Sound Mapping

A learning activity by Alex Chen

Introduction

The outside world is full of fascinating sounds: numerous varieties of birds, the wind in the trees, the footsteps of fellow classmates, and so much more!
In this activity, we will explore the sonic world around us and create a work of art together that reflects what we hear. Be open to surprises, delight, and curiosity!

OBJECTIVE

This activity is intended to deepen your student’s connection to the natural world and encourage active participation and engagement that connect to the themes of interdependence, connection, and care that the opera explores. It is also intended to help students use the sounds you hear to participate in citizen science that helps protect biodiversity and natural soundscapes.

Materials

  • Sound Mapping:

  • Reflection:

    • Whiteboard or large sheet of paper

    • Whiteboard or regular marker

Instructions

  1. Pick a spot: Find an outdoor area where you can safely listen to your surroundings with your eyes closed. Place your table at approximately the centre of the area.

  2. Set up the map: Lay out the Bristol board on the table and secure it with tape. As a class, identify some landmarks in the area (e.g. trees, big rocks, buildings) and draw them on the map (can be done by teacher or student volunteer(s)).

  3. Spread out: Spread out the members of your class to different spots in this area.

  4. Listen & explore: Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you for 8 minutes. After the teacher announces that the 8 minutes has passed, open your eyes and keep listening for 2 more minutes—look around to see if you can find what is making the sounds you notice.

  5. Map sounds: Come back together at the table and take turns describing what sounds you heard and where they were coming from. At the spots on the map where the sounds seemed to be coming from, draw pictures inspired by those sounds. These images could range anywhere from a picture of a bird to an abstract depiction of the texture of a particular sound (e.g. squiggly lines). When choosing your marker, ask yourself: what colour is this sound?

  6. You’re done! Once everyone has had a chance to share their observations, your sound map is done! Snap a picture of it and share it with us on Instagram @pacificoperavictoria and @vancouveropera! We encourage you to put it up somewhere in your classroom as a reminder of the sonic world around us.

Optional: During step 4. Listen & explore, you can use a phone to run the Sound ID function in the Merlin Bird ID app. The app will record sounds and give possible bird identifications if it hears any birds. During or after step 5. Map sounds, you can use the bird IDs to zone in on what birds you might have heard. The app also allows you to play specific birds’ sounds. The first half of this video is a helpful tutorial to this function. 

Possible Modifications

  • Staying together: should it fit class or safety needs better, step 3. Spread out can be skipped.

  • Lengths of time: the lengths of time in step 4. Listen & explore can be adjusted based on class needs. Please note that if you go over 10 minutes and are using the Merlin Sound ID function, the app will ask you if you want to stop recording at the 10-minute mark.

  • Clipboard & paper: instead of a table and Bristol board, a clipboard and paper can be used to make the sound map. This might suit smaller class sizes and/or situations where greater portability is needed. 

Reflection (~15 minutes)

Once you’re back in the classroom, gather at a whiteboard or large sheet of paper. On the writing surface, your teacher will make two columns: anthropogenic sounds (i.e. sounds made by humans and human activities) and natural sounds (i.e. from the wider natural world).

Assign the sounds you heard today to either anthropogenic sounds or natural sounds, leaving lots of space on the page between each entry.

As a class, respond to these questions about the sounds. Your teacher or a volunteer will write down your reflections beside the associated sounds.

  • Which sounds did you like? Put a heart or smiley face beside them.

  • Which sounds didn’t you like? Put a sad face beside them.

  • Which sound was your favourite? Put a star beside this sound.

  • How did different sounds make you feel?

  • Note: depending on students’ experiences, some sounds might have both positive and negative symbols.

Once this reflection is completed, this is an opportunity for the teacher to discuss the class’ overall relationship with anthropogenic versus natural sounds. For example, anthropogenic sounds could be perceived as overbearing or alternatively familiar; natural sounds could be comforting or unexpected. 

Round out the discussion by introducing soundscape ecology (also called acoustic ecology by some). In all these activities, we’ve explored the sounds around us and how they affect us. Expanding off of this, soundscape ecology is an area of study that looks at how living things, including humans, relate to each other and their environment through sound. Sensitivity to soundscape ecology helps us contribute to the conservation of biodiversity and better understand how the sonic environment contributes to our own wellbeing.

We encourage you to send along a photo of your final chart—we love to see each class’ perspectives! @pacificoperavictoria @vancouveropera

Call to Action

From what you’ve learned today, we encourage you to continue your journey in soundscape ecology!

  • Keep noticing the soundscape around you—find your favourite spots for listening and invite others to join in appreciating the sounds.

  • Use the sounds you hear to participate in citizen science that helps protect biodiversity and natural soundscapes.

  • Make visual arts inspired by the sounds around you – share your finished visual art with us by tagging us on Instagram!

  • Using a sound recorder (e.g. smartphone), record sounds around you. Using sound editing programs like Audacity (free), make your own music or soundscape out of the sounds you collected—share your finished sound art with us by getting in touch on Instagram!

Terms

Soundscape: an immersive, auditory environment; can be used to describe the assemblage of sounds in a given environment or in a work of sound art.

Soundscape ecology: the study of the relationship between living things (including humans) and the sounds of their environment.

Anthropogenic sound/anthrophony: sound generated by humans and their electro-mechanical technologies (e.g. cars) in a given environment.

Geophony: naturally-occurring, non-biological sounds in a given environment, such as wind, water, and thunder.

Biophony: sounds created by non-human organisms in a given environment, such as birds’ songs.

Biodiversity: the variety of life in a given environment.

ABOUT Alex Chen

Alex Chen is a portfolio artist with a wealth of artistic and administrative skillsets. As a baritone, collaborative pianist, and vocal coach, he brings fresh perspectives on a diverse body of musical works. On faculty at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, he fosters the development of developing and professional artists. Through an administrative lens, he wears many hats to support projects for organizations such as Pacific Opera Victoria and the Gay4Nature Collective.

Recent professional highlights include summer festival performances in Toronto & San Francisco with Tafelmusik & American Bach Soloists (respectively); grant & short film production success on Gay4Nature’s Green (based on Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées, funded by the Canada Council for the Arts); and performing in the mighty avian chorus in Pacific Opera Victoria’s premiere of Walter Braunfels’ The Birds.

On the topic of birds, Alex has a secret zoology background that surfaces in projects such Dear Birds through POV’s Civic Engagement Apprenticeship Program (Dear Birds – Pacific Opera Victoria).

Find out more about Pacific Opera’s Civic Engagement Program here.