The importance of sound

It is, in a way at least, easy to understand the importance of sound in a learning situation. The first thing you probably think about is of course that the student must be able to hear the teacher. We put our finger on our lips and express sssccchhhhh.  Is that the best we can do? Of course not. In terms of sound environment and the connection to the modern field of learning the territory is so much more interesting. Think about it for a second. How do you stimulate educational processes with sound or how can you increase engagement by "sound backdrop"? 

There are plenty of examples where people really have understood how ambient sound impacts human experience in the room. One example is Yasuragi outside Stockholm i Sweden. A Japanese SPA where you can spend a whole day in fantastic and relaxing sound arrangements in different forms. It clearly affects you in a positive way, to fit the purpose of the idea with a SPA.

Less good examples are available from businesses and schools who do not understand how the environment affects employees and students. Basically, you can visit the company or any school and find that there is much to do. Why not choose the canteen at the nearest factory and you know what I mean. Would´nt it be smart to stage the canteen with some relaxing sound so that the workers get a chance to recover from the factory´s monotonous sound wall while they eat?

I once visited a company that personalized sound for their employees. The company had placed a sound cone above each workplace where employees could choose exactly the sound they wanted to work in the best way. The employees used different sounds for different activities.

How do we create sound environments that enhance student learning and teachers' ability to create learning situations?