N/nature as an impetus for the creation of a sonic experience for babies

Abstract

This article explores the creation of a sonic experience for babies driven by conceptual notions of Nature at large, as well as the natural dispositions of babies. Using the researcher’s background as an experimental musician on the guzheng, parallels are drawn between contemporary music practices (e.g. John Cage; R. Murray Schafer; Toru Takemitsu) that explore Nature as theme, as well as Chinese perspectives (e.g. Book of Rites, Record of Music; Zhuangzi of Nature). Both speak to the diminution of the dualism of self and other such that one’s experiences could be viewed as interconnected within self and the environment, achieving attunement with Nature to be in a state of spontaneity. Babies seem to exist in such a state of attunement with Nature, where the self is in harmony with the other. Such existence allows one to be in a state of constant receiving and responding to sounds through multiple modalities of the body. According to Colwyn Trevarthen’s theory of innate intersubjectivity, this is fundamental to babies’ intersubjective communication, where babies innately seek attunement. Through the observations of four sonic experience sessions created for babies, the conceptual notions of Nature and its application onto the sessions are presented. These were evident through the artistic choices made in the structure, set and props, music explorations and babies’ engagement. Due to the nature of babies where they exist in spontaneity with the environment, it was noted that despite an experience designed especially for sonic functions, babies’ perceptions were multimodal in nature. The experience of sound was not purely auditory. Babies’ innate need to seek attunement, such as companionship through an imitative other was also significant to the experience. This has implications on the affordances of experiences in infant care environments in childcare settings.