Before Birth: Music, Memory, and the Developing Ear

What does a baby actually hear before birth, and how much of that experience can it remember?

This episode explores the emerging science of prenatal musicality, from the womb's muffled soundscape to early recognition of the mother’s voice, heartbeat, and recurring sound patterns. We look at how fetuses begin learning through sound, how emotion may be communicated through both physiology and behaviour, and what researchers mean by prenatal attention, preference, and memory.

We also examine where the science is less certain. Do fetuses experience music as music? Are they conscious in anything like the adult sense? The evidence points to remarkable early sensory and learning abilities, but also argues for caution when interpreting them through adult concepts of emotion, reflection, and musical experience.