Did You Hear That?

Sounds are all around us, and we make a lot of sounds every day. Oral stories predate the written word, and may even outlast it. Think of the power of sound: it can break glass – and eardrums. It can move a nation. What wakes you up in the middle of the night? Often it’s a mysterious sound. And how about the infectious quality of a laugh? Explore the world of sound.

Connect:

• The University of Washington’s web site “Neuroscience for Kids” provides several fun learning activities to help child build aural acuity. The site also has a tour of the ear, appropriate for high school students: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chhearing.html
• This thinkquest by fifth and sixth graders explains each sense: http://library.thinkquest.org/3750/hear/hear.html
• The Soundry, another thinkquest, has several sections covering the process of hearing, the physics of sound, the role of sound in daily life, a timeline about sound-related technology, and an interactive sound “lab”: http://library.thinkquest.org/19537/?tqskip1=1
• This website offers free computer games to build auditory skills: http://www.up-to-date.com/saitwebsite/computergames.html
• Do you think animals sound the same around the world? People in different cultures hear them in different ways: http://bzzzpeek.com/ and http://www.eleceng.adelaide.edu.au/personal/dabbott/animal.html

Create:

• The Science of Sound for Kids (http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sound.html) offers games and other sound activities.
• Aural Urban Fabric Project provides interactive exploration of spatial narrative through aural perception: http://www.jpda.net/proj_aural.html
• You’ve heard of landscapes; what about soundscapes? You can create a soundscape at http://www.wildmusic.org/soundscapes/buildsoundscapeFamilies have great stories to tell. You can capture them on a computer, and turn them into a podcast. 
• This website discusses podcasting for children, and links to sites to guide children to create and upload podcasts: http://coolpodcasts.wordpress.com/2006/09/09/podcsat-for-children/
• If you have a Mac, explore Garage Band. For PC, try Garage Door and MixCraft. Try telling a story just through music and sound effects.

Care:

• This Light is a radio show featuring young activists for social change: http://soundsforsocialchange.com
• Create a musical or narrated podcast about your favorite social cause. You can also record interviews of social activists, and make podcasts to disseminate their ideas.
• The oral word has special meaning for visually impaired people. This website gives you tips on reading to the blind: http://www.ehow.com/way_5130602_reading-blind-people.html
• Produce a poetry slam for a social cause; go to http://www.poetryslam.com for help.
• Create a soundscape about a social cause.

Careers:
How does a career sound to you? Here are several possibilities: in entertaining, science, engineering, forensics, history, ethnography. Explore these websites:

• http://www.audioproductionschools.org/jobs
• http://audio.tutsplus.com/series/how-to-work-in-audio-careers-in-sound/
• http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul04/articles/alternativecareers.htm
• http://www.bhphotovideo.com/find/newsLetter/Career-in-Audio.jsp