Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

Research has concluded that vision is the most dominant sense for humans who do not exhibit sensory difficulties. For the overwhelming majority of the population, therefore, particularly in the West, we live in a world that is visually biased. Yet, I contend that it is our auditory sense that subconsciously and covertly provides the lion’s share of meaning and context for us in our everyday lives. I refer to this inherent contradiction as the “great paradox.” As a means of further exploring and explaining this “great paradox,” my themed paper session is threefold. First, I will examine the visual bias of our modern-day society, including specific theoretical and practical examples. In addition, a brief historical analysis of visual bias will also be provided. Secondly, I will investigate the “great paradox” by initially exploring the critical role that sound plays in the growth and development of humans from the fetus to the pre-school child. Thirdly, I will theoretically and practically demonstrate the belief that music is the pivotal and decisive variable in an audiovisual sensory experience. In sum, this paper will demonstrate that music (the auditory world) is a critically powerful and significant aspect the entire human experience that challenges visual bias in a clandestine manner. This paper will provide important theoretical, philosophical, and practical connections for educators and practitioners of Music, the Arts, and Media.