The Influence of General Music Education on the Perception of Soundscape

Abstract

Music is closely related to soundscape. The present study employs methods and tools for assessing soundscape perception to compare the evaluation of soundscape perception between students who had not been taught general music courses (n=80, equal into N1, N2) with that of students who had been taught general music courses (n=40, MU) in four distinct audio-visual environments. According to the results of the questionnaire in four scenes and eight perceptual dimensions, there are significant differences between MU and N1 N2 (4-5 items), whereas there is only a slight difference between N1 and N2 (1 item). The difference in soundscape perception is reflected in those students who had been taught general music courses having a higher evaluation of the diversity of soundscape elements (as eventful), and different emotional judgments of the sound environment (as calm). These differences are visualized using the soundscape analysis tool, Soundscapy. Overall, the findings suggest that taking a general music course promotes richer sound perceptions and clearer affective associations with sound and that these enhancements could be presented using the soundscape perception measurement method. The findings also presented could inform the effectiveness of teaching in a general music course.