With only a little effort, the whole world can be heard as music. We can hear sounds whose meaning are not intended for us as if they were music and soon call them beautiful. This is part of music’s power. Music is a model for learning to perceive the surrounding world, through listening. As soon as you begin to pay attention, the borders between nature and music become less clear. Because music is in a great sense in the ear of the beholder. If you listen well enough, then any serious sounds can have the organization and quality necessary for it to be knowable and lovable music. In this course we will primarily learn how to listen to nature and extract inspiration, ideas, structures, techniques from that listening experience.