This is great Marc, thanks for sharing!
I had heard about this series, but didn't investigate it. Tomorrow night
I am performing a concert of my birdsongs, and giving a pre-concert talk
on Soundscape Ecology and Deep Listening, so I will share highlights of
this article as well.
I definitely have evidence of the calming nature of birdsongs and music.
Long story short, I spent 5 weeks at the MacDowell Colony improvising
and recording with birds, and all of nature's sounds in general from my
cabin in the woods (I am a pianist/composer). I edited those raw
recordings and gave them to friends. Many of my friends now use them for
their yoga classes, or listen to them before going to sleep. Several
friends told me that the recording calms their pets down, and they fall
into a deep sleep. Artist friends of mine listen to the recording while
doing their work and so on.
>From the article: "People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because
over thousands of years they have learnt when the birds sing they are
safe, it's when birds stop singing that people need to worry. Birdsong
is also nature's alarm clock, with the dawn chorus signalling the start
of the day, so it stimulates us cognitively."
I agree, but I would take it a step further and say that it's in our
DNA. It's also, for the most part, very tonal, and that's very soothing
to most people.
Although I have heard people complain about the "noise from the
birds"...
And the last line of the article...Architects need to start designing
for our ears as well as our eyes," says Treasure. "Businesses also need
to recognise its importance. Good sound is good business."
R. Murray Schafer has been advocating that very idea for more than 30
years!
For those of you in the NYC/NJ area here is a link to the concert I'm
doing tomorrow night.
http://dianemosermusic.com/2013/01/23/science-meets-music/
<http://dianemosermusic.com/2013/01/23/science-meets-music/>
--- In "wildambience" wrote:
>
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22298779
>
> Excerpt from the article 8th May 2013
>
> "A 90-second daily show highlighting the songs of British birds has
started on BBC Radio 4 this week. But birdsong isn't just beautiful to
listen to, it is increasingly being used in surprising ways.
>
> Can a nightingale's song help you pass an exam or a blackbird's
twittering encourage you to open a bank account? Sound experts are using
it to do both.
>
> They argue the positive results speak for themselves even though
researchers say there is little hard scientific evidence to show people
respond positively to birds singing. Most support for the theory is
anecdotal.
>
> So what are the innovative ways it is being used?....."
>
"While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie Krause.
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