Nature’s Sound of Music

All the sounds of Nature are like music. In his opening song of the 1931 musical Oklahoma!, “Oh what a beautiful morning,” lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II opened with a vivid sensory image of prairie winds rustling through the willow trees. Allowing more natural sounds into our lives can provide a fresh appreciation for nature and additional motivation for environmental and ecosystem preservation.

Whether it’s the sound of birds at dawn through our kitchen window as we enjoy our morning coffee, or water lapping the shore or crashing high against the rocks of a jetty, we can pay attention and savor it. These sounds of nature are certainly more soothing to us than the rattle of equipment bouncing across potholes in pickup trucks.

The sounds of Nature are not just beautiful—they are essential to human well-being, cultural identity, and ecological awareness, and they deserve our attention and protection. According to the wired-for-wonder substack, nature’s sounds can help us reduce some of the stress in our lives.

Think of the beauty and variety of natural soundscapes like the wind rustlings leaves, a crow’s caw on edge of the woods, or ducks splashing on the pond. Or more subtly, the gentle slow jazz improvisation of bees humming and mourning doves cooing as two chittering squirrels chase each other though the branches.

These sounds create a sense of place and belonging and connect us to positive emotional responses. They make us calmer. Being outdoors and listening to nature’s sounds reduces stress, anxiety, and mental fatigue. Some scientific studies show they can improve focus and sleep and have a calming effect on heart rate and brain activity. Nature has inspired music, poetry, and storytelling across cultures and ages. And it can revive and re-energize us in these times of modern stress.

A friend of ACES, Cherry, told us, “I actually love the sound of honking geese. I always run to the window to see them.” and Steve from West Newbury sent along an iPhone recording of bull frog sounds over a remote pond. He included a suggestion the we, “Play it with the sound all the way up.”

As in the great American musical Oklahoma!, enjoying a beautiful morning, not just with our eyes but with our ears can give us joy. Sound fosters awareness of the ecosystems surrounding us. The diversity of sounds even gives us a chance to delve deeper into the sense of biodiversity around us as we wonder, “How many different kinds of nature’s sounds do I recognize?”

Noise pollution is a big problem in today’s world whether it is the incessant noises of autos and trucks passing by or the bing-binging of on-line gambling adds. We can improve our health and our sense of wellbeing by listening to more of nature’s sounds.

Here are some of ACES’ tips to reduce your exposure to this pollution? Advocate for fewer pot holes to lessen road noise in your neighborhood. Maybe plant a hedge to baffle road sounds while attracting birds and bird sounds. Or plant a native garden of flowering bushes and plants to draw in more birds and bees to soothe your ears. Even going to hear the voices of human little ones and their families on Sunday morning at the Tannery can help.

Let’s close with a different voice, that of Barbara Streisand whose song "Natural Sounds" and let’s raise our awareness of natural sounds - “The happy sound of water on stone, the quiet sound of waves on sand.”

ACES suggests that we try to raise our daily quanta of nature sounds.  Maybe don’t listen to the late-night news on TV. It will disturb your sleep. But rather tune into some nature sounds like: https://wildsoundscapes.com/. Try walking in the Plum Island Refuge which is an especially gratifying spot to enjoy nature’s sounds. Or a walk in a park or on a rail trail and simply rally listening to what our ears hearing ….. Nature’s Sound of Music.

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This educational column was originally published by The daily News of Newburyport on July 17, 2026.