As more and more healthcare providers in Canada prescribe their patients time in nature through BC Parks Foundation’s national nature prescription program PaRx, researchers continue investigating the science behind its healing effects. How exactly does nature help lower our blood pressure, decrease our anxiety, reduce our pain, and boost our energy? Their findings bring good news for those who cannot easily get to nature: simply listening to nature sounds produces beneficial impacts. This offers a powerful and accessible form of therapy for patients in healthcare settings. 

For the members of Little Symphony—a Canadian group of musicians and producers who blend nature sounds with their own instrumentation—these findings are incredibly exciting, though not surprising. Over the years, they’ve heard countless anecdotes from healthcare professionals and patients alike about the healing power of nature sounds in therapeutic settings.

Kendra Huculak, a practicing critical care pharmacist and Little Symphony’s media coordinator, shares one such story. During a pre-operative assessment, a physician asked a nervous patient, “If you could be anywhere in nature right now, where would you be, and what would you hear?” Without hesitation, she replied, “On a tropical beach, listening to the waves.” The doctor smiled, saying, “I’ve got you,” and played Little Symphony’s album Coco Beach, recorded in Costa Rica. 

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“He described how he could see her instant physiological relaxation,” says Kendra. “The connection between place and sound, and its effect on us, is such a powerful tool.”

Little Symphony believes this tool extends far beyond soothing an individual’s nerves. The benefits of nature sounds can ripple outward—not only healing people, but inspiring them to care for the land from which these sounds spring.

“Many of our recordings are from protected areas or lands adjacent to them,” says Kendra. “We’re very aware that without conservation, these sounds—and their benefits—would disappear.” 

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When it Rains

In 2019, first-year engineering student Bryson and first-year physics student Peter were seeking music they could listen to while they studied. Their course material was complex, and their new schedules were draining. They knew that different kinds of music—like classical and lo-fi—could improve energy and concentration, and as they tested various genres, they became more and more curious about exactly how sounds impact the brain.

Their curiosity led them to a Reddit thread that profoundly changed their direction. 

In it, a man shared a story about he and his wife emigrating from Africa to Canada. Before they left, he secretly recorded the sound of rain falling outside their window. When his wife became homesick, he played the recording for her, and she felt instantly comforted and grounded, as if she were back home despite being thousands of kilometres away. This connection between sound and place sparked the inspiration for Little Symphony. 

“More and more, science shows that nature sounds can improve health,” says Kendra. “We wondered, how much greater does that healing power become when tied to specific places that, in the past, have brought us joy?”

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Sound On

Bryson and Peter expanded the team, including their close mutual friend and talented musician, Dave, and Bryson's sister Kendra. They began visiting the world’s most awe-inspiring places, gathering audio that would provide comfort to their listeners no matter where they were. In just five years, they’ve traveled to 5 continents and 15 countries, creating albums that feature places like Tofino, Yellowstone, and Machu Picchu.

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Their music has found its way into the digital spaces where people experience nature virtually, like BC Parks Foundation’s Instagram. If you’ve ever visited the account with the “sound on,” you’ve likely heard Little Symphony’s tunes set to visuals of BC’s soaring birds, crashing waves, and misty mountains. Perhaps you’ve found yourself transfixed for a moment, pausing to watch the whale breach or the leaf flutter, steadied by the sounds and sights of nature coming together. 

“Our music amplifies the raw, wild beauty of these spaces,” says Kendra. “I think many of us have a memory of stepping out of the car and into a provincial or national park—the fresh air filling our lungs, the birdsong above, the crunch of twigs at our feet. We weave these sounds into symphonies to celebrate nature and the people who protect it. We know our lives are better because these places exist.”

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Hear more from Little Symphony, and learn more about BC Parks Foundation’s national prescription program PaRx.

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Top image: Peter from musical group Little Symphony records nature sounds in Lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta (Photo by Aaron Reimer).