Jonathan Yeoh

U13769257
MH611 A1 Feo

MH611 A1: Journal Article Response

Paine, Garth. "Acoustic Ecology 2.0." ​Contemporary Music Review​ 36, no. 3 (2017): 171-81.

In Garth Paine’s “Acoustic Ecology 2.0,” he argues for the need for both resurgence and

cohesiveness in the field of acoustic ecology. Whereas R. Murray Schafer strives for awareness

of the sonic environment through focused attention to particular sound events, Paine stresses a

shift in focus towards the interaction between sounds through time. Paine also notes that Schafer

aims to recede to past times, in which the sonic environment is dominated by biophony and

geophony instead of anthropophony. Paine suggests a need to rework this line of thinking and

instead of outright reducing sounds of anthropophony, he calls for an increase in urban planning

with greater acoustic considerations. This viewpoint differs from Schafer’s by acknowledging

that human made sounds are equally important, but needs to have a rebalanced role in the

environment. In order to implement the societal framework to affect this change, he proposes

“The Listen​n Project” in which there is a community of listeners that observe how the sonic

environments in national park areas changes over time. This project is intended to increase

community engagement while also generating further research to inform acoustic design to

ultimately contribute to quality of life.

With the fundamental values of acoustic ecology being laid out by the pioneer of the

field, R. Murray Schafer, Paine argues for a need to rethink and revitalize aspects of Schafer’s

ideas in order to create a strong sense of societal change. One thing of interest in his arguments is

how Paine has absorbed and expanded Schafer’s ideas to address the core values of the term

“acoustic ecology” in itself. The term ecology is defined by the interaction between the

environment and the inhabitants of the environment. Paine stresses the importance of not just the

sound event, but how different sound events interact with each other amongst the environment.
 Jonathan Yeoh
U13769257
MH611 A1 Feo

When Schafer discusses the relationship between sounds, it is more about the growing

prominence of anthropocentric sonic events overpowering the natural world, whereas Paine

discusses a more nuanced approach in how the physical presence of different organisms in the

environment affect the degree of acoustic reverberation in the environment. When Schafer first

brought up the concerns about the changing sonic environment, climate change was not nearly as

prominent of an issue as it is in today’s societal psyche. Now with many areas feeling the effects

of climate change, we can begin to see how it has also affected the respective soundscapes. The

sonic environment shifts towards more sound reverberation as opposed to sound absorption due

to the diminishing biodiversity. This creates a more lo-fi sonic environment according to Schafer

and would diminish our ability to distinguish different sounds, further emphasizing Paine’s

opinion that focus must be shifted on the interactions within the sonic environment. This applies

Schafer’s thoughts into a more modern context.

One key aspect that is central to any field of environmentalism is the need for societal

awareness of these issues, which is certainly an avenue that is explored thoroughly by Schafer

and Paine. In order to achieve this, they both propose a multitude of ways that focus on

individual engagement leading to societal engagement. While Schafer does this through his

research, compositional works, and educational ideas, Paine attempts to restructure these ideas to

focus more on personal experience to build an intrinsic desire for environmental stewardship. By

doing this, his research holds greater potential to create a strong sense of engagement. He talks

about the impact of experiential listening, and how this creates a deeper understanding of the

sonic environment. However, the primary caveat of his proposed “Listen​n Project” is that it

already requires the volunteer to have a strong connection or interest with the sonic environment
 Jonathan Yeoh
U13769257
MH611 A1 Feo

and ultimately could be further reaching. I believe that in order to affect greater social change we

must emphasize the value of the sonic world through educational systems, in which Schafer has

written extensively about. This would foster the awareness needed for the sonic environment.

One merit about the Listen​n Project is how the extensive database that stems from community

contributions can be used to help greater inform urban planning with acoustic considerations

through the sheer volume of recordings that can be referred to, ultimately increasing quality of

life.

It is important to note that Schafer’s contributions to the field of acoustic ecology can not

be understated; but can certainly be revitalized and reapplied in a variety of ways to expand its

societal impact upon the community. Through Paine’s proposed projects, he ultimately aims to

deepen the individual connection and awareness to the sonic environment, but can still aim for a

greater scope of effect.