The Sound Surround

摘要

Just as we care about adapting physical spaces and visual environments for the residences of those with severe disabilities, so we should monitor and design everyday sound environments (which include music and non-music sounds). This imperative is particularly important given that, no matter what their cognitive disabilities, many such residents are both particularly attuned to sounds in their environment (as music therapists well know), and particularly vulnerable to them (as the residents are often captive audiences). But how exactly to adapt and design sound environments has not been systematically thought through. This essay poses the problem and points out that there is no consistent research tradition specific to this goal. It goes on to review the many related disciplines that can be of help in laying the groundwork. Finally, it turns its attention to music therapy, searching for what parts of its theory and practice may be helpful in approaching this project, and poses a gentle challenge to music therapy as a discipline and profession: that it give more sustained attention to the everyday soundscape of the clients and communities it serves.