The sound walks we went on were through campus and through
the arboretum. In these places I found that the mixture between types of sound
were striking. The way that sound is processed in the everyday is intriguing. I
couldn’t help but wonder along the way if noises that were special to the earth
were passing me by. At the end of my walk I decided that they were. The sounds
of nature were things I was forgetting to hear. They were, on my walk, so much
louder because I was listening for them. I picked up on trees and leaves. I
could hear cars, construction, and leaf blowers also but I could really hear
the leaves. I was waiting for the sounds of birds and bugs while I was walking
and couldn’t quite encounter it. I did note that during a normal day I’m more inclined
to hear a car and think about it or someone in heels than I would be to hear
trees and grass and the way the wind hits those things. I finally heard some
birds. The biggest difference between walking through the arboretum and walking
through campus is that I can hear more construction through out campus. When in
the arboretum, you hit a certain point and the construction is less and less
audible. I could finally hear the birds I wanted to hear. It’s always
interesting to experience a sound getting quieter and quieter yet knowing its
still going on. The sound walk taught me
to listen much more often. I also am more aware of the different kinds of
sounds around me whether they be from nature or from man. Earlier I said I was
more inclined to hear the man-made sounds and notice. I think since my sound
walk I take more notice of trees and the noise wind causes than anything else. While
it’s hard to escape them as Courtney had said you can choose to notice
something else more.
