soundscape assignment

Site-Specific Soundscape Listening  

Due date: Monday, January 30 by 7:00pm.  

one and half pages

Overview: You will listen carefully to a soundscape and compile an analytical catalog of all of the sounds that you encounter in that soundscape. For this assignment, you should define soundscape as all of the sounds (whether musical or not, human or not) that you (as an individual) hear in a particular place and time.   

The assignment:  

1. You will first need to select a site for the soundscape. This could be anywhere, such as a home, a public space, an institutional place, a work place, or a natural place. Challenge yourself to make use of what you would consider to be an unlikely place, an unusual time, or a location in which you anticipate that you’ll hear interesting sounds. Please do not endanger yourself in any way through your site.   

2. Next, go there, walk around and / or sit quietly and comfortably for a period of 20 to 30 minutes. Listen attentively to all that you hear. You may jot some notes briefly during this time, or rely on your memory. Do not engage in conversation, reading, listening to a recording, etc. You must focus upon listening to the sonic environment around you, in a state of relaxed concentration, with an open ear and mind.   

3. Then, as soon as possible, while your impressions are fresh, type a complete, detailed list of what you have heard. This list should include names for the sounds— you may need to invent names—as well as brief descriptions of the sounds. Keep the list in chronological order, unless another order suits the sounds better. You need not write in paragraph form (though you can do so)—feel free to just write a list.  

4. Write an introductory sentence in which you describe the place that you have visited. In your report, place this sentence ahead of the list of sounds.   

Notes on writing style and format: * Your essay must be typed. * It should be about 1 and half pages in length.  * Use 1.5 or double line spacing (do not use single line spacing). * Use a standard 10-12 point plain font such as Verdana, Arial, or Times New Roman. * Use standard margins.  * Proofread your work, and use a spell checker.