Sound Matters Task 1 Sounds around you

Transcription

1 Sound Matters Task 1 Sounds around you Links to previous Links to next Resources required Learning Styles Introduce the concept of a soundscape (without using the words soundscape at this stage. Allow audience to debate their opinions of sampled soundscapes. By the end of part 1 the audience should be able to discuss the content and relative merits of individual soundscapes and want to find out more. n/a Experiencing soundscapes then going on a soundwalk to experience the local soundscape Pre-recorded content to be provided by university researchers 1 Dawn Chorus 2 Buses and trams in Piccadilly gardens, Manchester 3 An indoor cafe Recording of sounds, love it and hate it cards Movement / voting (depending on size of audience), Audio Listening, Inter personal, Intrapersonal Number of participants Whole group Group dynamic built, understanding of the session content. 10 mins Compulsory or optional compulsory Room setup for continuum debate with love it card at one side of room and hate it card at the other. Group leader will play a sound recording and participants choose a place on the continuum. Facilitate discussion - why did two or three participants choose their particular place on the continuum? Ask if anyone would like to change their position when they know what the sound is, and if so, why? Repeat for 3 difference sound environments. Research needed (inc. Facilitator info (inc. Take home resources Notes for organisers Instructions for whole group provided on group leader card. Instructions and background information for group work provided on facilitator card. Background information card gives more details on each sound. none Record where people stand and if move around. Activity run by group leader and done in one large group.

2 Task 2a Sound walk Allow participants to experience a soundscape and the different types of sounds within them. To listen to soundscapes in up to 4 different locations. To distinguish different types of sounds in one location To record their findings at each location. Links to previous Experiencing a real soundscape Links to next Using what they learned from the walk to think about what a soundscape is. Resources required For each group: Clipboard for each small group with a pocket in the back for the envelopes and a felt pen or pencil (easy to write outside and vertically) Envelopes to fit A5 sheets in A5 sheets containing recording tables and instructions for each location Stopwatch Learning Styles Movement, Audio/listening, Visual, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Naturalistic Number of participants Small groups of 2 5 Filled in recording sheets 10 minutes Compulsory or optional Compulsory (You could miss out a location if short of time) The group go on a sound walk with no talking allowed. They need to go to 3 different locations that they can decide on. They should open the appropriate envelope at each location. If they are running out of time, they should open envelope 4 after 8 minutes. Research needed (inc. none Facilitator info (inc. Facilitators needed to help with time-keeping. Chaperone may be needed for security/operational reasons around the building and surrounding area. Take home resources Filled in recording sheets Notes for organisers Written recordings 4 Location sheets inside 4 numbered envelopes. See background information cards for templates Clipboard, stopwatch. Check appropriate locations and make participants aware of out of bound areas and create a bad weather plan and low mobility plan.

3 Task 2b What did you hear? To find out what a soundscape is and to consider the effect that sounds can have on people To discuss how sounds make people in the group feel To produce their own definition of a soundscape Links to previous Consolidating within their group what a soundscape is. Links to next Gives them the context for the science section. Resources required Our definition of a Soundscape card (in materials for printing) Learning Styles Audio, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Logical Number of participants Groups as for task 2a Definition of a soundscape 10 minutes Compulsory or optional Compulsory The group discusses how the sounds made them feel then writes a definition of a soundscape - the collection of sounds that they heard. Research needed (inc. See information cards for soundscapes background information. Facilitator info (inc. Facilitate a short (5 min) discussion about how sounds can make you feel. Use the questions on the task card to stimulate this discussion. The next part requires the group to write a definition of a soundscape. Ask the group how they would describe the collection of sounds that they heard. Tell them that a lot of research is going on in the area of sounds in our everyday lives and the term soundscape is used. They heard a soundscape at each of their locations. Ask them to write a definition of the word soundscape. Make sure everyone in the group agrees on their definition. Take home resources None Definitions of soundscape have they understood what we are trying to get across. Notes for organisers Could provide some props for soundscapes.

4 Task 2c Create a soundscape Use objects around them to create a soundscape. To produce their own soundscape. Links to previous After listening to various soundscapes now create one of own. Links to next Learn more about sounds that make up a soundscape Resources required Some props to make sounds with (optionall) Learning Styles Audio, Interpersonal, Intrapersonal, Logical Number of participants Groups as for task 2a and 2b Created soundscape 5 minutes Compulsory or optional Optional Using the sounds you heard on your walk create a short (20 second) soundscape to reflect an emotion. Use your own voices or anything that you can find in the room. Share your soundscape with the other groups. Research needed (inc. none Facilitator info (inc. The group create a 20 second soundscape. They can use the sounds form their sound walk as a starting point. Depending on the time available get the group to share their soundscape with other groups. Take home resources None Record what people did. Notes for organisers Could provide some props for soundscapes.

5 Task 3 The science bit Explain the science behind sound Learn vocabulary necessary to discuss soundscapes Psychoacoustics how perceive sounds Links to previous References to what people have heard Links to next Use to talk about/design a soundscape Resources required The Science Bit PowerPoint. Requires speakers to be setup in the debate room Learning Styles Audio, Visual Number of participants Whole group (feedback to Opinions on sound demos researchers/take home) 10 minutes Compulsory or optional Compulsory Introduction to sound, the vocabulary, psychoacoustic demonstrations Research needed (inc. Need to provide all the information if an expert is not present at the event. All background information provided on Info cards. Facilitator info (inc. Demonstrations to be carried out to the whole group. Take home resources Feedback forms. Record people s feelings and opinions. Notes for organisers Need PowerPoint + sound system

6 Task 4 Links between sounds Think about how some sounds in a soundscape may be linked. For participants to understand that there are relationships between different elements within a soundscape. Links to previous Links to sound walk, and could build on knowledge from task 3. Links to next Refreshes memories of elements of a soundscape, so that participants have some ideas about what they would/would not like to hear. Resources required Different coloured balls of wool. Sound cards from materials for printing resources. Learning Styles Movement, visual, interpersonal, logical Number of participants Up to 10 in a group Links between sounds. 10 minutes Compulsory or optional Compulsory All groups must be ready at the same time as everyone else for this task. Depending on the numbers in the group your group may join with one or more other groups to do this. Participants to sit or stand in a circle and each picks a sound card. For example: The sound of a whistle may be linked to the sound of a train as a whistle is used to tell the train driver to leave. So the person with the WHISTLE card could say: I am WHISTLE I have a relationship with TRAIN because the whistle tells the train when to go. They then hold onto the end of their ball of wool and throw it to the person holding the TRAIN card. I am TRAIN I have a relationship with an LOUD SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT because the announcement lets people know the train will arrive. The TRAIN keeps hold of a piece of wool and throws the rest to the LOUD SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT. Give a ball of wool to the first person and start some relationships. When this starts to die out start a different person with a different colour ball of wool. Repeat choosing people who have no bits of wool (or fewer pieces). Could discuss how some sounds are constant and some intermittent. Ask people which they think their sounds are. To keep this game going if it starts to slow down, can

7 Facilitator info (inc. Take home resources Notes for organisers suggest that everyone takes a new card. Facilitator records the list of sounds as they are linked, and the reason why they are linked. See facilitator card for more details. None. Record relationships between sounds to feedback to researchers. It is possible to revisit a sound, because a sound could have relationships with more than one other sound. Some sounds may not be linked to anything else in the soundscape. All the sound elements are part of the soundscape whether they are linked or not.

8 Task 5 Positive soundscapes What is a soundscape? What is a positive/negative soundscape? For participants to think about positive sounds in a soundscape. Links to previous Previous reminds participants that there are many elements in a soundscape. This one encourages them to think about what they think the positive elements are. Links to next They will be designing their own soundscape, using this information, and information about how to affect a soundscape. Resources required Flipchart with We went on a sound walk and we wish we d heard written on it and pens Learning Styles Auditory, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal Number of participants Small groups, like for task 2. Needs recording last person has to write it down as they say it. All the group can help with this. 5 minutes. Compulsory or optional Compulsory This is a version of My mother when to market and she bought... memory game. Research needed (inc. None. Facilitator info (inc. This is a version of the My mother went to market and she bought... memory game. Ensure the group is sitting in a circle. Tell the participants to think about the sounds they would like to hear in a given scenario e.g. on a walk, in the countryside, going shopping. First person starts with we went on a walk around...and we wish we had heard... The next person repeats the previous sentence and then add their own sound. This continues until the last person says and writes on the flipchart the entire list of positive sounds. The whole group can help with this. Take home resources None Notes for organisers Record sound lists to feedback to researchers Need to think about group sizes too big and it will be difficult to remember all of the sounds.

9 Task 6 Create a soundscape Give audience opportunity to make their own soundscape By the end of task 6 participants should be able to discuss the content of real soundscapes and be aware of their local acoustic environment. Have some understanding of how to engineer a soundscape. Enable researchers to observe public engagement in soundscape design. Links to previous These are the sounds we would like to hear in an environment and when architects design an area they have to consider how properties of the area affect the soundscape. Synthesis of all previous sections Now you know all about it try to design one of your own Links to next n/a Resources required Laminated park template and images of different sounds. Software package to create soundscape from these sounds (Create a Soundscape attachment) Learning Styles Visual, Logical, Naturalistic Number of participants Working in groups of 6 Ideally the researches would attend and make notes, take photos in order to use this information in their research. 15 minutes + 5 minute introduction and can think about over 5 minute tea-break Compulsory or optional Compulsory Split the audience into groups. Give each group the guidelines plus describe the task. Each group to design an pleasant realistic park, within specified constraints. The group have a sheet for the area and templates of constituent environment shapes. Research needed (inc. Researchers to provide software to synthesise soundscape. Facilitator info (inc. Introduce the task to the group (5 minutes). Then tell the group they have 20 minutes to create their soundscape and have a coffee break. If you are in a room where they can drink etc then they should fetch their refreshments and return to their group to continue the task. If they cannot bring refreshments into the room your group leader will tell you how to manage this task. Encourage the group to use their own ideas as well as those provided these are just things to get them started. Take home resources Could photograph what they have done on mobiles to

10 Notes for organisers show others. Recorded discussion taken by researchers. How you manage this task will depend on the time you have and the group dynamics. You have a total of 30 minutes to complete this task, have a refreshment break and end the event. We suggest the following: 5 mins introduce the task 5 mins get refreshments 15 minutes work on task (with refreshments) 5 mins share with rest of groups and finish. You may need to adapt this if you cannot take refreshments in to the room where you are working or if you have more or less time available.