MUSIC - Sound Infusion (Cultural Infusion)

Ever since I first learned about Sound Infusion during a tutorial with Kate Williams, I have been fascinated by this blend of music, culture and technology in an application accessible to even young children. Part of the Cultural Infusion organisation, Sound Infusion allows students to create their own musical works using hundreds of digital sound loops, and provides a platform for the students to then share and discuss their work with peers from their own and other classes. The sound loops include instruments from many different cultures, and are sorted by both country of origin and instrument type, allowing teachers to easily find and work with music resources from specific cultures.

Exploring this application for the first time, I feel that I could easily spend hours playing with instrument combinations and creating interesting soundscapes. It is wonderfully simple to navigate, but also respects children’s intelligence and is not ‘dumbed down’ for them. The formatting and use of musical terminology also mimics some of the more complex music software (for example, Apple Logic Pro or Sony Acid), supporting children’s emerging musical literacy.

Sound Infusion is particularly effective when used as part of music curriculum. According to Carr (as cited in Barrett, 2012, p. 69), authentic music curriculum provides for “the empowerment of children as active agents in their own learning, the inclusion of the child’s worlds (family and community), a holistic approach to children’s growth and development, and recognition of the role of relationships in children’s early learning”. All of these areas can be addressed through the Sound Infusion program, from inclusion of children’s worlds through its strong cultural focus, to empowerment of children as active agents when they create music, share it with others, and discuss and critique each other’s works.

What I love most about this program is its accessibility – it is a free online resource, requiring no downloads or software, so children can use it at home as well as in the classroom.

Key curriculum links:

Australian Curriculum: The Arts (Music)

• ACAMUM082 – create compositions and perform music to communicate ideas to an audience

• ACAMUR083 – respond to music and consider where and why people make music, starting with Australian music, including music of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples

The Sound Infusion program (2015)