Sandy Stauffer, Arizona State University, USA


(OHOTAME Editors) #1

Technology, Sound, and the Tuning of Place

Sound is fundamental to sense of place and the sense of who, where, and how one is in the world. From birth, humans tune in to sounds, tune out some sounds in favor of others, and, over time, consciously or unconsciously, use sound to tune place. Conversely, the sonic qualities of places, including music, tune human actions and interactions. Technologies of all kinds allow us to create, separate, reproduce, intensify, or cancel sound. These ways of manipulating sound are also a means of curating of space and therefore place-making gestures. What should that matter in music education?