Pablo Marín-Liébana1
Guillem Escorihuela1
José Salvador Blasco-Magraner1*
Amparo Hurtado-Soler2
Ana María Botella-Nicolás1- 1Department of Didactics of Physical, Artistic and Music Education, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
- 2Department of Experimental and Social Sciences Teaching, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain
Introduction: In contemporary education, soundscapes are increasingly recognized as key elements for fostering critical listening, environmental awareness, and students' active engagement with their surroundings. Nevertheless, these topics remain largely underrepresented in educational materials, particularly at the primary level. This study investigates how soundscapes are addressed in primary school music and dance textbooks within the framework of the LOMLOE policy in Valencia, Spain.
Methods: A content analysis was conducted on a sample of 18 textbooks from the three most widely used series: Musicando (Bromera), Nuevo Acordes (Santillana), and Música en Moviment (Tàndem). The analysis focused on the presence of soundscape-related content and the pedagogical approaches employed.
Results: The analysis revealed a limited presence of soundscape topics, accompanied by a predominant reliance on traditional, activity-based pedagogical methods. Few activities promoted critical thinking or context-based auditory awareness. Furthermore, the soundscapes presented often lacked connection to students' everyday experiences, neglecting both daily and technological sounds.
Discussion: These findings suggest that current textbooks reflect a conservative conception of music education, limiting its potential as a tool for social and environmental engagement. The study highlights the need to reframe educational materials using more critical, inclusive, and contextually grounded perspectives, in order to better integrate soundscapes into primary music education.
1 Introduction
The concept of the soundscape was coined by R. Murray Schafer, whose publication The Tuning of the World: Toward a Theory of Soundscape Design (1977) represented an initial attempt to study the acoustic environment from ecological, cultural, and educational perspectives. According to Schafer, soundscapes comprise the total set of sounds within a given environment, which influence human perception and behavior and serve as pedagogical material for reflecting on noise, listening, and the acoustic design of different spaces (Schafer, 1993a). Moreover, soundscapes mirror the values of the societies in which they occur; thus, the development of critical listening skills is essential to fostering environmentally conscious citizenship (Schafer, 1993b). In this regard, Schafer published several books containing educational examples and activities aimed at cultivating auditory sensitivity and critical listening in school contexts, among them Ear Cleaning (1967), The Rhinoceros in the Classroom (1975), and A Sound Education (1992).
To develop and systematize the concept of the soundscape, Schafer founded the World Soundscape Project in the late 1960s at Simon Fraser University, where he collaborated with other scholars interested in the study of sound environments. Within this context, Truax (1984) contributed a conceptualization of acoustic communication as an interactive and dynamic system connecting listeners, sound sources, and environments. Westerkamp (1974, 2002), in turn, emphasized the pedagogical potential of soundwalking practices and argued that listening could be both transformative and political, an idea closely aligned with Oliveros's (2005) notion of deep listening.
More recent publications have revisited and problematized the soundscape tradition. Authors such as Kelman (2010), Sterne (2012, 2013), and Thompson (2017) have advanced a series of critiques of Schafer's theses, including: (1) his romantic nostalgia for an idealized pre-industrial past contrasted with a decadent technological modernity; (2) his universalist view of how a healthy environment should sound, disregarding sociocultural parameters; (3) his standardization of an “ideal listener,” depicted as an individual, educated, rational, and Western subject; and (4) his paradoxical stance of promoting the listening of natural environments “as they are” while simultaneously treating them as compositions that can be designed.
Within the framework of Sound Studies, several authors have proposed a pedagogy closely aligned with the concept of the soundscape, approaching sound from a critical perspective that extends beyond purely physical or aesthetic considerations. This perspective frames sound as a cultural and political construct, shaped by systems of meaning and power (Recharte, 2019; Thibeault, 2017). Building on this framework, sound-based music education has emerged, moving beyond the traditional centrality of tonality and its derivative elements. It emphasizes active, reflective, and participatory practices aimed at fostering critical listening, creativity, and inclusive educational approaches (Holland, 2015; Thumlert et al., 2020; Veloso et al., 2023).
In education, soundscape practices have been integrated into various fields, including music education (Song et al., 2024), visual arts (Im, 2024), environmental education (Kjaer et al., 2025), and sensory stimulation (Visentin et al., 2023). Their implementation in classrooms helps develop skills such as auditory attention (Lee, 2024), creativity (Wang, 2023), sound memory, improvisation, and environmental awareness (Ng and Tan, 2024). Activities like soundwalks (Reyes, 2012), sound mapping (Sakagami et al., 2016), sound recording and editing (Norman, 2022), or analyzing noise in different settings (Minelli et al., 2022) are examples of active methodologies that support an “ecology of listening” in educational contexts.
These practices can be adapted to all educational levels: in early and primary education, through play and sensory exploration (Veith, 2023; Visentin et al., 2023); and in secondary and higher education, through technologies and interdisciplinary approaches addressing topics such as acoustic identity or the environmental impact of sound (Botella and Ramos, 2024; Bylica, 2020; Lacey, 2017; Tejada et al., 2023). In the case of higher education, various experiences have shown that the use of sound-based education within the framework of soundscapes and noise pollution can foster greater environmental awareness among future teachers (Hurtado et al., 2018; Hurtado and Botella, 2023; Hurtado-Soler et al., 2020).
In the specific context of primary education, Adams and Beauchamp (2021) observed that outdoor music-making within natural soundscapes fostered students' creativity and sense of connection with their surroundings. Similarly, Radicchi (2019) found that soundwalking can serve as a civic practice that raises students' awareness of noise pollution in urban environments and enables them to imagine healthier acoustic alternatives. Yanko (2019) demonstrated that engaging students in soundscape composition can help them explore and express their identities and sense of community belonging, transforming the acoustic environment into a space for self-representation and reflection. Finally, projects such as Acouscapes (Tejada et al., 2023) demonstrate how digital technologies have the potential to support the collaborative composition of soundscapes.
One of the most influential tools in formal education is the textbook. Over time, textbooks have been central to organizing school knowledge, structuring curricular content, and guiding the pace of learning, especially in primary education (Tabash, 2015). However, their prominence has also drawn criticism. Scholars have noted that textbooks often promote transmissive and decontextualized teaching, limiting both active student participation and adaptability to diverse educational contexts (Gimeno, 1988; Rivera, 2009). In music education, this tendency could hinder students' ability to develop critical and conscious listening skills, as well as their understanding of complex phenomena like soundscape.
From a critical pedagogy perspective, textbooks are not neutral; they reflect and reproduce values, ideologies, and power structures by determining which knowledge is included and which is excluded (Freire, 2009; Apple, 1991). In doing so, textbooks may legitimize certain forms of knowledge while marginalizing others, such as non-Western cultures or the voices of women and Indigenous communities (Giroux, 1997; Torres, 1994, 2007, 2011). In the context of soundscape education, this means that textbooks function as technological mediators that influence the extent to which the soundscape is incorporated in the classroom, which aspects of the sonic environment are highlighted, how activities are framed, and which cultural or environmental sounds are prioritized or marginalized. Moreover, textbooks can limit teacher creativity by imposing a fixed structure, reinforcing a “banking” model of education (Freire, 2012) in which students passively receive information without opportunities to question or reconstruct it. As a result, the uncritical use of textbooks constrains reflective thinking and perpetuates dominant worldviews (Marín-Liébana and Botella, 2021).
From an integrative pedagogical perspective, it is essential that textbooks move beyond a purely theoretical presentation of concepts to include activities that encourage direct exploration of the environment, thereby fostering meaningful learning. As Marful (2006) argues, education aimed at acoustic ecology must go beyond the mere transmission of technical knowledge about sound. It should integrate active listening experiences that connect students with their sonic surroundings and promote critical, responsible, and environmentally sensitive listening. Similarly, Roegiers (2007) advocates for organizing curricular content around real-world problems and cross-cutting themes to stimulate interdisciplinary understanding and support the development of higher-order cognitive skills such as creativity, critical thinking, and responsible decision-making. Teachers play an important role in effectively implementing these initiatives. For soundscape education to be successfully integrated into classrooms, teachers must develop specific competencies that enable them to recognize its pedagogical and environmental value (Hurtado et al., 2023).
In both primary and secondary education, textbooks rarely offer a balanced and comprehensive treatment of environmental education (Hashemi, 2020; Salmani et al., 2015). This gap is mirrored in teacher training programs, where these subjects are often introduced in a fragmented manner and without coherent curricular integration (Botella et al., 2025; Hurtado et al., 2018). This narrow perspective reinforces a traditional view of music education focused theory and active approaches, excluding exploration of sound diversity and reflection on the impact of noise on human wellbeing (Buonviri, 2023; Iliaki et al., 2018). Consequently, the opportunity to link music education with themes of acoustic ecology and social wellbeing is lost (Guo et al., 2020; Karkina et al., 2020; Váradi, 2022).
This situation reflects a broader trend in education toward increasingly standardized content. In efforts to meet measurable benchmarks, educational decision-making tends to prioritize content that is easily replicable and testable, often at the expense of students' holistic development. This mindset favors materials that support rote learning and neglect sensory experience, cultural diversity, and critical engagement with the environment (Bath et al., 2020). As a result, textbooks continue to focus on a technical and formal approach to music instruction, overlooking elements such as environmental listening, everyday noise analysis, or understanding soundscapes as part of an education committed to sustainability.
Despite the criticism it has received, the textbook remains a widely used instructional resource. Overall, it is estimated that approximately 70% of teachers use it as a primary tool in their classes (ANELE, 2019). More specific studies report figures such as 86.9% usage in geography and history at the secondary level (González et al., 2025) and 92.6% in mathematics at the primary level (Marks et al., 2023). In the case of primary music education, despite its predominantly practical nature, one study found that 60.67% of teachers used textbooks (Marín-Liébana, 2021).
This extensive use, combined with the textbook's significant influence on teaching and learning processes, makes the study of textbooks one of the most relevant lines of inquiry in educational research. Although this field has grown in recent years, no study to date has examined the presence and treatment of the soundscape in these materials. This research seeks to fill that gap in the scientific literature. To this end, the present article analyzes primary music education textbooks used in the province of Valencia, Spain, within the framework of the LOMLOE (2020) educational policy. Specifically, it addresses three main research questions:
RQ1. What is the proportion of soundscape-related activities in the textbooks across publishers and grade levels?
RQ2. Are there significant differences across publishers and grade levels?
RQ3. What is the variability of soundscape-related activities in terms of activity type and soundscape element?
2 Materials and methods
To address the research questions, a quantitative content analysis was conducted following the protocol established by (Krippendorf, 2013). This involved a sequence of procedures including data recording, sampling, coding, synthesis, and inference. The frequency of activities related to soundscapes, as well as the pedagogical treatment of these topics, was systematically quantified.
2.1 Sample
The units of analysis used for coding corresponded to each individual activity proposed in the analyzed textbooks, while the sampling units consisted of the textbooks themselves. To determine the sample, the study focused on the textbooks most commonly used in schools, ensuring that the findings would reflect the actual impact of these educational resources in classroom practice. In the case of the music and dance subject area, selection was guided by the results of a recent study (Marín-Liébana et al., 2021), which found that the most frequently used publishers in schools across the province of Valencia (Spain) were Bromera, Santillana, and Tàndem. Based on this information, textbooks from these publishers were selected, all of which align with the current national educational framework (LOMLOE, 2020). As a result, the final sample consisted of 18 textbooks from the following series: Musicando (Bromera), Nuevo Acordes (Santillana), and Música en Moviment (Tàndem), as detailed in Table 1. A total of 2,405 coding units were analyzed in these textbooks.
Table 1. Textbooks included in the sample.
2.2 Data collection instrument
For data collection, a coding tree was employed, combining both a priori and emergent categories (Table 2). The a priori categories were derived from Schafer's (1977) framework for soundscape analysis, while the emergent categories arose inductively during the empirical analysis. The categories were designed to differentiate between activities that incorporated soundscape elements and those that did not, to identify the type of musical skill involved, and, when applicable, to classify the type of soundscape elements present. Notably, critical thinking was distinguished from cognition due to the specific importance of this skill in using the soundscape educationally to foster awareness and transformative attitudes regarding noise pollution. Additionally, within the critical thinking category, questions related to emotional aspects were included, as they represent an initial approach to critical thinking appropriate for the early grades of primary education, where the students' developmental stage still does not allow for highly abstract reasoning. This coding tree was used to code the units of analysis identified in the textbooks.
Table 2. System of categories and analytical codes.
2.3 Coding
Once the study sample was selected, two researchers carried out the coding process. Both researchers had designed the coding tree themselves, which meant they were thoroughly familiar with its content and structure, and they also had previous experience in textbook analysis using the Atlas.ti software. Initially, they independently coded one randomly selected textbook, Musicando 6 (Bromera). The outcomes were then compared in order to establish common criteria and to make joint decisions regarding the application of the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Subsequently, each researcher analyzed the remaining textbooks independently. After completing this process, the results were shared and any discrepancies were discussed until full consensus was achieved.
The inclusion criterion was that the units of analysis (activities) incorporated soundscapes or approaches to them, such as sounds from environmental elements or reflections on noise and acoustic pollution. In cases where activities contained more than one type of activity or soundscape element, they were multiply coded for each category. Consequently, the total number of type of activity or soundscape element exceeds the total number of activities that included a soundscape. No borderline cases were identified.
2.4 Data analysis
For the coding of the units of analysis, Atlas.ti 8, a software program specialized in content analysis, was used. For the statistical analysis, both descriptive and inferential approaches were applied. On the one hand, frequencies were calculated using Microsoft Excel 2021 to illustrate the representation and treatment of soundscapes and noise pollution. On the other hand, inferential tests were performed using the SPSS 28 statistical package. Specifically, the chi-square test of independence was used to assess differences among publishers and grades, as well as to examine the relationship between activities and types of soundscapes. In the latter case, corrected standardized residuals were employed to assess the association between specific values, and an exclusivity criterion was applied: if a recording unit contained more than one type of activity or soundscape element, it was coded as mixed. Monte Carlo simulation (10,000 samples) was used to estimate exact significance values for tests with expected cell counts < 5. For analyses regarding whether activities included a soundscape or not, all activities were considered. However, for calculations related to types of activity and types of soundscape elements, only activities that involved the use of a soundscape were included.
3 Results
The findings are presented in three sections: (1) a descriptive and inferential analysis of the frequency of each variable across publishers and grade levels, as well as the differences among publishers and among grades, (2) an inferential analysis of the association between types of soundscapes and activity types, and (3) an examination of the activity types featured in the textbooks included in the sample.
3.1 Descriptive and inferential analysis among publishers and among grade levels
Regarding publishers, as shown in Table 3, activities that included any element related to soundscapes accounted for only 3.79% of the content across all analyzed textbooks. In terms of activity type, listening activities were the most common (41.76%), followed by creativity (20.88%), critical thinking (16.48%), other cognition processes (14.29%), instrumental (13.19%), vocal (8.79%), and, lastly, movement-based activities, which were virtually nonexistent (1.10%). Regarding the types of elements included, the majority were unspecified (52.76%), followed by natural (39.56%), technological (30.77%), and human (26.37%) elements.
Table 3. Descriptive statistics by publisher.
When comparing publishers (Table 4), the chi-square test revealed a significant difference in the frequency of instrumental activities (p = 0.039, V = 0.268), with Bromera including significantly more of these activities. A statistically significant difference was also found in the presence of technological elements, which were significantly less common in Bromera's textbooks (p = 0.001, V = 0.387).
Table 4. Chi-square test by publisher.
Regarding grade level, Table 5 shows a progressive decrease in activities involving the soundscape as student age increases. These differences among grades were found to be significant (p < 0.001, V = 0.115) in the chi-square test (Table 6). In terms of activity type, a downward trend is observed for listening activities (p = 0.057, V = 0.341), whereas creativity (p = 0.051, V = 0.345) and cognitive (p = 0.020, V = 0.379) activities show an upward trend. The use of instruments (p = 0.050, V = 0.345) increases until fourth grade, after which it declines sharply. With respect to the types of soundscape elements, no clear patterns were apparent, although a significant difference was observed for natural elements (p = 0.025, V = 0.371), which occurred more frequently in fourth grade.
Table 5. Descriptive statistics by grade.
Table 6. Chi–square test by grade.
3.2 Relationship between type of soundscape and type of activity
The chi-square test examining the relationship between the type of activity and the type of soundscape (Table 7) revealed a statistically significant association (χ2 = 54.70, p < 0.027, CI 95% [0.023–0.030], V = 0.775). However, the corrected standardized residuals indicated that this relationship was primarily due to instances where both variables took on mixed or unspecified values. As such, it was not possible to establish a clear association between specific soundscape types and particular types of activities. One exception was the observed relationship between natural soundscapes and instrumental activities; however, the small sample size associated with this pairing (n = 4) limits the ability to draw any meaningful conclusions. It is also important to note that a column for human-generated soundscape elements was not included, as no activity exclusively featured this type.
Table 7. Chi–square test of the relationship between type of soundscape element and type of activity.
3.3 Types of activities found in the textbooks
In this section, the types of activities identified are presented, organized according to the skills outlined in the category system, except for movement, as its representation is practically nonexistent. Firstly, listening activities were designed to encourage students to identify sound elements, categorize them as natural, human, or technological, analyze them according to sound qualities, associate them with images or concepts, or sequence them in the order of appearance. A total of 70.27% of these activities involved listening to pre-recorded soundscapes or sound elements, whereas only 29.73% engaged students with real, local sound environments. Examples of the latter include: “Stay silent. What can we hear from the music classroom? And from the playground?,” “Explore a soundscape and record its sounds,” or “Make recordings in the same spaces and check for changes (after an intervention).”
Instrumental practice appeared in activities where students were asked to imitate sounds with instruments (45.45%), create a sound design for a story (27.27%), or build everyday-sound instruments to represent environmental sound elements (18.18%). Examples include: “Choose one of the following situations (sound elements) and create rhythmic ostinatos,” “Add sound effects to this story,” or “Gather recycled materials and use them to recreate the sound of the sea or wind.” The voice was used similarly to instruments, with activities involving sound imitation (42.86%), soundtracking stories (28.57%), and performing sequences of sounds (28.57%).
In terms of creativity, most activities involved creating soundscapes either with physical instruments or through audio recording and digital editing (41.18%), soundtracking stories, tales, or scenes (29.41%), and composing music inspired by a specific soundscape (29.41%). Examples include: “Create a soundscape inspired by nature,” “Create a story using sounds,” or “Choose a soundscape image and compose three rhythms in an ABA structure. Choose the time signature, combine note values, and play with dynamics.”
On the cognitive level, the majority of tasks asked students to verbally describe a specific soundscape (55.56%), such as: “Describe these soundscapes,” “What sounds can you hear in the mountains? And at the beach?,” or “Describe a situation involving noise pollution.” Other tasks included self-assessment (“What have you learned?”), conceptual identification of soundscapes (“Is there noise pollution in this everyday scene?”), or reflective questions (“Is it true that there is no sound in space?”).
Finally, among the 15 activities that incorporated critical thinking, 53.33% focused on emotional impact, using prompts such as: “How do you feel about noise? And about silence? And music?”, “What's your favorite soundscape? Which one do you like least? Why?,” or “Have you ever experienced noise pollution? How did it make you feel?” The remaining 46.67% encouraged critical reflection and proposals for action, for instance: “What would happen to a forest soundscape if it weren't cared for?,” “Discuss possible solutions to reduce noise in your school in small groups,” or “Think of three sounds or noises that bother you. How can we actively help reduce them for the benefit of the community?”
4 Discussion
This study examined the representation of soundscapes in primary music education textbooks in the province of Valencia, Spain, within the framework of the LOMLOE (2020) policy, as well as the pedagogical approaches associated with these topics. First, the findings revealed a significant lack of content related to soundscapes, reflecting a concerning disconnect between curricular practices and current educational demands related to environmental and auditory education. Moreover, their presence decreases as the grade levels progress. As highlighted by scholars such as Schafer (1977) and Truax (1984), the omission of these concepts hinders the development of critical and conscious listening, which is essential for students to engage actively with their sonic environment. The minimal representation of these topics, only 3.79% of the activities analyzed, limits educational opportunities and raises questions about the transformative role music education should play within schools.
It is important to note that this limitation is not unique to music education textbooks. Salmani et al. (2015), in their content analysis of newly published sixth-grade Social Sciences and Natural Sciences textbooks, also identified an unbalanced approach to environmental education and recommended a revision of content to ensure more coherent and effective integration. Similarly, Hashemi (2020) argues that educational texts often provide limited and superficial treatment of environmental issues such as pollution, sustainability, and conservation, underscoring the need for deeper and more meaningful integration of environmental education into school curricula.
This finding becomes even more relevant when considering the mediating role that textbooks play in shaping knowledge and pedagogical practice, as emphasized by Freire (2012) and Apple (1991). Textbooks are not neutral materials; they convey a specific way of understanding knowledge and systematically exclude other forms of learning. Thus, the near-absence of soundscape content not only indicates a lack of curricular material but also reflects an ideological stance that often prioritizes traditional and passive models of music education over critical approaches (Marín-Liébana et al., 2021). In this regard, Hurtado et al. (2018) emphasize the importance of incorporating these topics into music education to foster critical listening and greater environmental awareness among students. Likewise, Karkina et al. (2020) propose a model grounded in cultural ecology, addressing how technological advancements and digitalization influence and transform music education in multicultural contexts. Along similar lines, Cooke (2024) introduces a posthumanist perspective on sound in music education, viewing sound not only as a medium of instruction but as an active agent that shapes learning through interactions with bodies, objects, and spaces.
When analyzing the types of activities, listening activities were the most prevalent (41.76%), which might be interpreted as an effort to foster auditory perception. However, the vast majority relied on pre-recorded audio rather than encouraging students to engage with their immediate surroundings through soundwalks, recordings of school spaces, or critical listening of everyday environments (Añó-Villar et al., 2025). While the use of pre-recorded material may serve as an initial approach, it is essential to introduce activities in real-life settings that are meaningful to students, providing them with tools to understand their surrounding reality and begin processes of transformation within it (McLaren, 2014).
On the other hand, the limited presence of activities promoting critical thinking suggests a conservative and minimally participatory pedagogical approach. This trend aligns with the “banking model” of education critiqued by Freire (2012), in which students are treated as passive recipients of knowledge. As Torres (2007) and Giroux (1997) argue, this pedagogical model may reinforce exclusionary worldviews and hinder the development of transformative competencies. Similarly, Marful (2006) contends that music education must move beyond technical or theoretical learning to embrace the ecological and sensory dimensions of sound, fostering auditory education that cultivates both critical listening and awareness of the acoustic environment. In this regard, Botella and Ramos (2024) explore an interdisciplinary educational experience combining environmental and music education, emphasizing the value of sound ecology as an educational tool to raise student awareness about ecosystem fragility and the importance of conservation.
The analysis of the types of soundscapes represented further supports previous critique. The predominance of natural and non-specific soundscapes over human and technological sounds, elements that are highly present in students‘ daily environments, indicates a disconnect between instructional content and learners' real-life auditory experiences. This approach limits opportunities for meaningful learning by overlooking the social and technological contexts in which children grow up. As noted by Buonviri (2023) and Guo et al. (2020), incorporating everyday sounds and those produced by human activity into music education is essential for connecting musical learning with acoustic ecology and social wellbeing. In the same vein, Visentin et al. (2023) point out that soundscape studies in indoor educational environments remain largely unexplored, with a predominant focus on secondary schools and higher education, which reveals a lack of attention to early educational stages despite the importance of acoustic environments for children's wellbeing and sensory development.
Although the differences among publishers were not statistically significant overall, notable variations were found in the representation of musical instruments, which were more frequently included in textbooks published by Bromera, and of technological elements, which were less frequent in that same publisher's materials. This suggests that editorial decisions influence content design and that there remains substantial room to reorient these materials toward a more critical, inclusive, and context-aware perspective. Supporting this interpretation, Marín-Liébana and Botella-Nicolás (2020), based on their research with fifth- and sixth-grade students, highlight the need to design educational resources aligned with students' interests and realities from a socio-critical perspective, thereby fostering stronger connections between curricular content and students' cultural environments.
Textbook publishers play a key role in the pedagogical renewal of music education and in the incorporation of new sensitivities and perspectives on the subject. In this regard, the use of soundscapes should be accompanied by active, participatory, and context-based methodologies. First, it is advisable to design activities that encourage the exploration of the acoustic environment, such as soundwalks or the recording of sounds in school, domestic, or nearby natural settings (Adams and Beauchamp, 2021; Radicchi, 2019; Reyes, 2012). Such practices can foster skills such as focused listening and an understanding of sociocultural spaces. Second, collective creation based on the recorded sounds should be encouraged (Yanko, 2019), using accessible digital technologies (Tejada et al., 2023) to promote timbral exploration, collaborative work, and a sense of belonging. Likewise, the activities should incorporate a critical approach (Marín-Liébana et al., 2021), enabling students to reflect on noise pollution and the relationships between sound and public space, as well as on hegemonic soundscapes and the role of power in their reproduction.
Moreover, textbooks should include activities that extend beyond the printed page, involving actions and experiences in the physical world. These may take the form of open-ended proposals, supported by pedagogical guidelines for teachers. In turn, teachers should make critical use of the textbook, identifying activities that foster meaningful and relevant learning and adapting or transforming those that do not. It is also advisable to complement the textbook with other materials and resources in order to enrich teaching and learning processes.
5 Conclusions
This study reveals a significant limitation in primary music education textbooks regarding the inclusion of soundscapes as pedagogical content. Despite their importance in promoting critical listening, sensory development, and environmental education, the minimal presence of soundscapes and noise pollution in the textbooks analyzed highlights a troubling gap between available teaching resources and current educational challenges, particularly those aimed at fostering a holistic education grounded in critical and contextual perspectives. Additionally, the findings suggest that textbooks continue to reflect a traditional instructional model focused on theoretical and active methods, with little emphasis on critical thinking or the contextualization of sound. Those approaches restrict the potential for a more comprehensive music education that connects artistic practice with environmental awareness and students' everyday auditory experiences.
Like all research, this study has certain limitations. First, the sample is highly localized within a specific geographical area, and therefore the results cannot be generalized to other contexts. However, given the sociocultural nature of educational phenomena, local studies are essential. Rather than aiming for broader representativeness, it would be more appropriate to replicate this study in other geographic and cultural contexts. Second, although the coding framework was developed by a team of experts, a different research group might have introduced additional categories or merged some of the existing ones, which could potentially affect the findings.
In any case, in light of these results, it is essential to reconsider how textbooks are designed and used in primary music education, adopting a more critical, contextually grounded, and culturally responsive perspective. Promoting auditory education that engages with soundscapes, noise pollution, and the acoustic realities of students' environments is a necessary step toward fostering a more reflective, participatory, and transformative learning experience for both students and educators.
Data availability statement
The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.
Author contributions
PM-L: Data curation, Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Investigation. GE: Writing – original draft, Conceptualization, Methodology, Data curation, Investigation, Software, Writing – review & editing. JM: Conceptualization, Supervision, Methodology, Writing – review & editing, Investigation, Writing – original draft. AH-S: Funding acquisition, Writing – original draft, Conceptualization, Supervision, Resources, Project administration, Writing – review & editing. AB-N: Conceptualization, Supervision, Funding acquisition, Project administration, Writing – review & editing, Resources, Writing – original draft.
Funding
The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research and/or publication of this article. This research was funded by Department of Education, Culture and Sports of the Valencian Government, Spain, grant number CIACO/2022/129, within the framework of the research project “The soundscape as a context for interdisciplinary learning in teacher training: analysis, design and evaluation of educational resources.” Furthermore, this work is part of the iMUSED research group (Investigating Music Education, GIUV2020-483) at the University of Valencia.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
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Keywords: soundscape, music education, textbook, elementary education, environmental education
Citation: Marín-Liébana P, Escorihuela G, Blasco-Magraner JS, Hurtado-Soler A and Botella-Nicolás AM (2025) Sonic education in elementary school: presence and pedagogical approaches to soundscapes in music textbooks. Front. Educ. 10:1632553. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1632553
Received: 03 July 2025; Revised: 11 November 2025;
Accepted: 20 November 2025; Published: 05 December 2025.
Edited by:
Zoe Dionyssiou, Ionian University, GreeceReviewed by:
José Miguel Romero-Saritama, Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, EcuadorDimitrios Sarris, Ionian University, Greece
Copyright © 2025 Marín-Liébana, Escorihuela, Blasco-Magraner, Hurtado-Soler and Botella-Nicolás. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: José Salvador Blasco-Magraner, ai5zYWx2YWRvci5ibGFzY29AdXYuZXM=