The Sound of Silence

Exploring the harmony between sound, silence, and mindful awareness.

Reflections from NOISE-CON and the quiet moments of summer

This month, I attended NOISE-CON 2025 as a presenter. It’s the premiere conference for professionals focused on noise control and acoustics, held this year at the foot of scenic Mt Mansfield in Stowe, VT.

The theme, “The Nature of Noise Control: Discover the Harmony of Acoustics and the Natural World,” blended science with sensory experience. In addition to technical sessions, the conference offered immersive activities like a dawn sound walk-where participants walked silently and took in Vermont’s natural beauty through sight and sound.

We also viewed The Quietest Year (2020), an experimental documentary filmed entirely in Stowe during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through intimate, everyday scenes, it captures the stillness, uncertainty and unexpected beauty that emerged as the world slowed down. It’s a quiet meditation on time, change and resilience.

What can we learn from that kind of stillness? As summer invites us to slow down, take time to truly listen. Step outside without earbuds. Tune in to birdsong, rustling leaves, or the wind. Or simply sit in silence at home. No music, no buzzers, no alerts. Your quiet mind, body, and spirit will thank you.