There are 28 ‘Sounds’ Tracks. These are meant for children and adults with profound learning difficulties, whose sense of hearing is still developing. The sequence of tracks is developmental, with those that are least demanding on the ear coming first.

Tracks 1–5 are clouds of short sounds – some found in nature and some made by humans – that are static yet constantly changing, so the ear is continuously stimulated.

Tracks that 6–10 are similar but have a more definite sense of pitch, with sustained sounds that are more ‘musical’ in nature. They are intended to give those whose sense of hearing is still developing, plenty of time to process them.

Tracks 11–16 consist of sustained notes on musical instruments, a choir and, finally, a single human voice. Again, the sounds are sustained to give listeners lots of processing time.

Tracks 17–23 are intended to lead the ear to hear differences between notes, or ‘intervals’, which are crucial in understanding music. Each track is made up of sound ‘mosaics’ that made up of pairs of notes, and each focuses on a different interval, with a distinct effect.

Tracks 24–28 are intended to help listeners hear the effect of clusters of notes played at the same time, forming different chords. They are sustained, and fade in and out, so the ear has plenty of time to hear how the notes are both distinct yet also work together to form different ‘harmonies’. Almost all the music we listen to uses harmonies like those in the tracks.

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