Soundscape studies

the Early Days and the Future

Abstract

Schafer will listen back nearly 50 years to the days when the subject of the soundscape was being first introduced in the Communications Department at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. He will discuss the difficulties in finding acceptance for a new subject with new terminology, but also the excitement in discovering how rich the world is in sounds and how it might evolve as we participate in its evolution. Everyone with ears is a performer and a listener in the continuous symphony that surrounds us. Will it be beautiful or ugly?