Acoustic Communities Represented: Sound preferences in the Scottish village of Dollar

Abstract

Sound Preference Tests were applied at Strathdevon Primary School in the Scottish village of Dollar to study the preferences on the everyday sound and local sonic environments. The study draws on theory of acoustic communication and anthropological concept of dirt concentrating on the liked and disliked environmental sound. The answers elicited by questionnaires were analyzed and contextualized with previous research. The research shows that personal preferences are affected by the enculturation of the individuals, shared values of the community and the changes in acoustic and electroacoustic sound sources. Sound Preference Test and other methods presented in the article can be used for pedagogical purposes, too.