Teaching Resources: Sound, Listening, Soundscape Studies

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

How Hearing Works. In this edition of HowStuffWorks, we'll look at the mechanical systems that make hearing possible. We'll trace the path of a sound, from its original source all the way to your brain, to see how all the parts of the ear work together. When you understand everything they do, it's clear that your ears are one of the most incredible parts of your body!

Listening to Nature: A Soundwalk Across California. Interactive.This site explores the natural sounds of California. This online version of a California Museum exhibit. See and hear the natural soundscape of various regions of the state.

Sound and Hearing. A hypercard stack that provides information about a large variety of topics related to sound.

FOR KIDS:

Kids Ear Page. A site under development devoted to activities and readings for kids about soundscape and attentive listening.

Hearing Experiments. Activities for kids at various grade levels exploring the ability to hear.

The Outdoor Kid's Network: Sound Safari. Click on the picture of animals to hear the sounds they make.

Sound Safaris. Choose your destination to some of the world's most remote and endangered habitats by clicking on the map or on a corresponding number below. Click on "LISTEN" and you will be able to hear a .WAV file.

Sound and Vision. Explore Vancouver, B.C. through images and sounds. Click on a location and see and hear it on your computer.

Queen Elizabeth Park. This site documents with sounds, images, and text a soundwalk done in August 1997 by Hildegard Westerkamp and Andra McCartney. Queen Elizabeth Park is a landmark of Vancouver, described in tourist brochures as "Vancouver's oasis", containing Vancouver's only tropical garden under the triodetic dome of the Bloedel Conservatory at the highest point of the park, which provides an excellent view of the city and surrounding mountains.

RESOURCE COLLECTIONS

Acoustic Ecology Education Resource Center. The ERC offers a comprehensive archive for teachers, parents, and individuals who are looking for activities, exercises, and worksheets relevant to soundscape-oriented learning. Included are practical ways to integrate CDs, listening in your own home places, and a cross-cultural awareness of listening practices into your programs.

Acoustics and You. A career guide.Published by the American Society of Acoustics.

Creating Music Online. A children's online creative music environment for children of all ages. It's a place for kids to compose music, play with musical performance, music games and music puzzles. Come discover fun and easy ways to make music!

Decibel Levels. A printable table of common everyday sounds along with sounds common in music. The red numbers are the sound levels measured in decibels. Wherever possible, the distance at which the sound level is being measured has been included. Source: Coolmath.com

The Ear.The ears contain structures for both the sense of hearing and the sense of balance. This site explore hearing in a way that the content is very useful with kids.

Handbook of Acoustic Ecology An excellent interactive resource in helping students understand acoustic terms such as soundscape, soundwalk, decibel, sonic and all other terms A-Z.

National Institute of Deafness and other Communication Disorders Provides a variety of online teaching resources related to sound and hearing.

Resources for Educators Resources. Prepared by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders this is a nice collection of online games and classroom activities, web movies and educational campaigns about protecting hearing.

Sound References in Literacture.The first edition of the World Soundscape Project's collection of sound references in literature is now on line.It includes over a thousand quotes from sources as diverse as mythology to contemporary writers, and was the initiative of Murray Schafer back in the 1970s - those familiar with the Tuning of the World will recognize many of the quotes he used in that book.

Since then it has been available only as a index card file, and it has taken quite a long time to transfer the material to HTML, but now it is in a state where it can be used, hence this announcement.Fortunately back in the 70s, the collection was classified according to author, time, geography, and subject matter, with hard copy listings that have survived. So, the next phase will be to transfer this information to the website to make it more usable, particularly the subject index.In the meantime there is an author index available, so you're welcome to
browse.

CHILDREN AND NOISE: HOME AND SCHOOL

Children and Noise: Lower the Noise Level: Your Child's Health is at Risk By Arline L. Bronzaft. In July 2001, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that one of eight children between the ages of 6 and 19 is suffering noise-induced hearing loss. These alarming data should alert parents to the fact that their children are being exposed to sounds that may hurt their hearing. Parents themselves may unwittingly contribute to this exposure.

Noise & Its Effects on Children. Noise poses a serious threat to our children’s hearing, health, learning and behavior. Recent research suggests that quiet promotes an environment which will foster learning, as well as the opportunity for parents and children to enjoy each other’s company. Parents must analyze their own home and recreational activities and make every effort to include quiet times with their children, reading, talking around the dinner table and listening to their children.

Classroom Acoustics. This web site is a resource for those concerned with meeting new standards for the acoustics of classrooms. It will be updated frequently with current events and information of interest to parents, educators, school planners, architects, school boards and others.

Noise and Children. This report gives an overview of the adverse effects of noise exposure on the health of children. The overview is based on data obtained from the literature. In this summary the possible effects of noise on children’s health are discussed, with children classified according to age. Health is assumed to include biological (physiological, somatic), psychological, social and emotional aspects.

Design of Child Care Centers and Effects of Noise on Young Children. by Dr. Lorraine E. Maxwell & Dr. Gary W. Evans. There is a considerable amount of research documenting the effects of noise on children. The effects are largely negative. In this presentation I will briefly describe the findings of research in this field, discuss current research by Maxwell and Evans, and finally outline design issues related to noise and child care centers.

Aircraft noise impairs children's reading and memory. Chronic exposure to the intermittent roar of airliners can lead to deficits in children's reading skills and long-term memory, according to a study published in the September issue of Psychological Science (Vol. 13, No. 9).

Noise: is more than just a pain in the ear... it is harmful to your health. The loud music that children listen to on the radio, on stereos and earphones, in discos, and at concerts impairs their hearing. Studies show that noise interferes with learning and lowers reading and math scores. Children will be deprived of these skills and will be partially deaf by the time they are grown unless we act to lessen noise.