When it comes to children, any parent will tell you there is little recourse for keeping kids quiet. But when it comes to all other child-related noises, such as those found in schools, there are, thankfully, plenty of ways to keep noise to a minimum to keep growing minds focused on the task at hand: learning.

Whether the issue is reducing echoes in the gymnasium, improving acoustics in a classroom, or containing sound from a band room, soundproofing provides the solution.

A Sound Education

Sound quality and acoustics in a school are often overlooked – but deserve far more attention than they get. If students are not able to clearly hear instruction, they can’t learn, as poor sound quality can interfere with students’ ability to listen and the teacher’s ability to communicate.   

In fact, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association endorses the American National Standards Institute standard and recommends the following three criteria for classroom acoustics:

1. Unoccupied classroom levels must not exceed 35 dBA.
2. The signal-to-noise ratio (the difference between the teacher's voice and the background noise) should be at least +15 dB at the child's ears.
3. Unoccupied classroom reverberation must not surpass 0.6 seconds in smaller classrooms or 0.7 seconds in larger rooms.

To be fair, however, not all school-related noise can be attributed to the children as other factors –  rugs on the floor, the type of ceiling the room has, how the air ducts work, and more – can affect a school’s acoustics. Further, noises can be both internal and external.

Internal & External School Noises

At school, much like at home and elsewhere, background noises often take center stage, making it hard to hear. And in a classroom setting, background noise can come from any number of sources, including:

• Cars and trucks outside of the school
• Lawnmowers
• The sounds of other children on the playground or in the hallway
• Heating or air conditioning units
• Other students in the room
• Reverberation from sound bouncing off desks or walls

When classroom acoustics are poor, children can struggle to understand speech, have issues reading, spelling, paying attention, concentrating, and, ultimately, succeeding in school.

Soundproofing Solutions For Schools

Schools can greatly reduce noise with acoustical panels to effectively block and/or absorb unwanted noise.

Such acoustical panels are generally used in industrial or commercial settings, where generators, pumps, motors, chillers, transformers, and other large pieces of machinery are the source of the noise and as such, offer a perfect solution for the variety of noises found in – and around – schools in order to provide a healthier learning environment.   

Some common acoustical panel applications include:

• Classrooms
• Gymnasiums
• Lunch Rooms
• Choir Rooms
• Band Rooms
• Multi-purpose Rooms
• Indoor Pools

Bottom line: Educational performance suffers when hearing suffers. From choir rooms to classrooms, and gymnasiums to cafeterias, noise is everywhere. Our goal is to deliver the soundproofing solutions you need for your school to give your teachers, administrators and children the healthy learning environment they deserve.

To learn more about how Sonic-Shield can help improve your school’s acoustics, contact us today.