Upper School Music Students Explore Ecomusicology
What does nature sound like when you stop and listen? CBA’s Upper School music students explored that question during a field trip to Lake Smith Lake Lawson Natural Area as part of their Ecomusicology unit with Mrs. Kooiman.
Using recording equipment borrowed from Batten University, students captured the sounds of the natural environment, including a variety of bird calls, wind moving through the trees, and sounds from nearby people. The experience gave students an opportunity to listen more closely to the world around them and discover how music can extend beyond instruments and traditional performances.
Through their study of ecomusicology, an interdisciplinary field that examines the relationships between music, culture, nature, and the environment, students are exploring how the sounds around us shape how we experience and understand music.
By taking their learning outdoors, students experienced these connections firsthand and discovered that sometimes the world around us provides the music.
Dinner Table Talk:
- What sounds did you record at Lake Smith Lake Lawson Natural Area? Which one surprised you most?
- Do you think the wind in the trees counts as music? Why or why not?
- What is ecomusicology? How would you explain it to someone who has never heard the word?
