimensional image before my eyes. A few years later, when he transitioned his career into the hi-fi industry, I began accompanying him to audio shows, spaces filled with people who shared my love of music but spoke a different vocabulary. I felt like an outsider rather than a participant.

These shows also revealed a quieter pattern. The rooms were heavily male-dominated, and children (if any) often trailed behind their parents, restless and disengaged. As an educator and advocate for inclusivity, I would hand them a streaming iPad to give them something familiar and engaging. They frequently chose Adele or Taylor Swift, and adult attendees would quietly slip out, uninterested in hearing mainstream pop through such elaborate systems.

Watching this, I wondered if there was a better way not only to include these children, but to make them feel as if they also belonged here. I remembered all too well what it felt like to stand on the outside of an experience that should have felt welcoming.

The Seed
It began with an encounter with Steven R. Rochlin's article, "A Plan We Can All Take Part In." He proposed bringing high-quality audio equipment into classrooms so children could experience true listening. But as I read, another possibility emerged. Audio shows already existed, fully equipped and alive with knowledge and expertise. What if we brought children into these spaces with a tool that helped them understand what they were seeing and hearing?

I wrote to Steven, unsure if such a respected and busy voice in the industry would even notice an email from an educator. He responded, and our exchange gradually grew into mentorship. During the summer of 2025, while on break from teaching, I began developing what would become Passport To Sound, a fun scavenger-style booklet designed to transform an audio show into a structured journey of discovery.

What Is Passport To Sound?
Passport to Sound introduces young listeners aged 8 to 16, as well as curious newcomers of all ages, to the fundamentals of the high-fidelity world. Participants complete self-guided activities across clearly defined sections focused on system fundamentals, equipment identification, critical listening, exhibitor interaction, and reflection.

The booklet maps the entire audio signal path from source to speaker, helping participants visualize how music travels and transforms within a system. They learn to identify real-world components (turntables, amplifiers, DACs, speakers, acoustic treatments, etc.) inside operational listening rooms. Structured listening exercises heighten awareness of sound placement, spatial depth, and tonal balance. The journey concludes at the Wall of Sound & Memory, a writing space where participants pause to reflect on what music means to them.

The booklet maps the complete audio signal path, helping participants identify each component in real listening rooms.

The opening pages outline the structured approach guiding participants through system fundamentals, equipment identification, and critical listening.

The First Launch
Passport To Sound debuted at Capital Audiofest in November 2025. The program included the booklet, reward stickers, and the interactive Wall of Sound & Memory installation.

Friday was quiet, as most children were still in school. By Saturday, the dynamic shifted. Families actively sought out the program, and adults asked if they could take copies home. When I explained the guides were designed for use within the show, many expressed interest in returning the following year with their children. Several parents mentioned they had been searching for a way to share their passion with their children.

Another surprise was how many adults wanted the booklet for themselves as a structured way to navigate what had once felt technical and opaque. While watching the children, I noticed a ten-year-old girl who had been absorbed in her phone begin flipping through the pages. Moments later, she tucked the device into her pocket and immersed herself in the activities from page one. She paused at the signal pathway diagram, then stood up to examine the system more closely, identifying components, cross-referencing terminology, and tracing how the signal traveled through the room. A multigenerational family completed the full passport together and shared that it was the first time the show had engaged everyone equally. When the young boy received his "Certified Audiophile-in-Training" sticker, his grandparents asked for a photo with him, their pride unmistakable as he declared he could not wait to return the following year.

Exhibitors noticed the change as well. Several approached me during the show to describe children entering their rooms carrying a colorful book with questions like:

"What makes your system special?"

"What is one thing people do not realize about high-end audio?"

Several told me this was a first for them. The booklet gave children permission to engage, and exhibitors responded with genuine enthusiasm. The exchange became more than a demonstration or marketing pitch. It became a reminder of why they loved music.

The Wall of Sound & Memory became an emotional anchor within an otherwise technical environment. Messages ranged from the poetic, "Music is the universal language of mankind," to the deeply personal, "Music fills my heart with happy thoughts." In that space, the show paused. People reflected. They shared.

A young participant displays his completed Passport To Sound booklet after exploring Capital Audiofest 2025.

The Wall of Sound & Memory invited attendees to share personal reflections on music's meaning in their lives.

May Anwar (left) with adult participants who completed Passport To Sound, seeking a structured path through the audio world.

What This Reveals
The most powerful outcome was the transformation of the atmosphere. Rooms shifted from silent observation to shared exploration. Children who might have spent the weekend scrolling instead searched for DACs, asked about amplifier classes, and listened with intention. Parents bonded with their children through discovery and meaningful conversation.

Passport To Sound succeeded not because it simplified the experience, but because it clarified the pathway. It treated young participants as capable minds, provided structure without condescension, and invited curiosity without intimidation.

It revealed a truth hiding in plain sight. Many adults need this too. Even seasoned showgoers can feel lost beneath layers of jargon and unspoken assumptions. The booklet normalized not knowing and offered a clear sense of orientation and belonging.

Looking Ahead
The success at Capital Audiofest revealed the potential for natural evolution. Future iterations could include dedicated learning stations where children follow signal paths using tactile models, supervised listening areas for guided comparison, and interactive exhibits that visualize how sound travels through space and equipment. The framework exists and now needs broader adoption and support from the community.

The Invitation
Enjoy the Music.com's Creative Director, Steven R. Rochlin, challenged the industry in 2018 to bring young listeners into this world. Passport To Sound is one response, grounded in the belief that audio shows can become places of shared discovery where knowledge passes naturally from one generation to the next.

The audio community will not endure on equipment alone. It survives through connection, curiosity, and emotional resonance. Everyone who feels music belongs here. Sometimes, all they need is an invitation.

About The Author
May Anwar is a scientist and higher education instructor specializing in educational content development and inclusive learning design. Passport To Sound is the first title in her Passport Adventures series and was created in collaboration with M101 Audio.