In an era of artificial intelligence, endless notifications and constant social media, it can be difficult to escape the noise — especially for children who have never known a world without digital technology. Fifteen-year-old Wellesley resident Treya Madhavan wanted to give them that opportunity.
Madhavan, an incoming sophomore at The Winsor School, recently led a four-day soundscaping workshop at the Wellesley Free Library, where children ages 6 to 9 learned to create calming soundscapes using everyday objects.
“Today, the environment can be very overstimulating for kids, for teenagers like me and for adults” Madhavan said. “ So I think that the best option to allow us to relax and calm down is soundscaping.”
Madhavan describes soundscaping as combining different sounds to create one’s “own ambience,” whether that be ocean waves, a quiet forest or another peaceful setting.
Throughout the June 22–26 workshop, students explored the science of sound and created soundscapes of their own.
The first day focused on the fundamentals of sound. Students listened to recordings of everyday objects — such as an electric toothbrush — and guessed what produced each sound while identifying whether it was loud or soft, high- or low-pitched.
On the second day, Madhavan turned the lessons into a Jeopardy-style competition, with students answering questions about soundscaping, recording techniques and sound fundamentals to earn points for their team.
“I think gamifying the class for them really helped them to be able to engage better,” Madhavan said. “I think it was really a learning experience for me to know how they learn and what will really help them get engaged with the work.”
The third day shifted from learning to creating. Using a box of objects provided by Madhavan, students experimented with different sounds, recorded their favorites and developed titles for their own soundscapes. Madhavan then edited the recordings together into finished pieces.
The workshop concluded on Thursday with a showcase, where students listened to one another’s soundscapes and offered feedback. Madhavan said she encouraged students to consider questions like “How does it make you feel?” and “What sounds did you notice the most?” in their reflection.
Although she began with elementary-age children, Madhavan said she hopes to expand the workshops to include teenagers and adults.
“I feel like it was a good learning experience for me to start off with a younger group, so I can see what they think,” Madhavan said. “From there I could go to adults who have their own devices, who can make their own soundscapes.”
The experience also helped her understand how children “see the world,” Madhavan said, as she noticed how the younger kids identified sounds while the older kids could pinpoint the exact objects are making each sound.
Yu Qru, an executive director at a pharmaceutical company, brought his son, Albert, after Qru’s wife, who works at the library, saw the program advertised.
For Qru, the workshop held special significance because his daughter has hearing loss.
“I think sound is [one of] the many different ways kids are learning from the world,” Qru said. “We would like Albert to have a greater sense of sound, and develop the brain, and then interact with other kids.”
Qru said he was especially impressed to learn Madhavan was only 15 years old.
Encouraged by the workshop’s popularity, Madhavan is already thinking about ways to expand future sessions.
“This workshop actually had a very high demand, because the library gave me 10 spots, and 10 kids like took out the spots,” Madhavan said. “Next time I could make the workshops shorter … so then I can have more workshops each day, so then more kids can be able to join.”
Despite the strong turnout, Madhavan said the children’s engagement throughout the week was what stood out most to her.
“I think it was also nice for them to like stop, pause, and think, and being able to collaborate with each other,” Madhavan said. “And also, the kids are very sweet, they’re very nice to me.”
- Have a community-oriented story you’d like to share? Please let us know: theswellesleyreport@gmail.com
- We’d love to have your support to keep our independent news venture thriving: Please consider making a tax-deductible donation
