April 2025

How Soundscapes Affect Students

Throughout life, we experience a variety of soundscapes; however, we don’t always notice them. Think about the music in shopping centres or birdsong sounding while we sit at computer screens. For the purposes of this article, a soundscape is defined as “[the] acoustic environment as perceived or experienced and/or understood by a person or people in context” (ISO, 2014, p.66). Recording soundscapes entails recording all sounds heard at a particular place. These may include the rumble of cars, trains, and aeroplanes (anthrophony), animals foraging for food (biophony), the rumble of thunder and patter of rain (geophony).

Soundscapes affect us in many ways and are often tied to our emotions or affect our emotional state. Emerging research indicates that we perceive sound differently depending on factors such as our age, gender, and lived experience. However, more research needs to be done to understand more about how these factors interact with each other and why.

Creating different soundscapes for different classroom environments can benefit pupils.

Pros

Adding white noise or playing different types of music may make it easier for students to focus on specific tasks.

This is because doing so triggers stochatistical resonance. A signal which is typically too weak to be heard can be enhanced by adding white noise to it. The end result is that the weak signal will be picked up on, as the frequencies of the original signal resonate with those present in the white noise.

Including soundscapes engages learners beyond traditional Western approaches to education that focus almost exclusively on written texts. This is great for people who respond positively to audio stimuli.

Blind, visually impaired learners, or those with particular educational needs may appreciate branching out. This also allows students to develop different skills – consider what it takes to write a pod cast, create a personal soundscape, and then analyse the significance of selecting or modifying certain sounds. Learning to do this digitally is a great asset for young people wanting to stand out in the job market. Socially marginalised groups may find it easier to share their point of view orally, and this personal link to class texts can draw learners in. This can make prescribed texts more relevant and easier to remember.

Studies show that introducing birdsong, flowing water, or soft music reduces stress levels and tensions in the classroom.

These sounds trigger the sympathetic nervous system, which enhances your mood. Regular exposure to natural soundscapes reduces blood pressure, heart rate, and stress hormone levels. Conversely, repeated exposure to noise above 65 dB increases stress, plays havoc with sleep cycles, and negatively affects concentration. Living near a busy highway increases hypertension and heart attacks.

Silence has a role to play but is no longer the main objective.

Juxtapositioning soundscapes with periods of silence gives learners the opportunity to rest and reset. Research indicates that alternating between silence and plan sound can boost creativity. Take a look at this soundscape activity designed to set the scene for the exploration of a new topic, inspire writing, and the use of new vocabulary:

Promote active listening skills:

Exposing learners to a range of soundscapes hones listening skills. What sounds did they pick up on the first time and why? What environment do these sounds evoke for them? Were they aware of different sounds upon listening to the same soundscape again? What changed or what stayed the same and why?

Creating personal soundscapes lets students become co-creators, engaging in critical thinking:

Teachers can ask students to prepare and share personal soundscapes with the class. What do follow-up questions reveal about preconceptions and lived experience.

Although some schools may choose to use advanced equipment to record, mobile phones do the trick:

No need for high-tech microphones, baffles or soundstages – soundscape creation is at everyone’s fingertips.

Cons

Alternative activities may need to be arranged for deaf and hearing-impaired students.

Provisions of captions and written descriptions can sometimes make tasks accessible.

Do your homework before embarking on soundscape creation.

Consider the different types of learners in your class. What engages or excites them? How do they learn best? How can you create soundscapes to match and involve them as co-creators?

Soundscapes with higher frequency modulation may be distracting.

Australian research demonstrates that students and teachers preferred soundscapes with less modulation (fewer key changes) at the same sound pressure level. Current research indicates that modern, open plan learning environments are often unfit for purpose according to teachers because they generate and stimulate noise and negatively affect concentration and understanding of what is said.

Designing Classroom Soundscapes

New to soundscapes? Think about:

• Choosing a pilot soundscape space of about 1000 m² which includes zones for different types of activities.
• Trial soundscapes work best if they accommodate a range of functional roles and diverse needs – it helps you build a picture of how soundscapes work for different learners.
• For best results, combine soundscapes with visual biophilia e.g. natural light, greenery, circadian lighting and rhythms.
• Soundscapes can be retrofitted or incorporated into a new build.
• Plan where different activities will occur and set aside specific zones for this – you can develop content later.
• Experiment with different soundscapes in different areas; for certain activities, silence can be golden. What works best to support focus and relaxed engagement?
• Consider which soundscapes support collaborative work – Silent environments can hinder collaboration, particularly if people feel the need to whisper to avoid disturbing others.
• Masking distracting noise with birdsong or flowing water promotes deep engagement and immersion in tasks and can increase well-being by improving mental resilience and restoring calm.
• Monitor reactions to soundscapes and respond to feedback. What worked and what didn’t? Why?
• Connect with colleagues who have experimented with soundscapes. What did they find helpful?

Keep exploring, adapting, and finetuning your learning environment to get the most out of it!

Bibliography

“Getting started with soundscaping: How to plan sound into your space.” Moodsonic. Accessed 15 March 2025

“Natural Sounds.” National Park Service. Updated 7 January 2025.

“Soundscapes for learning: Designing audio for education.” Moodsonic. Accessed 15 March 2025 at

“The Sounds That Shape Us: How Noise Affects Our Mental Health and Identity.” Earjobs Blog. !2 February 2025.

“What's your sonotype? Making sense of our unique and neurodiverse responses to sound.” Moodsonic. Accessed 19 March 2025

Barry, Greg, Lisa O’Keeffe, Bruce White, Jill Colton, and Leanne Farmer. “Preliminary exploration of noise and student learning in modern flexible education spaces.” Australian Acoustical Society. February 2022.

Berrier, Jerry. “What is a Soundscape?” Perkins School for the Blind. Accessed 19 March 2025.

Brigginshaw, Micheila. “Soundscapes of the self.” Berkhamsted. 7 August 2022.

Cal, Kubra Kurukose Hatice, Jian Kang, and Francesco Aletta. “Methodological approaches and main factors considered in school soundscape studies: A scoping review.” Building Acoustics, 2024, Vol. 31(1) 75–90. DOI:

Checa, Maria Agustina, and Khalid Zahra. “Learning Through Sound: Podcasts, Soundscapes, and Soundwalks in the Classroom.” City University of New York (CUNY). Updated September 2022.

Hytönen-Ng, Elina, and Pihlainen, Kaisa. “School soundscape affects well-being.” University of Eastern Finland. 12 December 2022.

Hytönen-Ng, Elina, Pihlainen, Kaisa,  Kwok, Ng, and Eija Kärnä. “Sounds of learning: Soundscapes - teacher perceptions of acoustic environments in Finland's open plan classrooms.” 2022. Issues in Educational Research, 32(4), 1421-1440.

Iveson, Kurt, and Daniel Hochuli. “How urban soundscapes affect humans and wildlife — and what may have changed in the hush of lockdown. “ The Conversation (Australian edition). 10 September 2021.

Scott, Sarah. “Learning spaces: Biophilic design in schools.” Teacher Magazine. 24 August 2020.

Thornton, Lucy Claire, Erika Mint, and Daniel Stringer. “My Creative School Tools.” A New Direction, Education Commission of the Catholic Diocese of Southwark, Paul Hamlyn Foundation. Accessed 19 March 2025.

Zheng, Levi, Huanzhen Ren, Shan Shu, Haoyue Gao and Junxi Fan. “Influence of sound levels, secondary school student characteristics, sound types, and audiovisual interactions on the restorative potential of school environment soundscapes.” Frontiers in Psychology. 15:1476553.doi:

Author
Dr. Estelle Hélène Borrey
PhD in European Languages and Cultures